In addition to CSGO’s prominent market for in-game weapon skins, Valve has added stickers. Like in real life, Counter-Strike stickers can be pasted on weapon skins to enhance their looks, either making them more appealing or adding something goofy to give players a good laugh.
Stickers in CSGO also have market value, as players can buy and trade them for real money. Valve has helped the community figure out sticker prices by implementing varying sticker grades, variants, and sources to give players a reference for a sticker’s value.
Sticker Grades
Similar to weapon skins, stickers in CSGO are also given grades to measure their rarity. Stickers are also assigned colors depending on their tier.
Here is a list of CSGO sticker colors to its sticker grades.
High-Grade (Blue)
High-grade stickers are the equivalent of Mil-Spec weapon skins, as both share the same color of dark blue.
Though the grade’s name suggests the opposite, High-Grade stickers are the lowest rarity.
Remarkable (Purple)
Remarkable stickers are the equivalent of Restricted weapon skins, as they share the same color of purple.
You will begin seeing Holo and Glitter sticker variants on stickers that fall under the Remarkable rarity.
Exotic (Pink)
Exotic stickers are the equivalent of Classified weapon skins, as they share the same color of pink.
In this rarity grade, you will start seeing Holo and Foil sticker variants, and stickers in this category will start becoming pricier.
Extraordinary (Red)
Extraordinary stickers are the equivalent of Covert weapon skins, as they share the same color of red.
The Extraordinary tier is essentially the “real” highest grade of stickers. Stickers under this grade are Gold or Lenticular stickers.
Contraband (Yellow)
The Contraband grade is technically the highest sticker grade. However, there is only one sticker under this rarity.
The single Contraband sticker in the game is the Howling Dawn sticker, which has the same design as the M4A4 | Howl, the only Contraband weapon skin in the game.
So, the Contraband grade is an extremely special case, and we’ll ignore it for the rest of the article.
Higher Grade = Higher Price?
Yes and no. The most significant factor in determining a sticker’s price is what collection the sticker comes from.
There are High-Grade (Blue) stickers worth thousands of dollars even though it is the lowest grade of stickers. Sticker prices are usually based on how expensive the capsule is, as the only way to obtain a sticker is by opening a capsule.
For example, regular Katowice 2014 stickers fall under the category of High-Grade stickers, yet some of them go for over $2,000.
But, if we are strictly talking about stickers in the same collection, then yes, stickers usually go higher in price as the grades escalate.
Sticker Variants
We have already hinted at the different sticker variants that can be found in all sorts of rarities. Let’s go over the seven of them now.
Paper Stickers
A paper sticker is a standard shiny sticker with a solid backing. This variant is basically the default variant, as there are no additional details. Scraping paper stickers will reveal the paper backing until it is entirely removed.
Some popular paper stickers include:
- Sticker | Battle Scarred
- Sticker | Team Dignitas | Cologne 2014
- Sticker | Baby Howl
- Sticker | iBUYPOWER | DreamHack 2014
- Sticker | First Blood
Glossy Stickers
A glossy sticker is a shiny sticker without a backing. Scraping glossy stickers will reveal the weapon skin finish underneath them. Most people get confused between paper and glossy stickers because the name of the sticker does not reveal this.
Some popular glossy stickers include:
- Sticker | Master Guardian
- Sticker | Ninjas in Pyjamas | Stockholm 2021
- Sticker | MOUZ | Stockholm 2021
- Sticker | Global Elite
- Sticker | Clutch Or Kick
Glitter Stickers
A glitter sticker is paper-backed with a fractured texture that creates a semi-holographic effect. This means the skin will reflect a little bit of lighting. The sticker names will already reveal what variant it is starting from here, for example (Glitter).
Some popular glitter stickers include:
- Sticker | FaZe Clan (Glitter) | Antwerp 2022
- Sticker | electronic (Glitter) | Copenhagen 2024
- Sticker | 00 Nation (Glitter) | Rio 2022
- Sticker | Go Boom (Glitter)
- Sticker | Team Spirit (Glitter) | Antwerp 2022
Holo Stickers
A holo sticker is a paper-backed sticker with additional texture layers to create a holographic effect. Different parts of the sticker may have varying holographic reflections. Though holo isn’t the highest variant, some of the most expensive stickers fall under this category.
