Buying skins in CS:GO
It may seem that the easiest way to get your hands on some shiny new CS:GO skins is to buy them from the official Community Market or third-party websites. This way, you can choose what skin exactly you want and purchase it directly, without relying on luck. It is convenient, but also has an obvious disadvantage: sometimes skins are too expensive, and sometimes no one sells the item you want to obtain. You can buy skins that already exist on the market and for the price other users offer.
Consequently, if you prefer, you can go another route, and to your luck, there are plenty of ways to earn free skins in CS:GO. You do not even have to do anything special – you get new items when you enjoy the game and play on official servers. Usually, such methods involve some luck, as you do not know what weapons will drop, but anyways, you will be filling up your skin inventory for free. Anyways, you can later sell the skins you earn for real money or exchange them in Trade Up contracts to get what you want.
Getting CS:GO skins by playing
Even if you don’t want to dedicate time solely to earning skins in CS:GO, you will get some weapon finishes just by playing the game.
Skins or cases may drop after finishing matches on the official servers. You will get more if you purchase a Prime Account. It is not that expensive and worth it if you like the game.
When a new Operation gets released, purchase an Operation Pass. It gives you access to limited content. Operations end after a certain period of time, so do not miss your chance to get skins or cases which will become unavailable later. To get the most from your Operation Pass, fulfill mission objectives to earn stars and then spend them on cases.
The same is true for Majors. When a major tournament is ongoing, players can purchase Viever’s Pass and then participate in predictions. As a result, they earn tokens which can be used to purchase Souvenir cases with unique versions of valuable skins.
Note, that if you want to earn skins in CS:GO with the ultimate goal of converting them into money, sometimes it is more lucrative not to open the cases and sell them as is. This is especially true in the beginning regarding Operation cases. The initial period of the Operation, when a market has not settled yet after the release of your items, is in general a profitable period for skin traders, and you can use it to your advantage.
As you can see, If you earn skins in CS:GO by using in-game methods, you get random items. Waiting for the desired drop results can take a long time. But for most players, it is not a problem. There are community markets and lots of third-party services which allow you to sell or exchange skins. You can also negotiate with other players on specialized Steam forums, on Discord or Reddit, to conclude deals.
How to earn weapons using Trade Up contracts
There is one more way to earn skins in CS:GO, namely Trade Up contracts. It is an opportunity to exchange more common skins for rarer ones. This gives you the possibility to work up your way and get even the skins that don’t drop frequently. If regular drops provide you with Consumer-grade or Mil-grade skins, which do not look very impressive, it is not a problem. Just use these cheap items in trade-up contracts to obtain something better.
For a Trade Up contract to work, you need ten skins for the same weapon and with the same rarity category. In exchange for them, you will get one skin with the rarity one step better. Note, that the price of the initial skins and the resulting ones can differ drastically, so study the market before deciding what skins to get rid of.
There is one more useful thing to know if you want to use this method to earn skins in CS:GO. As a result of a trade-up, you will get not just any skin of the higher rarity grade, but the skin of the same collection. If several collections are represented within 10 starting skins, there is some chance to obtain a skin from any of them. Knowing this, you can take nine cheaper skins and then add one from the more expensive collection, so you will have a chance to get something more valuable.
For you to better understand, how Trade Up contracts work, here are several more restrictions worth mentioning:
You can use either StatTrak skins or normal ones, but not both. Mixing skins of various types in one Trade Up is prohibited.
If the skin is the rarest in its collection, you cannot use it as a source in a Trade Up contract, even if it doesn’t have the higher rarity grade of all.
Trade Up contracts work only for guns, so you cannot create knives or gloves in a similar fashion.
As you see, Trade Up contracts are an effective way to earn weapon skins in CS:GO. They are especially useful, if you are an active player and get a lot of free drops, such as skins or cases. To speed up the process of earning new skins, you may use afk servers. They are dedicated to fulfilling achievements and weekly requirements for getting new skins in-game. By using them, you can multiply your chances to get new skins after a match without the need to play a full game each time.
How to earn CS:GO skins using third-party resources
With more than a million active players every day, the market of CS:GO skins is thriving. Consequently, there is no wonder that there are many third-party websites, tools, and resources aiming to make players’ lives easier. If you explore these resources, you can find multiple ways to earn skins in CS:GO. Here are some of the possibilities:
find and claim promo codes for various skin trading or giveaways websites;
claim registration rewards from those websites;
use websites that give out skin rewards for performing simple tasks, such as watching advertising videos or filling out questionnaires and surveys;
keep an eye on giveaways or other periodical events with free rewards.
While this method of earning free skins in CS:GO is useful and safe, it is worth reminding that you need to exercise caution while using third-party websites. Pay especially close attention if you feel like an offer is too good to be true. If you conduct an item exchange with another player, check the contents of the trade thoroughly and avoid paying in advance. Think twice, if you are asked to log in using your Steam account data. Check the name and the address of the website to be sure you are not dealing with a case of phishing.
Moreover, do not use “skin changers” or other software that promises you to modify the game files or otherwise give you access to free skins. In reality, such applications will not improve your inventory, and you can get easily banned for this. VAC anti-cheat software is pretty strict and it prohibits modifying game files. As a result, if you try to use some application to earn free skins in CS:GO, you risk getting a temporary or even permanent ban. Such software can also infect your PC with viruses or malware. As you see, it is far more effective to obtain weapon finishes legally, instead of trying to use cheats or to find some exploit.
Websites to earn CS:GO skins
There are tons of websites that can be used to earn gun skins in CS:GO for free, so it can be complicated to choose the most useful one. Below you will find some examples that will help you to start.
Idle-Emlire is the most famous resource to get rewards in the form of CS:GO skins for completing simple online tasks. It may require you to fill out surveys, watch videos or join lobbies of some mobile games (playing is usually not required – it is enough to stay afk).
GainGG is another good resource with an obvious name. The mechanics are the same as at Idle-Empire. One of the advantages is a clear system of task categorization, so it is easy to find what to do next.
CSGOPoints offers an opportunity to earn CS:GO skins and gift cards mostly by fulfilling surveys. While all these sites seem similar, it is useful to have several of them at hand, because the lists of the tasks are limited. So, when the tasks on one service run out you can move on to the next.
Note, that the best strategy to get skins on such websites can be different. In some cases, especially with skin gambling websites, the best option is to register, collect the initial rewards and move on to another website. On the websites with paid surveys it is useful to return from time to time, to fulfill new tasks as they appear, and earn more weapon skins for CS:GO. Do not forget to subscribe to the newsletters for your favorite skin trading websites. Such services regularly conduct raffles, giveaways, or sales, so there is always a chance to earn an in-game item cheaply or free.
As you see, there are many opportunities to earn free skins in CS:GO. Choose the one that suits your playstyle and other preferences, and acquire new items while enjoying the game.
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