Investing in CS2 Skins: Is It Worth It?

Investing in CS2 skins is a tough game. If you do it right, you can make an absolute fortune. But if you get it wrong (as so many do) it’s a great way to lose a lot of money quickly. Asking yourself if it’s worth investing in CS2 skins is a good first step – it won’t be for everyone, especially if you’re not in a position to lose money. As with any investment, buying CS2 skins is not a guaranteed return.

So, is it worth investing in CS2 skins? It’s a complicated matter, so let’s look at the all factors to help you decide whether it’s something you should be taking part in.

Patience is a virtue when investing in CS2 skins

If you want a quick return, then investing in CS2 skins might not be what you’re looking for. When you look at the skins that have seen the highest return-on-investment over the years, it’s usually older ones that see the starkest price rises. This is simple supply-and-demand – there are less of the older skins, and therefore they cost more, ever moreso as they become more and more sparse.

Even though Valve still releases new rare CS2 skins in every new collection, the fact that they’re still readily available in more recent cases and the Armory ultimately puts a cap on the price. This isn’t true of older skins, which may only appear in cases that are years old and increasingly dwindling in quantity. Let’s take the AK-47 Hydroponic (Factory New) as an example – this is its price chart since 2018:

Released back in 2015 as part of the Rising Sun Collection, the AK-47 Hydroponic has always been a pretty premium AK skin. But as you can see, the Factory New price back in 2018/2019 hovered between $100 and $200. By the start of 2025, this had ballooned to around $2,000, a massive amount of growth. However, long-time holders have been rewarded further this year; the price has since averaged out at around $4,800 (correct as of July 2025).

If you’re looking at investing in CS2 skins, being able to predict more price rises like this (and having the patience to wait them out) is the number one factor in how successful you’ll be. Sell too soon, and you could be leaving a lot of money on the table.

What CS2 skins are good investments?

Are there any CS2 skin investments that could see a Hydroponic-style price rise in the future? I’m no investor, but let’s look at one skin that has all the makings of an increase: the AK-47 Bloodsport in Factory New. Before we start, this is obviously not investment or financial advice, merely my own opinion about what could happen to this skin. Disclaimer out of the way, the AK-47 Bloodsport is a 2017 release that has always been popular thanks to its striking visuals. Its quality is Covert, meaning it’s as rare as any other AK out there, and the fact that it fits in a red-themed inventory is a bonus. What I’m interested in is the price, though. See its price chart since 2018:

For years, it has hovered around $50 to $100. A price explosion has seen it rise from $160 at the start of 2025 to approximately $350 in July 2025. As a former Bloodsport owner, it’s upsetting stuff. And while it’s not quite the Hydroponic yet, it looks like it could be heading in that direction in the future. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one. To find skins like this for yourself, you’ll need to put the time into analyzing price patterns and figuring out what actually causes CS2 skins to rise.

A high buy-in is required to see substantial results

If you’re a newbie to investing in CS2 skins, then putting in a large sum of money from the outset probably doesn’t appeal to you. The reality is that if you want to see substantial results, it might be necessary. Sure, you can invest $10 or so into a few cheap CS2 skins, but the chances of that bringing you the kind of value you’re looking for are slim, to say the least. If you’re investing in CS2 skins for fun, then go ahead; if you’re looking to make money, you’ll need to go bigger.

By bigger, I mean quite a lot bigger. We’ll go back to the AK-47 Hydroponic (Factory New) as an example again. If you bought one for $100 back in 2018, you’d be in profit to the tune of around $4,700 right now. Cool. But if you bought 10 of them for the same price at the same time and held until today, you’d have a collection worth an eye-watering $48,000. Cooler.

Remember, you should only invest in CS2 skins a maximum that you can afford to lose. There’s no guarantee you’ll get it right, so if you put large sums of money into it, you’re inherently at risk. But yeah, if you’re on the fence and considering some CS2 skin investments, know that you’ll need to pay up from the outset to stand a chance of making some real money.

CS2 marketplace selling fees mean a smaller ROI

For a lot of people, whether investing in CS2 skins is worth it or not will come down to where they choose to sell their skins when cashing out. You want the highest ROI possible (obviously), but a lot of CS2 marketplaces take a substantial fee when selling your items. Steam, for example, takes 15% of every CS2 transaction, and you can’t withdraw from the wallet. Skinport takes 12%, but can be reduced to just 6% on high-value items.

The end result is that you need to do your research when selling your CS2 investments. And because of these fees, you’re guaranteed to get a smaller return on investment overall. If you’re interested in investing in CS2 skins, this likely won’t be a huge issue, but it’s still something worth considering.

So, is investing in CS2 skins worth it? Sure. If you’re willing to put the money in and are prepared to wait to see results. If you don’t fall into that category, then it might not be the right avenue for you.