Skin renting in CS2 gives you every skin from the Kilowatt Case except the knives for 7 days, for the cost of one opening: you need the case itself and a $2.49 key. The feature arrived in the May 24, 2024 CS2 update. Rented skins work in any match, but you cannot sell, trade or apply stickers to them, and after a week the weapons go back to their default look. Below: which skins you can rent, what it costs, and when renting beats buying.
Besides renting, the May 2024 update reworked maps, especially Vertigo, adjusted some rewards and weapon prices, and reduced the height and spread of flames from incendiary grenades and Molotovs. Renting, however, became the most discussed change.
Which Skins Can Be Rented
Renting is tied to the Kilowatt Case: you get the whole collection from that container except the Kukri knives that drop from it as the rare special item. The set includes two Covert skins, AK-47 | Inheritance and AWP | Chrome Cannon. For a full look at the collection, see the best skins from the Kilowatt Case.
At launch Valve enabled renting for this one case and gave no timeline for adding others. Before you buy a key, check that the rent option actually appears in the case opening window: Valve can change or switch off experimental features like this.
How Much Skin Renting Costs
Renting costs the same as opening the Kilowatt Case: you need the case and a key for it. You can buy the case or wait for it to drop in the game. It currently sells for about $0.1 on LIS-SKINS, well under a dollar. The key is bought in the game at a fixed $2.49 (regional prices vary). That puts one week of renting at roughly $2.6, or just the key price if the case was free.
For comparison, AK-47 | Inheritance in Field-Tested costs about $35 and AWP | Chrome Cannon starts from $25. Renting the whole collection for a week is several times cheaper than either skin, but when the week ends you keep nothing.
How Long Rented Skins Last
The skins appear in your inventory for one week. You can use them in any match. After seven days the weapons return to their default look.
Restrictions on Rented Skins
Rented skins cannot be sold or traded, including on the Steam Community Market.
You cannot customize the weapons with stickers or name tags.
Rented skins have no StatTrak module.
The case's knives are not part of the rental.
How to Rent Skins
To rent skins, open your inventory, select the Kilowatt Case, and choose the rent option instead of a regular unlock. You need a key either way.
When Renting Skins Makes Sense
Renting is useful when you are not sure a skin from the case is worth the money: a week is enough to see how it looks in the game and next to your gloves or knife. After that, it is cheaper to buy the skins you liked individually on LIS-SKINS, where prices are usually lower than on the Steam Market, and a bought skin stays yours.
If you want to own a skin, renting does not get you there. The working options are to buy the exact skin, craft it through a trade-up contract, or earn collection items with stars in the Armory Pass. Case drop odds are covered in the guide to what skins are in CS2 cases.
FAQ
Can you rent a knife in CS2?
No. Renting covers every Kilowatt Case skin except the knives. The Kukri can only be unboxed or bought; see the best Kukri skins for options.
How long does skin renting last in CS2?
Seven days. After that the rented skins disappear and the weapons return to their default look.
Can you sell or trade rented skins?
No. Rented items cannot be sold, traded, or decorated with stickers or name tags. To own a skin, you have to buy or unbox it.
Is renting or buying a skin better value?
Renting is cheaper short term: around $2.6 for a week versus from $25 for a Covert skin from the collection. If you like a skin and plan to keep using it, buying wins, because the item stays yours and can be resold.
