Since CSGO was introduced on Steam back in 2012, it immediately became one of the most popular games on the platform. Valve saw an opportunity and decided to implement weapon skins in the game in 2013 with the Arms Deal update. CSGO skins are basically cosmetic items, which allow you to change the appearance of both weapons and characters. Skins come in various patterns and rarities and are simply collectibles, which you can gain from opening cases, as a drop after a match or after leveling up (if you are a Prime player), and via trading on the Steam Market. We don't know what Valve's plan was at the beginning, but we know this much: nobody could have expected how popular these collectibles would become.

According to estimates made by various sources, the CSGO skin market is worth billions of dollars (about $1.5 billion according to the latest estimates). Thousands of skins are sold every single day and Valve earns more than $40 million each month from the CS:GO skin market alone. Even now, the combined value of skins currently available on the Steam market is about $5 million.

Skins are as popular as the game itself. People love to collect such items, and there is no denying that the introduction of weapon skins in CS:GO has had a huge impact on the entire gaming industry. Before CSGO, only a few games had collectible items that could be purchased with real money. Nowadays, they can be found everywhere. You can find collectible skins in most online games (DOTA 2, League of Legends, Valorant, Paladins, Overwatch), popular mobile games (Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia, PUBG mobile, Marvel: Strike Force), or even single-player games, where additional character skins are sold as DLC (Mortal Kombat X, The Witcher 3, Sleeping Dogs). Hence, in this article, we are going to cover all the secrets about CSGO skins.

Trends in CS:GO skin prices

In order to fully grasp the idea of investing in CS:GO skins, we must first analyze trends in CSGO skin prices and the factors that influence them. Generally, the main principle is simple: the price of the skin is determined by its rarity. However, if you truly want to make money from CSGO weapon skins, then you should realize that there are a few factors that might influence its overall price. The luckiest players in the game were able to gain the M4A4 Howl skin before it was removed from any drops and crafting due to copyright issues. Nowadays, the M4A4 Howl is one of the rarest "contraband" skins in the game. Before the issue, it was worth about $30. Nowadays, you have to pay more than $4000 just to buy a Well-Worn version of it. However, such situations rarely happen.

However, skin prices can also be influenced by seasonal factors. Initially, new skins have higher prices, but they usually drop quickly due to the hype fading away. For example, AWP Duality was introduced on February 9th, 2023. On the Steam Market, it was worth $156.60. Nowadays, it costs around $80.

Prices of old content also decrease when new skins are released (players sell their old skins to buy new ones), so the market is overflowing and the price is decreasing. On the other hand, old skins may become more expensive due to the fact that it will be harder to obtain them and their supply on the Steam Market becomes smaller. The Desert Eagle Golden Koi was one of the most popular skins in the game when it was introduced on September 19th, 2013. At the start, it cost barely around $20. Nowadays, it is much harder to obtain, so it costs more than $100.

Another element that might increase the popularity and price of the skin is when certain professional CSGO players have a target skin as their favorite. You might be surprised, but CSGO players do not necessarily love only the most expensive or rarest skins. Rafael "exit" Lacerda from MIBR loves minimalistic design, which is why his favorite skins are Desert Eagle Printstream and M4A1 Printstream. These skins are popular because players want to have them in their collection in order to be like their favorite players. It should also be noted that currently the most expensive weapon skins are AWP Gungnir (about $8,000), M4A4 Howl (about $4,000) and AWP Dragon Lore (about $4,000), while the cheapest are PP-Bizon Facility Sketch ($0.01), Five-Seven Coolant ($0.01) and AUG Sweeper ($0.01). The first group presents the rarest skins in the game, while the second shows the ones that are easiest to acquire. As you can see, smart and lucky players can gain a lot of money from weapon skins in CS:GO. Furthermore, CS:GO is increasing in popularity due to the announcement of CS2, and this might also have an impact on skin prices.

