: When you have a weapon case in your inventory, you can click on it and select "Open Case." If you don't have a key, the game will prompt you to purchase one for a fixed price (usually around $2.50 USD).
: You can often find items at a discount compared to Steam Market prices because sellers want "liquid" cash.
Buying CS:GO (now ) keys has changed significantly over the years due to Valve's efforts to curb fraud and money laundering. While keys were once the primary currency for high-level trading, they now serve a much narrower purpose. 1. Buying Directly In-Game how to buy csgo keys
: These are keys purchased before the 2019 update. Because they are still tradable and marketable, collectors and investors often price them significantly higher than their original $2.50 value.
External sites like , CSFloat , or Bitskins allow users to buy and sell skins and keys for real-world currency. : When you have a weapon case in
You can still find "tradable" keys on the , but they come with a massive "legacy" premium.
: Since the October 2019 update, keys purchased in-game are permanently bound to your account . They cannot be sold on the Steam Community Market or traded to other players. They are strictly for opening cases. 2. The Steam Community Market While keys were once the primary currency for
: Due to the 2019 trade ban on new keys, the supply of tradable keys on these sites is dwindling, making them expensive "collector" items here as well. Summary of the Current Market In-Game Store Opening Cases No Standard (~$2.50) Steam Market Collecting / Investing Yes High Premium Third-Party Sites Cash Outs / Discounts Yes (Legacy only)