How the Item Drop System Works in CSGO

This guide will break down how the item drop system works in CSGO.

The System

You can receive drops at the end of your matches. The items that drop range from cases, graffiti and skins. Even though the vast, vast majority of drops in CSGO are cheap, some lucky people have received drops worth hundreds of dollars.
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Skins and graffiti can be received by playing matches and gaining XP. Cases, however, can only randomly drop once or twice a week after completing matches.
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Drops actually aren't completely random. There is only a specific set of items that can be dropped in CSGO. This is decided by the "Active Drop Pool", which is constantly changing as new cases are introduced to the game.
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Everyone playing CSGO has a chance to obtain cases at the end of a match. However, only Prime accounts are eligible to receive skins and graffiti drops, by gaining XP and leveling up. Also, the Active Drop Pool is different for Prime and Non-Prime accounts, which implies that Non-Prime accounts will receive a different set of cases, cases that are typically much cheaper than the ones Prime accounts get. Whenever a new case is released, it will only be available to drop in the Active Drop Pool for Prime accounts.
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The least valuable type of item you can receive from drops are graffiti. Most of the graffiti drops will only be worth about $0.03. You can obtain graffiti drops by gaining XP and leveling up.
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Similar to the aforementioned graffiti drops, various skins can drop in CSGO as you level up. Whether you receive skins or graffiti as drops after leveling up is completely random.
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The skins that drop depend on the Active Drop Pool set by Valve. You can currently receive skins from the following collections:

• The 2018 Inferno Collection
  
• The 2018 Nuke Collection
  
• The Dust 2 Collection
  
• The Train Collection
  
• The Safehouse Collection
  
• The Lake Collection
  
• The Italy Collection
  
• The Bank Collection

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While you won’t be getting a Dragon Lore through these skin drops, a Factory New SG 553 Integrale drop will easily net you around $100, which is the maximum amount of money you can currently earn from drops. In general, though, you'll be receiving skins priced from anywhere between $0.03 - $1.00, with the occasional exception.
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Case drops are where you'll make the most money while playing CSGO. You can only get one or two cases per week. Which cases you receive as drops depends on whether you have a Prime or Non-Prime account.
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Here are the current Active Drop Pools for both Prime and Non-Prime accounts:
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Prime Case Drops

• Dreams & Nightmares Case
  
• Snakebite Case
  
• Fracture Case
  
• Prisma 2 Case
  
• Clutch Case

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Non-Prime Case Drops

• CS20 Case
  
• Horizon Case
  
• Spectrum 2 Case
  
• Gamma 2 Case
  
• Chroma 3 Case
  
• Revolver Case

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Other than the Prime and Non-Prime case drop pool, there is also a slight chance for Prime players to receive "Rare Cases". These cases are only available as drops to Prime accounts.
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Here's a list of all the Rare Cases in the current drop pool:
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Rare Case Drops

• CS20 Case
  
• Prisma Case
  
• Danger Zone Case
  
• Horizon Case
  
• Spectrum 2 Case
  
• Operation Hydra Case
  
• Spectrum Case
  
• Glove Case
  
• Gamma 2 Case
  
• Gamma Case
  
• Chroma 3 Case
  
• Operation Wildfire Case
  
• Revolver Case
  
• Shadow Case
  
• Falchion Case
  
• Chroma 2 Case
  
• Chroma Case
  
• Operation Vanguard Weapon Case
  
• Operation Breakout Weapon Case
  
• Huntsman Weapon Case
  
• Operation Phoenix Weapon Case
  
• CS:GO Weapon Case 3
  
• Winter Offensive Weapon Case
  
• CS:GO Weapon Case 2
  
• Operation Bravo Case
  
• CS:GO Weapon Case

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There are also a few cases that do not drop anymore and can only be obtained through trading. These are called the "Discontinued Cases". Here is a list of them:
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Discontinued Cases

• Operation Broken Fang Case
  
• Shattered Web Case
  
• eSports 2014 Summer Case
  
• eSports 2013 Winter Case
  
• eSports 2013 Case

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The most effective way to make money while playing CSGO is playing the game as soon as a new case drops. If you get a new case, you can quickly sell it on the Steam Market for a good price (as its price will be higher the newer that it is).
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(Major credits go to various CSGO sites where all of this information was extracted from.)

Closing Note

Thanks for checking out my guide! I hope you found it informative. :D
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