History
The cases, operations and items that shaped Counter-Strike.
HistoryA history of CS2 weapon cases, from Arms Deal to Terminals
How weapon cases grew from the 2013 Arms Deal update through operation and community cases, the 2019 key change and the CS2 Armory, to key-free Terminals.
HistoryEvery Counter-Strike operation and the collections it introduced
From Payback in 2013 to Riptide in 2021, what each Counter-Strike operation added, which cases and collections came with it, and why CS2 has had none so far.
HistoryThe AWP Dragon Lore: its history and why it became iconic
How the AWP Dragon Lore went from a 2014 map collection to one of the best-known skins in Counter-Strike, where every copy came from, and what changed for it in 2026.
HistoryThe M4A4 Howl and the story of the Contraband rarity
Why the M4A4 Howl is the only Contraband weapon skin: the 2014 art theft, how Valve redrew it and froze its supply, and what the 2026 souvenir changes mean for it.
HistoryOperation Payback and Bravo (2013): the first operations and the Bravo Case
How CS:GO's first two operations worked in 2013: Payback's map pass for Workshop authors, then Bravo's competitive maps, scorecard coin, Bravo Case and Alpha Collection.
HistoryStatTrak history: from the 2013 Arms Deal update to CS2
How StatTrak began with the Arms Deal update in August 2013, how the counter works, when knives, music kits and the Swap Tool came in, and what changed for StatTrak in CS2.
HistoryOperation Phoenix (2014): community-voted maps and the Phoenix Case
Operation Phoenix ran from February to June 2014: a $2.99 pass for eight community-voted maps, a scorecard coin and a pass-only case with the AWP Asiimov.
HistoryValve's 2016 skin gambling crackdown: the statement, the lawsuits and the FTC
In July 2016 Valve said gambling sites were misusing Steam's OpenID login and trading. The letters that followed, the Washington lawsuit and regulator, and the FTC's 2017 CSGO Lotto case.
HistoryOperation Breakout (2014): the Butterfly Knife, missions and Cobblestone
Operation Breakout ran from July to October 2014. It made operation maps free, added missions and the journal, and debuted the Butterfly Knife and the Cobblestone Collection.
HistoryCS2 cases in Belgium, the Netherlands and France: loot box rules since 2018
Why case opening has been restricted in Belgium and the Netherlands since July 2018, how France's X-Ray Scanner has worked since 2019, and what changed in 2025 and 2026, Germany included.
HistoryOperation Vanguard (2014): campaigns, the Vanguard Case and Train's return
Operation Vanguard ran from November 2014 to March 2015. It swapped mission drops for campaigns, sold two extra ones, brought back a rebuilt Train and added the Vanguard Case.
History