How to get a Knife Skin in CS2 - All Methods explained

Enhancing your CS2 inventory with a knife is the ultimate goal of a lot of CS2 players when it comes to skins in the game. So there's no surprise that they are usually the priciest skins in the game as well. There are several ways to get a knife and all of them come with some pros and cons. Let's take a look at 6 ways to get a knife in CS2 and find the way that fits your desires the best.

Getting a Knife by opening Cases

For anyone starting out with CS2 and getting familiar with skins, opening cases might occur as the most natural way to get a knife or at least some other cool skins. But you'll need to be made aware of the fact that this is by far the most risky strategy to get a knife. In fact there is only a 0.26% chance of unboxing a knife from opening cases. So to put that into perspective: If you are unboxing an infinite amount of cases, the outcome will not be profitable for you.

On the other hand, if you strongly believe in your luck, you can try it and if you manage to beat the odds, it can turn out super profitable. Apart from maths, opening cases is also a ton of fun and contains the most thrill of all methods, but it's best to keep it moderate and not with the intention of actually owning a knife.

Buying a Knife from the Steam Market

Acquiring a CS2 knife directly from the Steam Market is undoubtedly the most straightforward and convenient approach preferred by many players to sidestep any inconvenience. It's also arguably the quickest method to obtain a desired knife in the game, requiring no more than a few seconds. However, is this the optimal route to acquire a knife skin?

While procuring a knife from the Steam Market involves topping up your Steam Wallet and selecting your desired knife, it may not be the wisest choice. As many are aware, the Steam Community Market imposes a 15% transaction fee on each item sold on the platform. To offset this substantial fee, sellers typically list their items at inflated prices, resulting in items being generally overpriced compared to various third-party marketplaces. Therefore, let's explore other available markets next.

Third-Party Marketplaces

Numerous third-party marketplaces online offer the opportunity for users to trade skins from CS2 and other games. These platforms typically impose lower fees compared to the Steam Community Market, resulting in significantly lower item prices. On average, you can anticipate discounts of approximately 30% compared to Steam Market rates. There's also the possibility of cashing out your skins for real money that get's transferred to your bank account instead of your Steam Wallet.

However, users should exercise caution when choosing which website to engage with for buying and selling skins. With the proliferation of scams within the CS2 community, the prevalence of phishing and scamming websites on the internet is also on the rise. For those seeking a reputable marketplace, Skinport is the right place. We are a highly trusted marketplace that is registered in Germany with a huge amount of active users. The more users and traffic a site has, the more competition there is between sellers which makes items much cheaper usually.

Getting a Knife from In-Game Drops

While it may initially seem improbable, obtaining a knife in CS2 solely through in-game drops without spending any money is indeed possible, provided you have Prime status. However, it's an exceedingly laborious process that may take a considerable amount of time to accomplish.

Every week, players can receive a total of two case drops simply by participating in CS2 matches. While the first case drop typically occurs after just a few games, obtaining the second drop may require several hours of gameplay. On average, these case drops yield around 50 cents, with the exact amount varying based on the active drop pool. Notably, when Valve introduces a new case to the game, acquiring it early can yield around $10.

Now, let's consider the price of the least expensive knife in CS2, which is approximately $60 at the time of writing. This implies that by selling the in-game drops you receive while playing, you could acquire your first CS2 knife in roughly a year.

It's worth noting that there's also a chance of receiving a case from the 'rare drop pool' each time you receive a case drop in CS2. These 'rare' drops have the potential to be sold for as much as $50, with approximately a 1% chance of receiving a 'rare' drop each time a case drops in-game.

Getting a Knife by Trading Up

Trading up to acquire a knife in CS2 is undeniably a laborious and gradual undertaking, yet it stands as perhaps the most economical method of obtaining one. For those unfamiliar with the concept of trading up, it involves a Steam user purchasing a skin and then exchanging it with another user for a skin of greater value. Although trading up from a low-value skin to a knife presents a daunting challenge, numerous guides available on the internet can assist you in navigating this process. A lot of YouTubers are doing this as a challenge even, so you might want to check some of there videos out if you are interested in this method.

Getting a Knife by winning a Giveaway

Finally there's also the possibility of getting a knife simply by winning a giveaway. There are tons of giveaways out there, that usually only require a follow or like to participate. We at Skinport for example are hosting regular giveways on our Twitter, Instagram and Discord Server. Of course this also is not a reliable way at all to get a knife but there's zero risk or costs involved for you, so why don't you just try your luck?

Conclusion

To summarize our learnings from this article:

• Case Openings: risky and unreliable but also fun and profitable in rare occasions.

• Steam Market: convenient and quick but also expensive most of the time.

• Third-Party Marketplaces: more demanding but also cheaper than the Steam Market.

• In-Game Drops: tedious and time-consuming but free.

• Trading Up: laborious but most economical.

• Givaways: unreliable but free.

In summary, if maximizing the value of your money is your priority, opting for a third-party marketplace to directly purchase the desired knife is advisable. This approach typically offers a 30% discount compared to the Steam market. However, if acquiring a knife from the Steam Community Market is your preference, it's prudent to place a buy order and await a seller to match your listed price. Opting for buy orders instead of purchasing directly at sale prices can yield savings of 10-15% on your knife.