A CS2 (formerly CS:GO) case key costs $2.49 in the in-game store, as of October 2026. Other currencies follow regional Steam pricing. One opening costs the key plus the case. Keys bought in-game since October 2019 can't be sold or traded.
How much does a CS2 case key cost?
Every standard case key costs $2.49 in USD regions. There are no sales or bulk discounts, and there is no cheaper legitimate source for keys that open modern cases. Each case has its own named key: a Kilowatt Case Key opens only the Kilowatt Case.
What does one case opening really cost?
One opening costs the case price plus $2.49. The key is the fixed part and the case is the variable part, so for most cases the key costs more than the case.
| Case price | Key | Total per opening | Type of case |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.35 | $2.49 | $2.84 | Active-rotation case |
| $1.00 | $2.49 | $3.49 | Mid-priced case |
| $10.00 | $2.49 | $12.49 | Older, scarcer case |
| $50.00 | $2.49 | $52.49 | Discontinued, rare case |
These case prices are illustrative. Check the live Steam Community Market price before you buy.
Case prices follow supply and demand. A current-rotation case is often just cents. Rare discontinued cases can exceed $50 on the Steam Market. A case that leaves the weekly drop pool stops adding new supply, so it tends to get scarcer and pricier. Hype around a new collection or a Major can also move prices, usually only for a while.
Why can't you sell or trade keys anymore?
Valve made newly bought keys untradable and unmarketable on 28 October 2019. Keys purchased in-game can no longer leave the purchasing account, so they can't be sold on the Steam Community Market or traded. Valve's stated reason was fraud: nearly all key purchases that ended up traded or sold were believed to be fraud-sourced. You can read the original Key Change post on the Counter-Strike blog or the PCGamesN coverage.
In practice, a key you buy today can only open a case on your account. If you change your mind, it has no resale value.
What are legacy keys, and are they worth buying?
Legacy keys are keys that existed before the October 2019 change. They are unaffected and can still be sold on the Steam Community Market and traded. Supply is fixed, so they trade at collector prices that vary by case.
| Key type | Where it comes from | Price | Tradable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| New key (bought after 28 Oct 2019) | In-game store | $2.49 (regional pricing) | No |
| Legacy key (existed before the change) | Steam Market, player trades | Varies by case | Yes |
On one price tracker, legacy key listings ranged from about $2.04 to $24.64, so some sit near store price and others cost several times more. Each key still fits only its own case, so buying a legacy key makes sense only if you collect them. Cases released after 2019 have no legacy keys at all, because every key for them was bought under the new rules.
Do all CS2 containers need a key?
No. Sealed Terminals don't need one. Terminals first arrived on 17 September 2025 with the Sealed Genesis Terminal. Valve added the Dead Hand Collection on 11 March 2026, with items bought from Dead Hand Terminals that can drop weekly.
A terminal doesn't hand you a skin, though. It generates skin purchase offers, five per terminal, showing the skin, wear and price. If you skip all offers, you receive nothing. You pay only for an offer you accept, but the terminal itself is used up either way.
| Container | Key needed? | What you pay | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard weapon case | Yes, $2.49 | Case price plus key | Kilowatt Case, Revolution Case, Dreams & Nightmares Case |
| Sealed Terminal | No | Only the price of an offer you accept | Sealed Genesis Terminal, Sealed Dead Hand Terminal |
For the full mechanics, see The Spike's Dead Hand guide and Valve's Dead Hand post.
How do you get cases without paying?
With Prime Status, CS2's Weekly Care Package gives you a free pick each week. Weekly care packages arrived with CS2 on 27 September 2023 and replaced CS:GO's random post-match drops. Idling no longer produces cases.
- You need Prime Status.
- Earn XP in official Valve modes on official servers; Faceit, community servers and workshop maps don't count.
- After your first rank-up of the week, the game shows four options and you pick two.
- The reset is commonly reported as Wednesday at 1 AM GMT, which is Tuesday at 6 PM Pacific. Valve doesn't publish odds, so treat the time as community-tracked.
As of early autumn 2026, the drop pool held 3 weapon cases and 2 terminals. If you pick a classic case, you still need the $2.49 key. A case from the Care Package still needs a key to open. A terminal needs none.
If you'd rather not buy keys from Valve, CSDROP's free case page is another route. CSDROP is a separate site, not affiliated with Valve or Steam. New accounts get free cases with no deposit needed, though you may first have to verify your email or link Discord or Steam.
Is opening a case worth the key price?
Usually not in the financial sense, so treat it as entertainment and budget for it. The chance of the rare special item (a knife, or gloves in glove cases) is about 0.26%, roughly 1 in 385. Most openings return skins worth less than the case plus key. If you want one specific skin, buying it directly is almost always cheaper than chasing it through cases.
- Set a budget before you start and stop when it's gone.
- Open cases whose item pool you like, not whichever case is trending.
You can also open cases on CSDROP's all cases page. Cases open from your balance, with no Steam key needed. Each case page shows its item pool and drop rates before you open it, so check those first, and remember that a house edge applies. Results use HMAC-SHA256 from a server seed, your client seed and a nonce, and you can check them against the provably fair rules. Provably fair means you can verify the roll wasn't altered. It does not mean you will win.
Note: CSDROP is for adults only, 18+ or the age of majority in your country if higher. It uses real money, so only spend what you can afford to lose. If it stops being fun, stop.
FAQ
How much is a CS:GO key in 2026?
CS:GO is now Counter-Strike 2, and its case keys cost $2.49 in the in-game store in USD regions. Other currencies follow regional Steam pricing, so your local price differs slightly. The price is the same for every standard case.
Can you sell CS2 keys on the Steam Market?
Not if you bought them after 28 October 2019. Those keys are locked to the buying account and can only open a case. Only keys that existed before that date can still be traded or sold, and they sell at collector prices.
Why are some keys on the Steam Market above $2.49?
Those are legacy keys from before the October 2019 restriction. Their supply is fixed, and collectors and traders pay a premium for many of them. If you just want to open a case, buying the key in-game is the cheaper route.
Do you need a key for every CS2 case?
Every standard weapon case needs its matching $2.49 key. Sealed Terminals, such as the Genesis and Dead Hand Terminals, don't need a key. You instead pay for any skin you accept from the offers.
Can you get CS2 keys for free?
No. Valve is the only source of new keys, and you can't earn them by playing. The Weekly Care Package can give you a free case, but you still pay for its key. A terminal from the same package needs no key.
What is the cheapest way to open a CS2 case?
For a standard case, the cheapest opening is the cheapest active-pool case plus the $2.49 key. That is often under $3 in total, with the key making up most of it. A terminal skips the key, but you still pay for any skin you decide to take.