How to Get Keys in CS2: A Comprehensive Guide

There are many reasons people enjoy CS2, and the most obvious one — gameplay — is just one of many. Skins and other cosmetics have long been an integral part of the game, and for some players, collecting them is even more fun than getting new ranks. One of the less reliable (but probably more exciting) ways to obtain new skins is to open cases using keys. But where to get those? And what about the keys for specific cases: why are some far more expensive than others, and does it make sense to purchase these premium items?

Let’s go step by step and discover how to buy keys in CS2.

Launch Counter-Strike 2

If you’re just learning how to buy keys for cases in CS2, you’re probably quite new to the game, so we'll make sure to guide you through the entire process. First things first, launch CS2 and log into your account.

Access the Inventory

Then, you need to go to the “Inventory” tab. Inventory holds a special place in the heart of any collector, as it contains all the valuable in-game items, including skins, stickers, cases, containers, and rewards like coins and medals.

Find the Case You Want To Open

If you were searching for how to buy CS2 keys for cases, you likely already have a case you want opened. If you have a huge inventory with dozens of skins and such, you can select the “Container” tab and then “Weapon Cases” in the upper part of the screen to filter out all other items. The “Steam Market” tab in the upper right will redirect you to Steam, where you can buy new items or sell the ones you own.

Select the Case and Go to Unlocking

Click on the case and choose “Unlock Container.” This will automatically redirect you to the case preview section.

Purchase a Key

From here, the process is rather straightforward — find a green button and click on it. In CS2, you can acquire as many keys as you like without having to leave this tab, so no repetitive redirections to Steam. So, choose the amount of keys you need, and you’ll see the total cost of your transaction.

Confirm the Purchase

The last step in how to get keys in CS2 is to confirm the deal in the pop-up menu, which will appear right after you complete the previous step. Another green button click will confirm the transaction, and you’ll receive the chosen item in your inventory:

Open the Case

For all cases except the Kilowatt Case, you’ll have a single option of opening the container to receive a random skin and keep it. However, the newest CS2 case has an alternative option: instead of getting a random item permanently, you can instead rent all the skins in the case for a week. So, depending on your preferences, you can either choose one skin you own and can trade or get all 17 skins for seven days.

After clicking on the option that appeals to you, you’ll get another pop-up window with the green confirmation button.

Boom! Now you know how to get case keys in CS2.

Alternative Way & Price Guide

But wait, there’s more! Besides teaching you how to buy CS2 keys, we can share a couple tricks you can use on Steam or other trading platforms. However, there is an important note to keep in mind.

In the older days of CS:GO, keys were tradable like cases or skins, but in October 2019 Valve decided to remove this feature from the game. According to the devs, the decision was made to combat fraud behavior in the community, which was (and, sadly, still is) quite common on third-party platforms. The keys already in the players’ inventories could still be sold, but all the new ones became untradeable. Thus, the CS20 Case became the last to have tradable keys, with Operation Shattered Web and following releases lacking this option. The feelings among the sellers were quite mixed at the time, but that’s a story for another day.

What this means for you is that those older keys are mostly collectible items, although you can use them to open the respective cases as well. However, their free trading status and limited supply increased their price quite substantially over the years, and most of them cost more than the basic $2.5 (if you use the in-game method). On Steam, almost all the keys cost more than $11, and while you can find lower prices on trading platforms or forums, be aware of scams.