Why is the CS2 Skins Market Rebounding in Value?

The intial release of CS2 was a stain on Valve's legacy, with the begining of the new game feeling rushed, lacking content, and riddled with exploits that were ruining the game for casual and professional players alike. However, no one should ever doubt Valve to polish their games, and that is exactly what the community saw recently with Counter-Strike 2. To show their commitment to the game, the Call To Arms dropped on Febuary 6th 2024. The update added back the missing Arms Race gamemode, reduced peakers advantage, added a fifth sticker position to all weapon models, and allowed players to place and rotate stickers wherever they'd like. It was clear to the community that the game was in good hands and that the developers were listening to community feedback. Since the release of this enormous update, the CS2 skins economy is seeing a rebound in value since it began to slide in September. This article will go over what we believe to be the main reasons skin values are resurgent in value!

Casual Fans are Coming Back

With the return of the Arms Race gamemode, many people who play CS for fun (not me, I get mad when I lose in premier but always queue again) felt like they finally had a gamemode that caters to them back in the game. With the increased interest in the game, some of these more casual players are bringing their wallets and purchasing skins in a game they enjoy, causing the overall market to increase from the newfound interest.

Rebounding Playerbase Numbers

Overall, the player base has been recovering from the dip we saw with the new game's release. Although we are not back to the all time high we saw in May of 2023, we have a sustainable healthy uptrend in the active playerbase. As mentioned before, when more people are playing CS2, it results in more interest in skins, increasing the demand and value of items within the skins economy.

Copenhagen Major Incoming

With the first CS2 major around the corner, many people have been watching professional Counter-Strike and cheering for their favorite teams. PGL has been seeing 200,000+ viewers watching each match of the RMRs which is drumming up hype and excitement for the community and new comers to the game of the major which is about to occur. As we saw in the period leading up to the release of Counter-Strike 2, when there is hype in the community, prices of items tend to increase from the increased interest in Valve's FPS game.

A New Case Finally Released

After almost a year of no new skins getting added to Counter-Strike, the community was finally blessed with the release of CS2's first case, the Kilowatt Case, with the Call To Arms update. The new case includes the first Zeus skin ever added to Counter-Strike aswell as the new Kukri knife.

New skins always drive new hype to the game as content creators make videos and streams surrounding the new items and knives. Like before, when hype in the community is increasing, the item economy tends to start heating up with activity.

Crypto Currency Rising in Value

An indirect cause of the rise and fall of counter-strike skin value is the broader state of the global economy, especially cryptocurrencies. In the past 6 months, Bitcoin has increased in value by 140%, giving traders new liquidity that can trickle down into the Counter-Strike economy and cause the value of skins to start increasing in price.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the journey of Counter-Strike 2 from a lackluster beginning to its current resurgence in value is a testament to Valve's dedication to refining and enhancing its games based on community feedback. The Call To Arms update, released on February 6th, 2024, marked a turning point, addressing previous issues and demonstrating the developers' commitment. With the return of the Arms Race game mode, a rebounding player base, the upcoming Copenhagen Major, the release of the Kilowatt Case, and the influence of the broader global economy, particularly the rise in cryptocurrency values, the Counter-Strike 2 skins economy is experiencing a noteworthy rebound. The game has not only regained the interest of casual fans but also attracted new players. In contrast, the anticipation of the major and the introduction of new skins have added momentum. As the game continues to evolve, it is evident that Counter-Strike 2 has not only overcome its initial challenges but has also positioned itself for a prosperous future in both the gaming and skin economies.