Free CS:GO cases: where and how to get them
Yuriy SheremetCosmetic items in CS:GO have already moved from being the entertainment to a separate branch of the game. Fans of the team shooter by Valve are ready to pay real money for visually-modified models of weapons and characters.
Sometimes price tags in CSGO reach cosmic numbers and the price of a single knife can easily compete with the price of a new sports car. However, there is no need to pay all the money in the world for having a stylish and potentially expensive item. If you are lucky, you will be able to do it for a few dollars, having opened a regular CS:GO case.
Actually, a case is a pretty multifunctional thing: it can be used to receive items, as currency in exchange, and to make money, after all. You will have to get cases to do so and it will require time and money. Or not always?
In our material, we will tell you where to get free cases in CS:GO and what you will have to do. Spoiler: we will not recommend anything criminal like CSGO skins gambling, and therefore you can safely use.
Method №1: grinding
The easiest way to get free CS:GO cases is to grind matchmaking. Both official Valve servers and the custom ones can be used but there is a nuance.
The principle of owning the in-game items and cases is secret in CS:GO. It is known that you can get any case and item by playing the game or you can not get it. Fortune is running the show here.
But there are stable drop rules even here:
- Items, including cases, drop randomly after the end of the match. Items are also distributed randomly and it does not depend on the in-game statistics, so both the best player in the team and the worst one can receive a case.
- The drop rate depends on the number of hours played per week. The players who play less have a bigger drop rate.
- The in-game item drop counter is reset to zero. Probably, resetting takes place on Thursdays and Sundays.
The first method of receiving cases in CSGO will be useful for the patient and persevering ones. And the lucky ones, you can’t succeed without it.
Method №2: exchange
The second way can be called conditionally free because it involves bartering. It can be done as a case swapped on a case, an item swapped on a case or vice versa.
In fact, the method is paid, but not quite. It is useful when you need to exchange some consumer goods for a case.
Besides, Valve allows making a one-way exchange. You can send an empty Steam offer to exchange a case and if an owner accepts the trade, you will receive free CSGO cases.
However, there is a more reliable and working method to get a free case in CSGO. It is called IDLE servers.
Method №3: IDLE servers
The third option to get a free case in CSGO is very similar to the first one. It is based on the item drop mechanics but it is a bit less random.
To start with, this is a short guide. IDLE servers are “empty” user servers, which are hosted to farm free CSGO cases and other items.
IDLE servers have a few distinctive characteristics. There is nothing complicated but it is worth to know it:
- Basic CSGO rules are functioning partially there.
- Matches last a few rounds or even 1 round frequently.
- A round is as short as possible.
- The VAC system is used on all servers. It is done to provide an opportunity of having a drop at the end of the match.
- You can stay AFK at servers because they frequently have small maps without the PVP option. All of this is done to farm more rounds for less time.
IDLE servers are not hosted by Valve but base in-game rules work on them. For example, it is enough to play to receive free CS:GO cases, however, this does not guarantee the drop of items. It is equal to method №1, the only difference is that you can play ten times more “matches” on the IDLE servers for the same amount of time.
Probably, we have not mentioned all the ways to legally get free CSGO cases, but we have listed the most logical working ones.
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.