simbaCS2 Skins Update – What you need to know about Trade-Up Contracts
A new patch quietly introduced one of the biggest changes the game’s skin system has ever seen, allowing players to trade up Covert skins for knives and gloves. It’s a move that’s sent the CS2 market into total chaos, reshaping prices and player inventories overnight. Here’s everything you need to know about how the new CS2 skins update works, what it means, and what the entire community is saying about it.
CS2 skins update recap
Until now, Trade-Up Contracts in CS2 stopped at Covert rarity, which is the bright red tier reserved for top-end weapon skins like the AK-47 | Fire Serpent, or AWP | Asiimov. That ceiling has now been shattered. Players can now submit five Covert items in a Trade-Up Contract and receive a random knife or pair of gloves from the same collection pool. StatTrak versions also apply: five StatTrak Covert items can yield a StatTrak knife.
This is the first time knives and gloves have ever been directly craftable in Counter-Strike’s 20-plus-year history. Previously, those items could only drop from cases or be bought and traded through the marketplace. Valve’s new system makes them attainable through inventory management, but also introduces unprecedented volatility to the skins market at large.
What are the effects of the CS2 skins update?
Within hours of the update’s release, the Steam Market exploded. Covert-tier skins that were once worth $10 suddenly sold for hundreds as players scrambled to perform knife and glove trade-ups. Meanwhile, knife and glove prices plunged as new supply flooded the market. Some analysts estimate that CS2’s total market value fell by nearly 25 percent in a single day, which is estimated to be roughly 1.75 billion dollars in virtual assets wiped away.
Veteran collectors called it “the biggest market reset since the Arms Deal update,” while others celebrated it as a long-overdue correction that makes rare cosmetics more accessible. Whether you’re a casual player or a high-end trader, this patch fundamentally changes what your inventory is worth.
Why Valve may have made this move
Valve hasn’t released an official statement, but several theories are circulating. Some believe it’s a deliberate market reset, or in other words, a way to make high-end cosmetics more attainable and counter years of inflation. Another perspective says that it might be another effort to shift activity away from third-party marketplaces—Valve have made their feelings about these markets known through their actions before by increasing trade restrictions, adding the ability to reverse trades, and shutting down prolific sites like OPSkins for violating the Steam Subscriber Agreement.
CS2 Skins update FAQ
Can I choose which knife or gloves I get?
No. The result is random within the collections of the Covert skins you use in the trade-up. You can influence which collections are in the pool, but not the specific item or pattern outcome.
Do StatTrak items affect the result?
Yes. StatTrak trade-ups only yield StatTrak knives, and non-StatTrak trade-ups yield regular knives or gloves. You can’t mix StatTrak and non-StatTrak skins in the same contract.
Can I get gloves from any Covert skins?
Only regular Covert skins are eligible to produce gloves, and they must belong to glove-compatible collections. StatTrak Covert items will not produce gloves.
Are there trade or market restrictions?
Items purchased or dropped recently may be subject to trade cooldowns. Always check the “Tradeable After” timer in your Steam inventory before submitting a trade-up contract.
