Counter-Strike 2 has three types of weapon skins: regular, StatTrak, and Souvenir skins. Today CS.MONEY Blog discusses souvenir skins in CS2: what are they, how to get souvenir skins, and, most importantly, are souvenir skins worth investing.
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What are souvenir skins in CS2?
A souvenir skin is a skin dedicated to a specific match from a specific Major tournament. It also receives a special name tag. These skins differ from regular ones in several ways. Firstly, the nametag that ties to a tournament. They also have a different color coding: the skin name is highlighted in yellow. Secondly, souvenir skins are only available in a few collections and there are no souvenir skins with a StatTrak. Next, souvenir skins in CS2, unlike regular skins and StatTraks, cannot be used in Trade-Up Contracts.
In addition, souvenir skins are decorated with gold stickers. Each set of stickers is determined by several parameters: the Souvenir Map Collection, the tournament it is dedicated to, and the specific match. Let’s look at this in more detail.
How to acquire souvenir skins?
You can get souvenir skins in CS2 in two ways. First, from special souvenir case. Second, by simply buying it from another player. Souvenir skins cannot be obtained after a match or with a Trade-Up Contract.
There were no Majors in CS2 yet, so all CS2 Souvenir Sets are just those from the days of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. They can still be opened in CS2 and you can get souvenir skins in CS2 from Map Collection Cases. Important: knives or gloves cannot be souvenir, only weapons.
Is it worth investing into CS2 souvenir skins?
It’s a difficult question. The fact is, souvenir skins in most cases are not more expensive than their regular versions. In addition, they show approximately the same price dynamics. However, there are a few exceptions. Some very rare souvenir skins or skins associated with special events, such as the Overpass Olofboost, can cost significantly more.
In addition, Valve introduced Gold Stickers starting with PGL Stockholm 2021. And using these, you can craft something like a souvenir skin. Thus, souvenir skins, or rather their gold stickers, lost that uniqueness. This also affects the prospects for investment. Are souvenir skins worth investing? Yes, it’s possible. But they involve risk and require good market knowledge.
What is the best souvenir case to open?
All Souvenir Skin Cases have approximately the same level of payback: about 30-35%. Therefore, they all are equal in terms of profitability. More precisely, they all are not profitable. So, when choosing a souvenir case to open, you should rely on personal preferences. Note that some players prefer souvenirs from iconic tournaments.
Souvenir sets from early majors or those containing very rare skins are in great demand. Usually, such cases have no influx, so over time they increase in price. So, don’t open cases, as it’s unprofitable, but cases themselves might be profitable, which takes us to the next point.
Souvenir Skins or Cases: which is better to invest in?
Another option for investing is not in the souvenir skins themselves, but in Souvenir Cases. Cases can be obtained by exchanging tokens you get from a Major Viewer’s Pass. Each token allows you to get one case, each case get you one skin. Unlike souvenir skins, souvenir cases have one important advantage: there are fewer of them over time because people open them to get souvenir skins.
As a result, over time, souvenir packages increase in price. For example, Berlin 2019 Nuke Souvenir Package increased in price from 3 to 15 dollars over several years. Fivefold growth in 3-4 years is an excellent indicator for a CS2 item. Prices for Souvenir Map Packages that dropped out of the tournament mappool are rising even more. For example, Cobblestone Collections: they cost hundreds of dollars now.
Therefore, investing in Souvenir Cases may be profitable. However, they also come with risks. Valve may change Map Pools for Majors at any time. This rotation may affect the cost of souvenir cases.
Let’s sum things up. Investing in souvenir skins in CS2 is a complex and risky process. Potentially, souvenir skins and cases can increase in price very quickly. At the same time, their value is volatile and fluctuations are associated with unpredictable events, such as map rotation at Major. So suit yourself!
