How to get crates and cases in CS:GO: Drops, keys & market prices

How to get crates and cases in CS:GO: Drops, keys & market prices
Images via Valve

Written by 

Harry Boulton

Published 

2nd Aug 2023 15:36

Contents

Finding out how to get crates and cases in CS:GO could be your key to some really expensive skins, but you will need to understand drops, keys, and all of the market prices before you get started.

As CS:GO has a player-driven community market, there are many ways to pick up the various cases outside of the game itself, and it can be quite confusing to understand.

Furthermore, the fact that every single case ever released is available to obtain only further adds to the confusion, so we don't blame you for wondering how to get your hands on each one.

Thankfully we've got everything you need to know right here, so make sure to continue reading to find out how to get crates and cases in CS:GO below.

How to get crates, cases & boxes in CS:GO

Image of the CS:GO Revolution Case buy page
Click to enlarge

There are three main ways that you can get crates and cases in CS:GO:

  • Post-game drops
  • On the Community Market
  • With Operation Stars

However, out of the three routes listed above, the Community Market is the only one where every single case is available, giving you the option to pick and choose which one you want to open.

Post-game drops

The way that most players will earn cases in CS:GO will be through the post-game drops - as these are picked up passively whenever you level up in the game. However, you are not always guaranteed a case drop, as weapons skins, stickers, and graffiti sprays are also included in the rotation.

Furthermore, you have no say over what your case will be in the drops, and more often than not it will be one that doesn't hold a lot of value. Much like skins, there are also only a certain number of cases that are part of the drop rotation, meaning that you won't be able to get some of the most valuable options.

Operation Stars

Another route that you can use to get cases in CS:GO is purchasing them with Operation Stars. These are earned and spent exclusively during an active CS:GO Operation - which are events that happen no more than once or twice a year.

There is typically a new case that is released with every Operation, and you can use Stars that you earn through challenges to purchase the corresponding case within the Operation Store.

The Operation case will be the only crate available to pick up with Stars though, so don't think that you'll be able to use your hard-earned Stars to get that box you've always wanted.

  • See a full list of the CS:GO ranks here from Silver IV to Global Elite

Community Market

The final - and most consistent way to get crates and cases in CS:GO is through the Community Market. Every single case that has ever been released is theoretically available for purchase on the Community Market - all that it requires is for someone to list it for sale.

This means that you have complete freedom in choosing which case you pick up, but some of the more desirable ones can get really quite expensive. It is just up to you to decide whether you think the risk is worth the potential reward on the other side.

How to get keys in CS:GO

Image of the CS:GO Paris 2023 Legends Sticker Capsule
Click to enlarge

Picking up a case isn't all you'll need to do though, as you will need to have a key as well, which can be purchased from the case opening screen. You can also buy each key on the Community Market, but they are often sold at a much higher price so there's virtually no point in buying them.

You can buy keys in bulk, which is helpful if you're doing a big case opening as it saves you having to make a new purchase every single time.

  • Check out the latest CS:GO rank distribution if you want to see the percentage of players at each competitive rank

All CS:GO cases & their market prices

Image of the Fracture Case in CS:GO
Click to enlarge

Here is a full list of all the cases in CS:GO and their corresponding Community Market prices:

Case Community Market Value (£)
Snakebite Case £0.28
Recoil Case £0.44
Fracture Case £0.47
Prisma Case £0.56
Danger Zone Case £0.57
Prisma 2 Case £0.59
Clutch Case £0.59
CS20 Case £0.62
Horizon Case £0.69

More cases below...

Case Community Market Value (£)
Shadow Case £0.75
Falchion Case £0.83
Revolution Case £0.97
Dreams & Nightmares Case £1.01
Spectrum 2 Case £1.54
Anubis Collection Package £1.59
Operation Wildfire Case £1.65
Revolver Case £1.73
Spectrum Case £2.03

Continue reading to see more cases...

Case Community Market Value (£)
X-Ray P250 Package £2.05
Gamma Case £2.06
Chroma 3 Case £2.07
Gamma 2 Case £2.08
Operation Vanguard Weapon Case £2.26
Chroma 2 Case £2.64
Chroma Case £2.64
Operation Phoenix Weapon Case £2.82
Operation Broken Fang Case £3.48

More cases below...

Case Community Market Value (£)
Shattered Web Case £3.60
Glove Case £3.97
Operation Riptide Case £4.16
Winter Offensive Weapon Case £5.33
eSports 2014 Summer Case £5.67
Operation Breakout Weapon Case £5.89
CS:GO Weapon Case 3 £6.99
eSports 2013 Winter Case £7.48
Huntsman Weapon Case £7.59

Check out the last of the CS:GO cases below...

Case Community Market Value (£)
CS:GO Weapon Case 2 £11.59
Operation Hydra Case £21.62
eSports 2013 Case £35.24
Operation Bravo Case £46.22
CS:GO Weapon Case £79.80

So, that wraps up this guide on the various cases and crates in CS:GO, showing you how to get them and all of their current Community Market prices.

Make sure to also check out our dedicated Counter-Strike homepage for all of the latest news and guides surrounding the game.

Harry Boulton
About the author
Harry Boulton
Harry is a Guides Writer at GGRecon, having completed a Masters of Research degree in Film Studies. Previously a freelance writer for PCGamesN, The Loadout, and Red Bull Gaming, he loves playing a wide variety of games from the Souls series to JRPGs, Counter-Strike, and EA FC. When not playing or writing about games and hardware, you're likely to find him watching football or listening to Madonna and Kate Bush.
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