Counter-Strike 2 received an update on September 16, 2025, introducing a new system to obtain skins in the game. However, that is already causing trouble, and the reason for this is the price.
What kind of system is this? With the latest update on September 16, 2025, the Genesis Uplink Terminal was introduced. It provides a new way to obtain skins for real money.
The Uplink Terminal can be accessed through the inventory. After that, a chat can be started with aAI weapon dealer. Now, up to five skins are suggested individually – including the price, which varies depending on rarity and wear.
If you reject an offer, you will receive a new one, up to five times. However, if you accept, the exchange ends and you pay for the skin with your Steam balance. This is possible weekly and exists alongside traditional loot boxes, which certain Twitch streamers spend a lot of money on, for example.
The new system is mainly causing excitement due to the prices Valve charges for the skins. A user on Reddit received a particularly high offer and immediately shared it with the community.
“CS is a money printer”
What does the user report? On Reddit, the user kingpootis101 shared a screenshot of his chat history with the in-game weapon dealer. He was offered a red StatTrak M4A4 for $1,587, which equates to about €1,338.
Many users on Reddit believe that this is too much for a single skin, especially when it is offered by the developer itself. Many angry and confused comments accumulate below the post:
- DickSals writes: “Why should they [Valve] stop? CS is a money printer.”
- Dinokickflip says: “They saw that Riot was making money with $500 skins and turned the dial up to 11.”
- ChelseaSJL09 explains: “CS skins are sold on the market at prices essentially determined by supply and demand. Here, Valve is bypassing that and setting the prices for skins so that they capture all the money and not just the market standard share of 15%.”
- Moo_Im_A_Goat adds: “The whole value of the skins lies in the fact that it is a free market. We give the skins their value. If they [Valve] assign a value to them, it takes away any attractiveness.”
Thus, it is mainly the price that Valve sets for the skins causing the trouble now. Whether the developer will adjust the system again and modify the numbers is still open.
At least the new Genesis Uplink Terminal can be used for free. Payment is only required when you choose a skin. However, the topic remains controversial due to the high prices from Valve. What do you think about it? Feel free to write it in the comments. Others pay very different amounts to obtain skins: Collector pays $45,000 for a skin in Counter-Strike 2 that isn’t even rare – one thing makes it particularly valuable
