Buying CS2 Cases: Best CSGO Cases to Open, Odds, Knife Skins

Do you enjoy the thrill of RNG? Opening cases in CS2 may be for you! While Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, now Counter-Strike 2, is known for its tactical gunplay and intense esports scene, it also relies heavily on its in-game economy. This unique econ system is funded entirely by players purchasing in-game cases to open, which contain unique skins and rare items!

Since the launch of CS2 in September, case openings have seen a resurgence as tons of new players flock to try the new and improved systems. But the question is: are they worth it? Read on for everything you need to know about CS2 cases, including how to get them, all the skins to look out for, and more.

How to get CS2 cases

There are currently two main methods of obtaining cases in CS2: getting them for free as drops or buying them outright. We'll go into more detail below.

Free Case Drops

You can get CS2 cases for free by simply playing the game yourself. When you rank up your account for the first time in a week, you'll get a weekly drop, where a case can be chosen as one of the rewards.

The case you're awarded is entirely randomized. However, there's a 99% chance it'll be from the currently active drop pool. As of October 2023, the active case pool includes the following: Revolution Case, Recoil Case, Dreams & Nightmares Case, Snakebite Case, and Fracture Case.

Buying Cases

If you want more than one case at a time, the only option is to buy cases using real-life money. These can be purchased either from the Steam Marketplace or from legitimate third-party websites. Whether you buy a single case or multiple, you'll find them in your inventory, ready to be opened.

How to open CS2 cases

Once you've got your CS2 cases to open, you'll need to purchase or obtain a key, one per locked case you own. All keys can be bought directly on Steam, but they cannot be refunded or resold on Steam Market, so only purchase them if you 100% plan on using them.

How much are CS2 case keys?

Case keys in Counter-Strike 2 cost around $2.49, or the equivalent in your regional currency. If you want money-saving tips, never buy case keys from the Steam Market, as they're much more expensive! Buy your keys directly from the in-game store instead.

C2 case odds

As is the case with any RNG elements or any in-game luck-based purchases, the odds of getting rare weapon skins and goodies are low. With most CS2 cases you open, you'll get a Mil-Spec or Industrial (both blue rarity) item and or sometimes a Restricted (purple), with Contraband (gold) being the rarest.

If you fancy taking your chances, here's a complete list of the case odds in Counter-Strike 2 below.

Every item inside a weapon case has a 10% chance to be StatTrak. This just essentially adds a kill counter to any weapon, except from gloves.

Suppose you have a specific item or case in mind. In that case, we recommend buying it outright on the Steam Market or other websites rather than spending real cash on cases, as the chances of getting your specific skin are incredibly low.

Best CS2 Cases To Open

Despite the poor chances, there are still some profitable cases you can try opening with the best possible returns.

Comparing the case price and key to the average skin prices, here are the best CSGO cases to open. These prices may fluctuate across the coming weeks and months, but this is what you can expect.

Despite these CS2 cases offering the best possible outcome from your initial investment, you can still see that you'll still be losing money opening them - around half of your money.

If you're looking for the most profitable cases to open in Counter-Strike 2, know there simply aren't any. If you were to earn profitable and sustainable margins from opening cases, you'd have to get very lucky every time.

Knives in CS2 Cases

Getting a colorful skins and Knife skins inside their cases is every CS players dream, with some being worth thousands of dollars if resold.

On average, you'll find a knife in every 385 cases, with a 0.26% chance. If you were to unbox 10,000 cases, you'd get around 15 knives in total.

However, knives aren't available in every weapon case. For example, the illustrious Butterfly Knife can only be found in three specific cases. If you're looking for a specific knife, here's some of the cases you can find them in.

Butterfly Knife

• Operation Breakout Case
• Dreams & Nightmares Case
• Operation Riptide Case

Flip Knife

• Gamma Case

Karambit

• Gamma Case
• Chroma Case
• Revolver Case
• Operation Vanguard Weapon Case
• Operation Pheonix Weapon Case
• Operation Bravo Case
• CS:GO Weapon Case (1-3)

Skeleton Knife

• Fracture Case
• Shattered Web Case

Priciest Cases in CS2

The most expensive CS2 cases are typically so because they are old (from CS:GO), rare, or even discontinued, so they're fewer and far between to get your hands on.

1. CS:GO Weapon Case: $81.95
2. Operation Bravo Case: $56.64
3. Operation Hydra Case: $27.73
4. CS:GO Weapon Case 2: $18
5. CS:GO weapon Case 3: $10.99
6. Huntsman Weapon Case: $10.46
7. eSports 2013 Winter Case: $8.87
8. Operation Broken Fang Case: $6.13

Cheapest Cases in CS2

The cheapest CS2 cases usually have items that not many players want, like base grade gun skins, or items that are oversaturating the game's economy in abundance. The prices of these will usually fluctuate on the Steam Marketplace, but will consistently stay around the $1 mark as listed below.

1. Snakebite Case: $0.37
2. Recoil Case: $0.57
3. Fracture Case: $0.69
4. Clutch Case: $0.80
5. Prisma Case: $0.81
6. Danger Zone Case: $0.96
7. Horizon Case: $1.09
8. Shadow Case: $1.18

Final Thoughts

That's everything we know about opening cases in Counter-Strike 2. Remember that, just like with betting, there are no guaranteed strategies to secure all the desirable skins. Even if you see a streamer or pro-player getting lucky with knives and gloves, it entirely depends on your average luck, and it's likely they've spent a lot of money to eventually get good gear. May the odds be ever in your favor!

If you're looking for more Counter-Strike content, you've come to the right place! Check out our guide to the best crosshair codes, system requirements, the ranking system, and the best CS2 betting odds. Check out our Same Game Combos for esports, where you can put your big-brain betting knowledge to work and rake in the big bucks!