First CS items, cases and skins!
There is no definitive oldest skin in Counter-Strike, as the “Arms Deal update” on the 14th of August 2013 added multiple hundred skins to the game. For the sake of this article, we do not discuss old and outdated collections (as most do not drop in Counter-Strike 2 anymore), but rather the two oldest Counter-Strike 2 Weapon cases. Let us take a trip down memory lane to the game which started our love for skins: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive!
The first skins of Counter-Strike
When were the first skins added to CS:GO, the predecessor to Counter-Strike 2? The first skins and weapon cases were added to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on the same date.
On the 14th of August 2013 Valve and Counter-Strike wrote history. The "Arms Deal Update" introduced the world to weapon finishes (skins), knife skins, and Knife finishes. This little update had a huge impact on the gaming scene and the longevity of Counter-Strike. CS2 was released on the 27th of September 2023, a whopping 10 years after Global Offensive!
This longevity is most likely to the skins that Valve keeps introducing and releasing to the playerbase. Be it from Valve's own designers and skinmakers or from the community workshop. Obviously, we can not forget the eSport scene.
But now: Let us take a look at Counter-Strike skin history, and how all of this started.
On the 14th of August 2013 Valve and Counter-Strike wrote history. The "Arms Deal Update" introduced the world to weapon finishes (skins), knife skins, and Knife finishes. This little update had a huge impact on the gaming scene and the longevity of Counter-Strike. CS2 was released on the 27th of September 2023, a whopping 10 years after Global Offensive!
This longevity is most likely to the skins that Valve keeps introducing and releasing to the playerbase. Be it from Valve's own designers and skinmakers or from the community workshop. Obviously, we can not forget the eSport scene.
But now: Let us take a look at Counter-Strike skin history, and how all of this started.
The first ever CS Cases
The first ever Weapon Cases, the eSport 2013 weapon case and the CS:GO Weapon Case, also called Weapon Case 1.
As we have mentioned, both of these weapon cases were added in 2013. All of the Counter-Strike cases had quite humble beginnings. The early CS:GO Cases had fewer skins in them than we are used to today.
- 3 Mil-Spec Grade (Blue)
- 2 Restricted (Purple)
- 2 Classified (Pink)
- 1 Covert (Red)
- 7 Mil-Spec Grade (Blue)
- 5 Restricted (Purple)
- 3 Classified (Pink)
- 2 Covert (Red)
The CS:GO Weapon Case
Being the first-ever CS:GO weapon case, alongside the eSport 2013 case, we have some really iconic skins. Even after all these years, Weapon Case 1 skins are still sought after, and they just get more desirable and collectable. This is also, technically, the first-ever Counter-Strike case. If you inspect it, or take a look at the Steamcommunitymarket Listing for it, it is “Container Series #1”, factually the first CS:GO case ever to exist.
It came out the gate swinging, having such iconic skins as the AWP | Lightning Strike or the beloved AK-47 | Case Hardened. Back in the day bluegems used to be way cheaper, and today owning a 661 Scar Pattern AK Bluegem is the dream of many collectors or traders.
It came out the gate swinging, having such iconic skins as the AWP | Lightning Strike or the beloved AK-47 | Case Hardened. Back in the day bluegems used to be way cheaper, and today owning a 661 Scar Pattern AK Bluegem is the dream of many collectors or traders.
The eSport 2013 case
With all of the skins from collections that players could get dropped after the Arms deal update, or the Weapon Case one, many people overlook the eSport 2013 case. Being one of the few eSport case, a portion of the case key was (possibly still IS) sponsoring Counter-Strike events all over the world.
It carries such iconic skins as the AWP | BOOM, AK-47 | Red Laminate and the P90 | Death by Kitty. These were the first skins in Counter-Strike that had some real colour to it. The case itself is colored Orange, and a lot of skins featured in this case have orange accents or are entirely orange (such as the AWP BOOM).
It carries such iconic skins as the AWP | BOOM, AK-47 | Red Laminate and the P90 | Death by Kitty. These were the first skins in Counter-Strike that had some real colour to it. The case itself is colored Orange, and a lot of skins featured in this case have orange accents or are entirely orange (such as the AWP BOOM).
The Knives
The original knife finishes (or the “OG Knives” as the community calls them) can be found in 11 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, now Counter-Strike 2 cases. These skins are as follows: Vanilla, Scorched, Night, Crimson Web, Fade, Case Hardened, Slaughter, Blue Steel, Boreal Forest, Forest DDPAT, Stained, Urban Masked and last but not least Safari Mesh.
These finishes existed for the Karambit, Bayonet, M9 Bayonet, Gut Knife, and the Flip Knife. Take a look at all of the OG knives and their finishes.
These finishes existed for the Karambit, Bayonet, M9 Bayonet, Gut Knife, and the Flip Knife. Take a look at all of the OG knives and their finishes.
Honorable mentions
The Arms Deal update also added eight whole collections! Most of them do not drop anymore or have been updated over the years.
Collections added included in the Update of August 14th 2013: The Assault Collection, The Office Collection, The Nuke Collection, The Militia Collection, The Inferno Collection, The Vertigo Collection, The Aztec Collection, The Dust Collection.
Collections added included in the Update of August 14th 2013: The Assault Collection, The Office Collection, The Nuke Collection, The Militia Collection, The Inferno Collection, The Vertigo Collection, The Aztec Collection, The Dust Collection.
The oldest CS skins
As you read now, the oldest CS skins, weapon case skins, are from the eSport 2013 case and the Weapon Case 1. But in truth, all of the skins mentioned above share the same spots with the collections, as all of them were released by Valve at once. As to the question of what weaponcase was added first to the game, it was the CS:GO Weapon Case One.
The skins were also all made by Valve and house their own artists, as the Steamcommunity Workshop did not exist yet- the Workshop was teased in the “Arms Deal” update.
The skins were also all made by Valve and house their own artists, as the Steamcommunity Workshop did not exist yet- the Workshop was teased in the “Arms Deal” update.
Conclusion
We hope you learned a lot reading this article about Counter-Strike's first skins. It is quite an interesting history, and we should not forget where we come from and how long CS skins evolved. From 2013 with the faithful update, to now with pearlescent skins, crazy holo effects and stickers, all the way up to the first weaponcases we got in Counter-Strike 2.
CS has a rich history, and it is always stunning to look back at these humble beginnings. Nobody could have predicted what Counter-Strike skins would become. From a small addition to a game, now to a feature with a lot of money, passionate fans and collectors from all over the world attached to it.
CS has a rich history, and it is always stunning to look back at these humble beginnings. Nobody could have predicted what Counter-Strike skins would become. From a small addition to a game, now to a feature with a lot of money, passionate fans and collectors from all over the world attached to it.
