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CS2 graffiti: how to get, apply, and trade them

Graffiti is one of the smaller customization systems in Counter-Strike 2, but it has its own rules that are easy to miss. This guide covers how to get graffiti, how to apply it in-game, and what you can do with it once you own it.

How to get graffiti

There are three ways to add graffiti to your inventory:

• Prime Status weekly care package. If you have Prime, graffiti can appear as a rank-up drop.
• Graffiti Boxes. These feature art from Steam Community Artists and can be purchased from the in-game store. A portion of the proceeds goes to the artists.
• Steam Community Market. Individual graffiti patterns can be bought and sold once they are sealed.

Types of graffiti

There are two variants:

• Monochrome patterns are black and white. They come from rank-up drops.
• Multi-colored patterns come from Graffiti Boxes.

Both types can be traded and sold on the Steam Community Market as long as they are sealed.

How to apply graffiti

• Open your inventory and unseal the graffiti pattern. Once unsealed, it cannot be traded or sold.
• In-game, hold the spray key (T by default) to enter spraying mode.
• A preview shows where the graffiti will land. If there is no preview, the surface does not support graffiti.
• Press Primary Fire to apply. If you have multiple graffiti patterns, press Secondary Fire to cycle through them.

Usage limits and cooldowns

• Each unsealed graffiti has 50 charges. If you unseal a duplicate, you get 50 additional charges.
• You can apply graffiti once per round or every 45 seconds, whichever is shorter.
• Getting a kill in a round-based mode lets you apply one more graffiti immediately.
• One application lasts 7 minutes and degrades over time until it disappears.
• You can apply graffiti during the round restart delay (7 seconds in competitive mode) regardless of cooldown.

Trading and market rules

• Only sealed graffiti can be traded or sold on the Steam Community Market.
• Once unsealed, graffiti is locked to your account.
• You can delete unsealed graffiti from your inventory by right-clicking and selecting Delete Item.
• Consumed or deleted graffiti cannot be restored.

Tips

• If you want to collect graffiti for trading, keep them sealed. Unsealing destroys their market value.
• Monochrome graffiti from rank-up drops is free, but it is also the most common type.
• Community Graffiti Boxes support artists, so buying them is a way to fund community content.
• Graffiti fades after 7 minutes, so do not worry about it cluttering the map permanently.

Sources
[1] Steam Support: CS2 Graffiti FAQ
[2] Counter-Strike Wiki: Graffiti