Investing in CSGO skins

Judging by the monetary aspect, it is no surprise that so many people want to invest in the CS:GO skin market. Is it a good idea though? In general, it should be noted that investing in CS:GO skins has a high potential of providing us with huge profits. However, in order to do so, you first of all need to have a clear head and identify the right skins to purchase and sell at the proper moment. The value of certain skins is steadily increasing and they are easy to access not only on the Steam market but also on various third-party websites. However, there is also risk which should be taken into consideration. Firstly, many players have fallen into gambling addiction due to the constant opening of various cases. Their mindset turned into “Just one more case and I am going to get the skin I wanted”. The problem is so huge that some countries have banned loot boxes entirely due to the increasing gambling addiction (namely Belgium and the Netherlands). The second problem is the fact that the market is very volatile and prices are fluctuating wildly. Many people have made bad investments because an item which was worth a lot of money on one day was completely worthless on another (the history of Lunar who lost thousands of dollars on bad investments. You should definitely read his story). Furthermore, in order to properly invest in CS:GO weapon skins, you need to have a certain amount of knowledge not only about the game itself but also about the Steam market, price fluctuations, etc. In other words, if you do not have the proper knowledge, then the risk of losing money is high.

Current trends on CSGO skin market

There is no denying that the current state of the CSGO skin market has gone ballistic since the announcement of CS2. Prices of basically everything have skyrocketed, from weapon skins and stickers to cases themselves becoming more expensive, and some of these items have even doubled in price. However, it should be noted that some of these price fluctuations due to the announcement are simply a result of market manipulation planned by a few people. Still, there is no denying that the price for a few knives in the game increased by more than 100%. A primary example might be the Shadow Daggers Fade, which saw a price increase of 170% in three months. You can easily check price fluctuations on the cs:go wiki investments. This website will provide you with all the necessary data.

The reason behind this is simple: many more players have installed the game, so the demand for the finite amount of skins is higher, causing prices to spike. It is safe to assume that this state will continue until the hype fades away. However, Valve regularly shows new materials from CS2, so the popularity of CS:GO might remain constant for at least a few months. Furthermore, the state of CS:GO skins is also strongly influenced by the eSports scene, which is becoming more and more popular each year. If we take both of these factors into account, then we might assume that prices of skins will increase. However, we should also remember that some skins might lose their value when they are implemented in CS2 (for example, they might look much worse in the newer version of the game). However, there is one thing that will never change: "legendary" skins, which all players want to have in their collection, will always be very expensive. Such skins as the AK-47 Fire Serpent, AWP Gungnir, Karambit, M4A4 Howl, AWP Dragon Lore, or Karambit Case Hardened are the wet dreams of CS:GO players. These skins are so rare and have such a cult status that you can sell them outside of the Steam Market for thousands of dollars.

How to invest in CS:GO skins – investment strategies

There are a few different strategies widely utilized by players and investors that usually provide them with substantial profits. It might be interesting to note that these strategies are also utilized on stock markets and trade platforms like Forex. These strategies are as follows:

• Day trading - a self-explanatory strategy where a trader buys and sells the skins on the same day, utilizing up-and-down price movements that always occur;
• Medium-term trading - also self-explanatory. In this strategy, players purchase an item with the hope that after a certain amount of time, it will increase in value. It is actually the most popular strategy utilized by players in CS:GO;
• Arbitrage - a chain of transactions where players buy skins on one platform and sell on another for different prices.

In order to be able to react properly to various changes in prices and make a profit, you need various tools that might help you. Such tools like csgoskins.gg might provide you with all the necessary data you need.

Third party skin trading platforms and legal aspects

The last two elements we want to cover in this article are both legal aspects of trading skins and third-party skin trading platforms. Legal aspects are quite an interesting topic here. As long as we use the Steam market to trade skins, there is no problem. Valve gains substantial profit from it and transactions are legal (unless some countries decide to ban lootboxes altogether, as we mentioned before). Valve has reserved all rights for the skins and they may remove them at any time, but in general, there are no issues here. However, we are "officially" not allowed to sell CS:GO skins for real profit. On paper, it is illegal to do so. On the other hand, there are many trading websites that have not been shut down. After all, Valve also gains money thanks to these websites, so the company is not willing to shut this business down. Still, remember that transactions involving real-world money should be treated with extra caution, especially if you are willing to utilize third-party websites.

Which brings us to the last point: CSGO trading websites. There are many trading websites you can visit in order to trade your skins, however you should be careful if you decide to do so. There are many scam sites on which you can lose your skins, Steam account, or even real money. Before you choose the website, check it carefully (look for any illegitimate things like good offers), check online reviews, read Reddit topics about the website, and most importantly, read the terms and conditions of the website. Remember, knowledge is power.

In general, CSGO skins are definitely an interesting method of investing. They could provide you with a substantial profit. However, as with all trading opportunities, the most important thing to consider is your own knowledge and ability to keep a cool head. Do not lose focus and remember, knowledge is power.