The only legitimate way to get Prime in CS2 today is to buy the Prime Status Upgrade on Steam for $14.99 (regional prices vary). Prime is no longer free: until the June 4, 2021 update it unlocked automatically at profile level 21 in CS:GO, after that Valve made it paid only, and CS2 kept the same rule. Without Prime you get no weekly drops and no access to Premier, so below we cover how to raise the money, for example by selling skins you don't use, and which "free Prime" schemes to avoid.
How to Get Prime in CS2 Now
Before the June 4, 2021 update, Prime status in CS:GO was free: the game granted it automatically once your in-game profile reached level 21. That threshold filtered out a share of cheaters and throwaway accounts. We cover what the status gives you in a separate article on why you need Prime.
Today Prime is paid only, and the rule carried over to CS2 unchanged. Without it, an account is noticeably limited:
no access to Premier mode and a CS Rating;
no weekly drops: no cases, skins or graffiti for leveling up;
a higher chance of meeting cheaters and smurfs in the regular modes.
Valve's reasoning is clear: after CS:GO went free-to-play in December 2018, free accounts flooded matchmaking, and paid Prime became a barrier against rule breakers. The downside is that honest newcomers now have to pay for the full experience.
There is no free way to get Prime through Steam anymore, only a purchase. Current pricing and regional differences are covered in how much Prime costs in CS2, and the purchase itself is walked through in our guide on where to buy CS2 Prime.
The purchase itself takes a minute: open the Counter-Strike 2 page in the Steam store or the Prime offer in the game's main menu, pick Prime Status Upgrade and pay from your Steam Wallet or with a card. The status is tied to your account and works right after payment; it is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, so there is nothing to renew. From then on your account earns weekly drops and can queue for Premier, the two main reasons players buy it.
How to Raise the Money for Prime
Valve has shown no sign of bringing free Prime back, so the real question is where to find about $15. Here are three options, from the most reliable to the riskiest.
Option one: sell skins. If your inventory holds items you don't need, such as old cases or cheap skins from drops, selling them often covers Prime. Money from Steam Market sales stays in your Steam Wallet minus the 15% fee, while on a third-party marketplace you can sell skins for real money that can be withdrawn.
Selling on LIS-SKINS takes a few minutes:
sign in through Steam and add your trade link (Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator required, no trade ban);
select the items you want to sell;
check the total payout;
choose a withdrawal method.
Then top up your Steam Wallet and buy Prime. Besides CS2 skins, LIS-SKINS also buys Dota 2 and Rust items.
Option two: small side tasks. Some services and apps pay small amounts for:
installation of games and applications;
certain tasks in other games;
writing reviews for stores such as the App Store and Play Market;
testing new products.
The pay is low, collecting enough for Prime takes a few days, and some of these services are unreliable. Stick to well-known platforms and never enter your Steam login there. The money goes into your Steam Wallet through a regular top-up.
Option three: giveaways. Tournament organizers and large streamers on YouTube and Twitch regularly give away Prime and skins. Entry usually means meeting a few simple conditions:
subscribe to the YouTuber's channel;
subscribe to his social networks;
repost specific messages;
subscription to groups;
comments under the video or post.
The odds of winning are low, and scammers often disguise their schemes as giveaways.
So check the host before entering: how long the channel has existed, its subscriber and view counts, and whether past winners actually received their prizes. A new channel with a couple of thousand subscribers and a dozen near-identical videos is best skipped.
If the host is well known and forums show no complaints about unpaid prizes, entering costs you nothing. Just don't count on a giveaway as your main route to Prime.
What not to do
"Free Prime" attracts a lot of fraud, so follow a few simple rules:
never enter your Steam account details on third-party sites, even if they promise Prime or skins;
don't move to other messengers when strangers from Steam chat ask you to;
don't pay anyone who promises to "activate" Prime for a couple of dollars;
don't buy other people's Prime accounts: they can be recovered by the original owner or banned;
never share your Steam API key.
The only legitimate way to get Prime in CS2 is to buy it on Steam: it is a Valve service, and no third party can grant it. To keep your account and items safe, read our guide on protecting your inventory from scammers.
