Every game with a large fan base or a cult following, sooner or later will develop a virtual or physical market for various goodies, such as especially designed, rare merch or in-game objects. Some games even implement a P2W (Pay to Win) mechanism, which is universally hated by most Western players. But CS:GO is a bit different: to keep the balance of the game there is no special weapon or better variant which you can buy with real money, so everybody’s chances of winning depend solely on their own skill. While most of these purely cosmetic items have a price tag attached to them, there are some categories of paid products in the CS:GO universe that can occasionally be obtained for free. Let’s find out how to get free CS:GO skins!
Skins – what are they for? Is there any real value to them?
Let’s get rid of a misconception shared by some beginners: CS:GO skins possess almost no practical functionality (with the exception of StatTrak ones). They’re in the game just for the players’ amusement. Your accuracy, damage or recoil won’t change in any way because of them – they play the role of an entertaining visual element.
Despite all this, they can be quite valuable. Their quality grades are: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Mythical, Legendary, Ancient and Exceedingly Rare. Also, they possess various grades of exterior quality, stickers (optionally) and sometimes the StatTrack function. That’s why most players see great value in them: a right combination of all these factors can result in having a truly unique skin. But not everybody likes to invest real money in games. That’s why it’s good to know how to get free CSGO skins. Let’s dig a little bit deeper into this.
Flip through some streams, YT channels and dedicated websites
CS:GO has a truly tremendous community with tens of millions of active users every day. That’s why many internet creators have decided to become specialized precisely in playing this particular game. They also care for numbers – the more subscribers or watchers they have, the more revenue comes to their pockets. However, it’s good to remember that creating any online community requires some amount of social skills and “real” activities. One of them is giving away CS:GO skins for free. That way, they get more attention on their platforms and their audience numbers tend to boost.
Is this an easy method? Probably. It requires some work and attention, though. But don’t worry: it’s just one of many good ones.
Just play the game – and you’ll definitely get some skins
This sounds very mundane, but one of the best methods of getting free CS:GO skins is… just to play the game. By doing so, you get experience points and level up. During one week, you can get up to 4 random drops (one for a rank up). That way, just by playing the game every day, there is a high probability of getting some common, but definitely free skins.
However, there is a small catch. In order to get free drops (a skin may, but does not have to be a drop), you must play on a VAC-protected server. That way, Valve makes sure that everybody plays and gets their drops fair and square. Also, free skins can be obtained only after playing a match with at least one other player. So, in order to get some skins, you can’t only play with bots.
Offer walls. A little risky, but still possible
Offer wall is a special kind of site where, in exchange for a small service, you can get a free in-game item (or even a small set of them). Quite a popular type of offer is CS:GO skins, since many people are looking for means of getting them for free.
The tasks which are requested for a skin are quite diverse. Most of them are easy – signing up for a mailing list, browsing ads, filling in a questionnaire, etc. But there are also some more business-oriented offers, which tend to promote a certain product, like an app or a mobile game. Some of the most complicated requests consist of a detailed set of instructions, like playing a chosen game for a certain amount of time. Although this may be a little time-consuming, the effect is worth it. But be careful! Always remember about the safety issues. Don’t let anybody hack into your phone or computer. Check the security protocols before playing any game or downloading any app.
As you can see, you definitely don’t have to pay for CS:GO skins – there are multiple methods of getting them for free. The only thing you must invest is just a little bit of your time.