In the latest CS2 update, Valve has completely overhauled how players buy stickers and souvenirs during Major events, and it’s easily the biggest shake-up to the system since stickers were first introduced to the game.
With IEM Cologne 2026 kicking off the new era, here’s everything you need to know about the new token system in CS2.
Valve Kills Tournament Capsules in New CS2 Update
The new CS2 update, ahead of the IEM Cologne 2026 major, saw Valve killing off capsules entirely.
For the uninitiated, during previous Major events, players were able to buy tournament capsules and open them in hopes of getting the stickers they wanted. Valve argued that players weren’t particularly fans of this method.
The company also pointed out that certain countries have completely banned lootboxes, and players in those regions wouldn’t have been able to purchase the capsules.
“In the past we shipped team and player autograph stickers in capsules,” the CS2 devs said in a statement. “While this approach was popular, we’ve heard feedback that players might prefer to purchase stickers directly. Additionally, players in certain regions cannot purchase sticker capsules. So we’re exploring alternatives that allow all players to participate.”
New CS2 Token System Explained
Valve has replaced tournament capsules in CS2 with a far more transparent system.
In place of capsules, there’s a token-based shop system in the game where every team sticker, player autograph, and all its variants are available to buy directly at any time during the event. No more gambling on what you get.
Stickers are purchased using tokens, which can be obtained at a fixed rate of 100 tokens per $1. You purchase these tokens directly and redeem them for any sticker you want. Simply select the sticker you want, choose the variant you’re looking for, add it to your cart, buy the tokens needed, and redeem.
CS2 IEM Cologne 2026 Sticker Pricing and Price Protection
Every sticker in the new CS2 Major shop has a price set by relative demand. When one sticker sells more compared to the others, it sees a price increase, while the stickers that are less in demand get their price reduced. These sticker prices don’t update in real time, but refresh periodically, around once every few hours, with players browsing the store receiving a warning before the update hits.
There’s also a price protection mechanic built in. If any sticker you bought drops by more than 25 tokens within 24 hours after your purchase, you get the difference back automatically.
CS2 IEM Cologne 2026 Viewer Pass and Pick’Ems
Similar to other Majors, two versions of the IEM Cologne 2026 Viewer Pass are available for purchase: the standard pass at $9.99 and a bundle with 900 bonus tokens for a 5% discount. Activating either gives you the Cologne 2026 Major Challenge Coin, which starts at Bronze and can be upgraded to Silver, Gold, or Diamond through the Pick’Em Challenge. Each upgrade tier awards 300 tokens.
These tokens can also be used to convert any skin you own into a Souvenir skin.
Yes, you read that right. Instead of implementing Souvenir packages for the IEM Cologne 2026, Valve has completely changed the method for players to get Souvenir skins in CS2.
You can take any normal or Souvenir quality weapon in your inventory, select a completed match and one of the players, and get your weapon back in Souvenir quality with gold team, autograph, and map stickers applied. This will consume tokens based on the demand for the specific gold team and autograph stickers involved, and the rarity of the weapon.
With IEM Cologne 2026 just around the corner, there’s a lot more to look into, and our full update breakdown has you covered.