The skins in a game such as CS2 are important because they add more flavour to the game. Having a cool skin can help you express yourself or even motivate you to play better. Unfortunately, CS2 is a game where you cannot just obtain a skin after a match. Most of the skins that are in perfect condition can be extremely pricey so it’s better to get yourself a skin using the trading market or a third-party site. In this guide, we will review the main reason why the skins prices change and when is the best time to buy CS2 skins.
Seasonal Influences and Special Events
There are some specific events and times when the prices of the skins can change. No one can say for sure that a specific skin’s price will go up or down but some predicted changes can be seen easily. Below, we will break down some of the major times that you can follow and see if the skins you want are on sale. So, without further ado, let’s start!
- CS2 Esports Tournaments: During major CS2 events, the community starts to be more active and demands in certain skins increase. When there is a skin that is in really high demand, the price will increase. With that in mind, it will be a smart move to buy the skins you want in a few days or even weeks before the event. The other important aspect of that is after the event, people will start to sell what they won or even re-sell the skins they bought during the event. Another smart choice you can make is to buy the skins a few weeks after the event ends for the best possible price.
- Holidays: During holidays people will naturally have more spare time. This leads to increased activity in the community just like the events. Although it will not be as huge, it can still greatly impact the price of some skins. It will be better to buy skins sometime after the holidays. For example, in later winter when people will not have that much time and reconsider their purchases. This can help you get your hands on one of the skins you want at a reasonable price.
- Steam Sales: Usually there are some Steam Sales that are around the same time in the year. When that happens, a lot of gamers start to sell their skins to get enough funds to buy a new game or an item because it will be discounted. It’s certainly the best time to buy CS2 skins and such an opportunity should not be missed. For example, someone with skins might want to come back to the game and sell, or simply buy the game and then sell their skins to buy something else. That will create a great volume in the player count and will affect the skin prices. So, you should be on alert if that happens during specific sales.
Players Demand
There are several reasons behind the increase or decrease in skin prices. One of them is the demand for a certain skin. For example, when a new skin is released, the demands will be high because the skin will be less obtainable. During that time, the price will be extremely high and will stay like that for a while.
However, after some time, maybe a couple of weeks or even a month, the price will drop drastically because the demand will be less since more people will have the skin in their inventory. This will be the perfect time for you to buy the skin you want. In short, the higher the demand for certain skins, the higher the prices will go, and the opposite.
Seasonal Fluctuations
Seasonal price fluctuations usually occur during specific parts of the year. The most common ones are during Christmas and summer. In these periods, the prices of the skins change, mostly they drop and it creates a good chance for you to buy the skin you desire. It’s a huge opportunity since the community will be more active and the prices will be usually lower.
With that in mind, it’s extremely important to take into consideration the condition of the skin, so you don’t get scammed in any way. Using a third-party site where you can inspect the skin in 2D or even 3D will be extremely helpful in determining if the price answers the condition.
New Releases
The release of new content in the game such as skins or cases is usually predictable in CS2. Valve usually makes announcements for their community so they can prepare themselves for the new upcoming operation passes or cases. During these periods, people are willing to sell some of their older skins at a lower price so they can have enough funds to buy the operation pass or the new cases.
There are also a lot of opportunities to trade skins for pass and vice versa. So with the release of new content, you will usually have an easier time finding the skin you want at a decent price. So, what you need to do here is to check if there are any upcoming events and be on the watch.
Game Updates – Meta Changes
When an update in the game happens, and this update contains different changes on a gun, this will affect the meta. Meta in short means the most utilized weapons in the game with the best use. For example, if Valve decides to nerf the AWP, the gun itself will lose a lot of value in most of the games so fewer people will use it. And that leads to lower prices of its skins. There are two main reasons for that:
- Firstly, and most importantly, people will try to sell some of their skins for a certain gun because they will not be using it anymore. With that, they will be able to buy a skin for the guns that are currently in the meta. So, it is a good idea to invest in skins that you like because the price can increase in the future.
- The other reason for the lowering in the prices is the decrease in demand. Since the gun will not be the go-to option every game, it will see less usage and this will lead to fewer people wanting to have skins for it. Therefore, having skins for guns that people barely use is not very favorable.
Summary
So let’s summarize when are the best times to buy skins in CS2:
- A few weeks before or after a big event because of the increase and decrease in demand.
- During Steam sales, the price will be lowered.
- After a holiday, more people will try to sell the skins they will not want to use anytime soon.
- For older skins, it’s better to buy right after the release of new content or skins because the demands will be lower as well as the prices.
- For new skins, it will be better to wait a few weeks maybe months.
- After an update that changes the meta, the skins for a certain weapon will be at a lower price.