What are Souvenir Skins in CS2?
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Hardcore game fans who collect unique loadout items treasure souvenirs dearly. But, what do souvenir skins mean in CS2? These skins come from a specific collection dedicated to a Major tournament. Unlike StatTrak skins that track stats, souvenir skins feature particular player signatures and are dedicated to a specific map or match.
Some souvenir skins in CS2 rank among the most expensive and rarest in the game due to their limited availability and unique designs, obtainable only from a souvenir package. Still wondering, “What is a souvenir skin in Counter-Strike 2?” Don’t worry. We’ve prepped this quick guide to explore these skins and their value for collectors.
Souvenir Skins in CS2: How Did They Appear?
To better understand what are souvenirs in Counter-Strike 2, let's delve into their history. The game’s community saw the first souvenir items at the DreamHack Winter tournament in 2013. It was the only event where players received all the souvenirs with just one sticker applied—six normal and six foil stickers available in the package, unobtainable by other means. The popularity of the first-ever collection skyrocketed immediately. Since then, such skins have become integral to the game's cultural heritage, representing historical game events and the memories created during them.
How Do Souvenir Skins in Counter-Strike 2 Differ from Others?
Souvenir skins in CS2 commemorate Valve-sponsored Majors and correspond to the type of package you buy and open. For instance, purchasing a souvenir collection dedicated to a match on the Mirage map will yield a weapon item decorated in a Mirage-specific style. These decorations evolve over time with map updates; for example, the Mirage StarLadder Berlin 2019 Package leveraged the Original Mirage Collection, while Operation Riptide featured the 2021 Mirage Collection.
Since we mentioned StatTrak, note that there are no StatTrak souvenir skins in CS2. Souvenir skins come with a special tournament-related tag, gold engraving on an item box, and names highlighted in yellow. Aside from one-of-a-kind thematic designs, these Covert skins boast exclusive, high-value gold stickers representing participating teams, players’ autographs, and the events themselves. Each sticker on a souvenir skin in CS2 tells its own story capturing the unforgettable emotions you and players had during a match to which a specific collection is dedicated.
Summing up, souvenir skin meaning in CS2 signifies the prestige of owning such an item in your inventory.
How to Get Souvenir Skins in CS2?
Beyond the question of ‘What are souvenir skins in CS2?’ lies another —how to obtain a souvenir package.
1) Tokens
Since 2019, one way to get souvenir skins in CS2 is to buy Major Viewer’s tokens in the in-game store. Afterward, you can earn these tokens by completing "quests," such as predicting match results.
2) Buy a specific case via Steam
During and after events, the in-game shop displays multiple available souvenir cases related to matches conducted on every map played by participants. You can choose any cases from concluded matches and get a few for free, as was the case during the Copenhagen PGL Major 2024, or buy them at an affordable price.
3) Buy a skin from another player
If you have a specific skin in mind, and it’s available on the market, go for it. Just keep in mind that you can only get a shooting weapon as souvenirs—no knives or gloves. Before confirming a transaction, do some due diligence to ensure the seller is reliable.
4) Map Collection Cases
You can also buy a whole map collection case without knowing exactly which skin you’ll get when opening it. The rarity of some skins is extremely high due to their drop frequency during specific events. For instance, the AWP Dragon Lore souvenir skin, which dropped during one of the major finals, is now one of the rarest and most expensive skins in the game.
5) Buy Souvenir Skins in CS2 on Third-party Platforms
At least a dozen trusted online markets sell Counter-Strike game items, including souvenir skins. The event’s rarity also influences the price, so be mindful of the difference between something like IEM Katowice 2014 packages and more recent Majors like Copenhagen PGL 2024.
Is It Worth Investing in CS2 Souvenir Skins?
Well, the investment potential is there, but so are the risks. Despite unique designs, some souvenir skins in CS2 have low popularity and hence low prices. So, if you’re looking for options to invest, it’s important to consider the year of the event, the item’s rarity, map popularity, and community sentiment. The cost of some items might not go up any time soon, especially for recent Majors like Copenhagen. However, if you bought a case during matches in the Danish arena, don't open it and save it for later—you might end up with a valuable item!
Those players who invested in the following collections are the wealthy ones now:
- ESL One Cologne 2014 Cobblestone souvenir Package;
- DreamHack 2014 Cobblestone souvenir Package;
- Cologne 2016 Cobblestone souvenir Package;
- Atlanta 2017 Cobblestone souvenir Package;
- Krakow 2017 Cobblestone souvenir Package;
- Boston 2018 Cobblestone souvenir Package.
So, be sure to do some heavy market research and careful consideration before choosing what to invest in. Buying a package with a discount sometime after an event ends might allow you to sell it later at a higher price.
The typical ROI level is usually between 30-35 percent. It’s a win-win anyway—the uniqueness and limited edition of souvenir skins in CS2 will still attract other investors. Also, as time passes after a tournament, the popularity of its souvenir collections usually increases since maps change or get removed from the game’s map pool.
Conclusion
That’s it, folks! Now you know the answer to the question, ‘What is a souvenir in CS2?’ We don’t know about you, but we’ve bought ourselves a few Copenhagen 2024 souvenir Packages to forever remember this first-ever Major in Counter-Strike 2. You might have also heard about such expensive skins, like AWP Desert Hydra, AK-47 Gold Arabesque and Fire Serpent, M4A4 Howl, M4A1-S Imminent Danger, and others. These are extremely popular and sought-after! Just like real-life souvenirs, souvenir skins in CS2 are dear to players’ hearts.