Some popular holo stickers include:
- Sticker | Battle Scarred (Holo)
- Sticker | KOI (Holo) | Copenhagen 2024
- Sticker | m0NESY (Holo) | Copenhagen 2024
- Sticker | Loving Eyes (Holo)
- Sticker | Titan (Holo) | Katowice 2014
Foil Stickers
A foil sticker is a standard sticker with an additional normal map used to appear embossed, resembling a metallic appearance. Foil stickers do not have too many lighting effects, as they are intended to seem like metal.
Some popular foil stickers include:
- Sticker | Crown (Foil)
- Sticker | Great Wave (Foil)
- Sticker | s1mple (Foil) | Krakow 2017
- Sticker | Team Liquid (Foil) | Cologne 2016
- Sticker | Dragon Lore (Foil)
Gold Stickers
A golden sticker features a foil effect on a gold colored sticker. These stickers do not react to light. Gold stickers are only for professional teams or player autographs. There are no “regular” stickers under this variant.
Some popular gold stickers include:
- Sticker | kennyS (Gold) | Berlin 2019
- Sticker | donk (Gold) | Copenhagen 2024
- Sticker | DickStacy (Gold) | Berlin 2019
- Sticker | Virtus.pro (Gold) | Copenhagen 2024
- Sticker | MOUZ (Gold) | Paris 2023
Lenticular Stickers
A lenticular sticker is a shiny sticker that has an illusion of depth and has the ability to move when seen from varying angles. These stickers are trippy but extremely fun. Surprisingly, they are not that expensive, with the priciest one being $21.80.
Some popular lenticular stickers include:
- Sticker | Dystopian Gaze (Lenticular)
- Sticker | Magic Rush Ball (Lenticular)
- Sticker | DJ Safecracker (Lenticular)
- Sticker | Old School (Lenticular)
- Sticker | Global TV (Lenticular)
Sticker Sources
Most of these Counter-Strike stickers look appealing, so where are these designs coming from? There are three main groups of where stickers come from.
Professional Scene Stickers
Stickers of professional teams and player autographs make up a large percentage of the sticker population. These stickers are produced every time Valve hosts a prestigious Counter-Strike tournament, known as Majors, which is held twice a year.
Every team that qualifies for a Major will have their organization’s logo tributed as a sticker. These stickers can be paper, holo, foil, or even gold.
Each member of the qualified teams will also have their autographs added to the game. Players will create a signature, submit it to Valve, and have it scanned and pasted on stickers.
Autograph stickers of the best Counter-Strike players, such as s1mple and ZywOo, have incredibly expensive autographs.
Official Valve Stickers
Of course, Valve’s design team is also taking part in sticker production. Typically, new sticker collections are released alongside new operations. The latest Counter-Strike operation was Operation Riptide.
In this update, Valve released the Operation Riptide Sticker Collection, which includes some cool designs.
Community-made Stickers
Aside from Majors or Valve operations, the remainder of the stickers in the game are typically made by the members of the community! Valve releases sets of “Community Sticker Capsules,” which include stickers submitted to the Counter-Strike community workshop.
Some stickers resemble trendy memes or common Counter-Strike phrases such as “EZ” or “Clutch or Kick.” This system is an excellent way for artists in the fanbase to contribute to the game.
Most Expensive Stickers In CSGO
Stickers are generally affordable, most not exceeding the $5 mark. However, there are a few stickers in the game that will cost you a fortune, and it’s still hard to believe the prices of these guys.
Here are the five most expensive Counter-Strike stickers in existence.
- Sticker | Reason Gaming (Holo) | Katowice 2014 – $69,000
- Sticker | Titan (Holo) | Katowice 2014 – $65,000
- Sticker | iBUYPOWER (Holo) | Katowice 2014 – $60,000
- Sticker | Vox Eminor (Holo) | Katowice 2014 – $29,000
- Sticker | Team Dignitas (Holo) | Katowice 2014 – $25,000
Keep in mind that these are exceptional cases and do not provide an accurate representation of general sticker prices.
What Makes Them So Expensive?
These holo stickers are only in the Restricted grade, but how are they exceeding the prices of brand-new cars?
The Katowice 2014 stickers are unique because they are the first batch of Valve Major stickers released in the game. The capsules are discontinued, meaning there is a minimal supply of these stickers.
Additionally, some of the organizations that participated in the EMS Katowice 2014 tournament are no longer competing in Counter-Strike or even esports in general! It is improbable that we’ll get new production of these logos as they won’t qualify for another Major.