Why are CS2 Agents going up in price? | CS2 Agents price increase explained

If you pay attention to the Counter-Strike markets at all, it’s impossible to ignore the trend of a stark CS2 Agents price increase. These Agents, which are character skins that players can buy in-game, have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity among CS2 investors, resulting in pretty much all of them heading to the moon.

But why are CS2 Agents going up in price? After all, they’ve been in the game for years, and while the prices have always ebbed and flowed, they’ve never had quite an increase like this. That’s what I’m here to find out, seeking out some possible reasons for the CS2 Agents price increase.

What CS2 Agents have had the biggest price increase?

Before we get into the “Why?” of it all, we should look at which CS2 Agents have enjoyed the biggest price increase during this recent explosion. We can start with a CS2 Agents price chart that looks at the most significant increases over the last 12 months (all current prices from csgoskins.gg, correct as of September 2025):

For me, this represents an interesting pattern. Let’s take a closer look at the 12-month price chart for Michael Syfers | FBI Sniper, the CS2 Agent with the highest ROI during this period.

What is most interesting about this chart isn’t where it’s at currently, but rather, where it started. Just 12 months ago, you could buy Michael Syfers | FBI Sniper for approximately $4.55, a reasonable price for a fresh new character skin, with the recent CS2 Agents price increase surge taking this to almost $50 in September 2025. Notably, most of the other Counter-Strike Agents that have had the biggest percentage price increase are similar to Michael Syfers | FBI Sniper, in that they were initially very reasonably priced, but may now be out of reach for a lot of players.

Previously, the CS2 Agents in this upper price range were reserved for only the most popular options. Number K, Sir Bloody Miami Darryl – you know the type of Agents. While we’re here, let’s glance over at the 12-month CS2 Agent price chart for Sir Bloody Miami Darryl | The Professionals:

While it has always been one of the most popular Agent skins, Sir Bloody Miami Darryl | The Professionals has only had a 41% increase from an approximate price of $85 throughout the CS2 Agents price increase. Yet, it’s the same story with other popular Agents. Number K, for example, has increased by only 65% over the past year. It’s still a nice profit for owners, sure, but it’s a far cry from the ROI of a Michael Syfers | FBI Sniper or an Aspirant | Gendarmerie Nationale, neither of which are particularly popular in-game.

This, then, leads me to my first major conclusion: the CS2 Agents price increase is largely due to Agents simply being underpriced in the first place. Unpopular Agents shooting into the stratosphere is a direct result of their previous low price tags, coming more in line with more popular options. $5 or less Agents are simply a thing of the past, and the market has swiftly changed to reflect this.

The lack of new CS2 Agents is driving players crazy

Between the release of the first CS2 Agents in November 2019 and the last in September 2021, there was a total gap of almost two years. That’s 674 days, if you really want to keep count. And between those last Operation Riptide Agents on September 21st, 2021, and today, there’s a window of 1,443 days. In just a few weeks, that wait will extend to four years, and there’s no indication that Valve ever plans to add new CS2 Agents despite obvious player demand.

It feels as though there’s a growing acceptance of this in the CS2 community. Sure, Valve could drop more Agents tomorrow. But they won’t. Probably. And this idea that “we have what we have, and that’ll be all,” is naturally driving up the price in time. It’s perhaps not single-handedly responsible for the sort of CS2 Agent price increases we’ve seen of late, but it surely plays a decent role.

Fans do get excited about possible updates they think could feature Agents. Take The Armory, for example – that would be the perfect way to include them if Valve were to drop some new CS2 Agents. Then, when these updates come and go without them, that cements the idea that they’re just never arriving ever again, thus pumping the price even higher.

And remember, new drops of the Agents we do have are no longer possible, as they were obtained as rewards from the old CS:GO Operations. They’re not like stickers and packages, in that they’re consumed and gone forever. But ultimately, as old accounts are banned or go inactive, CS2 Agents will become increasingly scarce over time. This is just CS2 investing 101. There are fewer of them, so the price goes up.

Could the CS2 Agents price increase be market manipulation?

There’s no doubt that the CS2 markets follow trends. Agents are one. Currently, Stockholm 2021 Holos are another niche set of items that are exploding in price, seemingly at random. But could there be something a little more sinister behind the CS2 Agents’ price increase?

The answer: absolutely. It’s no secret that the Counter-Strike market has, on occasion, been pumped by particularly deep-pocketed investors in order to make a profit. These pump-and-dump schemes always result in a crash, and often see regular CS2 players lose a lot of money in the process. It sucks, but it’s the reality. And CS2 is filled with items that are low-volume, but high-value – perfect for this type of manipulation.

I’m not saying that CS2 Agents have definitely increased in price as a result of market manipulation. I would say not to rule it out, which is why you shouldn’t be shocked to see Agents tank at some point in the future, such is the house of cards that is the Counter-Strike market. If that’s what has happened here.

CS2 Agent sleeves are starting to matter more

If you’re putting together a knife and glove combo in CS2, there’s actually one more thing you need to consider to get it just right. CS2 Agent sleeves. This is a simple concept: most Agents have unique sleeves of various colors, that affect your viewmodel in-game. You can match your Agent with your gloves and skins to get an even better combination, and this is starting to matter more to players.

Compared to the other reasons outlined above, the increased importance paid to CS2 Agent sleeves is very minor in the recent price increases. But in the name of being comprehensive, I have to mention it.

That about covers it – right now, it seems that CS2 Agents are going up in price because of previous undervaluing, increased scarcity, the lack of new options, and maybe a hint of good old-fashioned market manipulation. A simple formula, but one that has resulted in some hefty increases for CS2 Agents across the board.