CS2 sticker capsules: the three key capsules, the shop and team capsules, and how the films differ
Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2026 1:14 am
CS2 sticker capsules: the three key capsules, the shop and team capsules, and how the films differ
A sticker capsule is a container that opens into one sticker. It is a separate thing from a weapon case, and the difference is not cosmetic. Most capsules open without a key, while a handful of the oldest ones need one. If you are buying or trading these, the film type and the capsule family are the two things that decide what you can pull.
The counts below come from a database that reads the capsule list straight out of Counter-Strike 2's game files and refreshes it after updates. It lists 550 containers in total: 444 sticker capsules, 7 patch capsules, 85 graffiti boxes, 13 music kit boxes and 1 pins capsule.
The four capsule families
The main index groups capsules into four types, and each has its own rules.
The Sticker Capsule was introduced on 05 February 2014. It is listed as a Consumer Grade container, with a Steam Market price of $0.91 at the time of writing, an average of 80 sales a day, and a mean average price of $0.89.
Community Sticker Capsule 1 followed on 01 May 2014. It is also Consumer Grade. The same page lists a Steam price of $3.78, 71 sales a day on average, and a mean average price of $3.49.
Prices on both move with the market, so treat those figures as a snapshot rather than a fixed value.
How old major capsules trade
The game-file database answers the question its own list cannot. Discontinued capsules have a fixed and shrinking supply, because every one opened is gone. It says the price history of older major capsules reflects that, and warns that liquidity varies a lot, with some trading daily and others carrying only a handful of listings.
The same page lists some of the oldest names with prices. EMS Katowice 2014 Legends is listed at $20,937.87 and EMS Katowice 2014 Challengers at $20,552.10. DreamHack 2014 Legends (Holo/Foil) is listed at $247.39 and ESL One Katowice 2015 Legends (Holo/Foil) at $165.46.
A note on the capsule list itself
The game-file database is a name list rather than a full item list. Most rows in its sticker capsule table show a dash where the item count would be, so it tells you what exists and in what order, not how many stickers sit inside each one. For the contents of a specific capsule, the main index has a page per capsule that lists every sticker in it with its film type.
Sources
A sticker capsule is a container that opens into one sticker. It is a separate thing from a weapon case, and the difference is not cosmetic. Most capsules open without a key, while a handful of the oldest ones need one. If you are buying or trading these, the film type and the capsule family are the two things that decide what you can pull.
The counts below come from a database that reads the capsule list straight out of Counter-Strike 2's game files and refreshes it after updates. It lists 550 containers in total: 444 sticker capsules, 7 patch capsules, 85 graffiti boxes, 13 music kit boxes and 1 pins capsule.
The four capsule families
The main index groups capsules into four types, and each has its own rules.
- Key capsules. The Sticker Capsule, Sticker Capsule 2 and Community Sticker Capsule 1 are the three key capsules. They were originally available as drops during the early days of CS:GO and required a key bought from Valve inside the CS:GO client. The stickers inside come in regular or paper, holo and foil films. No new key capsule has been introduced since 2015.
- Shop capsules. These are bought directly from Valve inside the CS2 client and do not need a key. Each one is themed, and some reference other games, naming Halo and Battlefield 2042 among them. The films are regular or paper, holo, foil and lenticular. Lenticular only appears in a few shop capsules.
- Team capsules. These carry stickers for professional teams attending a Valve-sponsored major. Films are regular or paper, holo, foil and gold.
- Player autograph capsules. These hold the signatures of players from that major. Films are regular or paper, foil and gold. The index states there are no holo variants for autograph stickers.
The Sticker Capsule was introduced on 05 February 2014. It is listed as a Consumer Grade container, with a Steam Market price of $0.91 at the time of writing, an average of 80 sales a day, and a mean average price of $0.89.
Community Sticker Capsule 1 followed on 01 May 2014. It is also Consumer Grade. The same page lists a Steam price of $3.78, 71 sales a day on average, and a mean average price of $3.49.
Prices on both move with the market, so treat those figures as a snapshot rather than a fixed value.
How old major capsules trade
The game-file database answers the question its own list cannot. Discontinued capsules have a fixed and shrinking supply, because every one opened is gone. It says the price history of older major capsules reflects that, and warns that liquidity varies a lot, with some trading daily and others carrying only a handful of listings.
The same page lists some of the oldest names with prices. EMS Katowice 2014 Legends is listed at $20,937.87 and EMS Katowice 2014 Challengers at $20,552.10. DreamHack 2014 Legends (Holo/Foil) is listed at $247.39 and ESL One Katowice 2015 Legends (Holo/Foil) at $165.46.
A note on the capsule list itself
The game-file database is a name list rather than a full item list. Most rows in its sticker capsule table show a dash where the item count would be, so it tells you what exists and in what order, not how many stickers sit inside each one. For the contents of a specific capsule, the main index has a page per capsule that lists every sticker in it with its film type.
Sources