CS:GO badges and trading cards – What are they?
Steam Trading Cards are collectibles for gamers. They drop out when you play one or another game. These items don't provide players with any benefits. Card drops are something like a small and nice addition to your favorite RPG, shooter, real-time strategy, etc.
The initial release of the Steam Trading Cards was in 2013. The first game that supported them was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Since then, cards have been added to a huge number of games. Of course, they haven't been removed from CS either.
To get your first card drops, you must purchase a licensed copy of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Then, you'll receive the Steam Trading Cards while playing. Once dropped, they'll be added to your Steam Inventory where you can view them.
The trading cards can also be obtained in more ways. One of them is trading with your friends. Another way is to buy collectibles on the Steam Community Market. At the time of writing this post, their price starts from a couple of cents.
When you collect a series of trading cards, you can craft a game badge. Its level will be 1. If you already have some badge, you'll be able to level it up. The max level is 5. In addition to badges, you can get emoticons and backgrounds for your Steam Profile.
The amount of experience points you need to increase badge ranks depends on the level you want to get. The leveling system is simple and straightforward. You invest a fixed amount of XP in each upgrade: 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500.
What are the types of trading cards and badges in CS:GO?
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| Steam Trading Cards | ||||
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There are 5 trading cards in CS:GO: Anarchist, Balkan, FBI, IDF, and SWAT. The total number of badges is 6: Chicken Chaser, Brass Recruit, Dusty Veteran, Guardian Angel, Global Sentinel, and Elite Crewman. It takes 5 cards of each type to craft and level up badges.
To view your collection of trading cards, open your Steam Client and go to the CS:GO page. The section you need is on the right side. Clicking on View My Trading Cards will take you to a page with all the collectibles you currently have.
Note that the badges are cosmetic items. They're only used for your Steam Profile Showcase. Collectibles won't provide you with any advantage in the game. Nor will they help you make a lot of money on the Steam Marketplace. These aren't skins, which can cost thousands of dollars.
Along with the normal ones, there are so-called foil trading cards. Their distinctive feature is a silver background. You can use them to craft a foil badge. It has only 1 rank, but it's what many CS:GO collectible fans want to have.
If you wish, you can buy foil cards on the Steam Community Market. Despite their rarity, they aren't so expensive. For example, the min price for a foil Anarchist card is 20 cents. Thus, you have the opportunity to craft a foil badge at minimal cost.
How to get a CS:GO Steam Trading Card
- Buy CS:GO and various items. If you purchase the game, you'll be able to gain 3 cards. To get new collectibles, just spend your money on something like Operation passes.
- Trade with other players. Have you earned card drops but are unhappy with the result? It's highly likely that there are gamers who need them. Put your collectibles up for sale and then get the items you want.
- Play the game. Eliminate Terrorists or Counter-Terrorists, and gain random card drops. There is no simpler or more obvious way!
- Purchase collectibles on the Steam Market. To upgrade the badge to level 5, you'll need a couple of dollars. Some players even think that this is some kind of cheating. Instead of getting cards in bloody online battles, you can buy them for mere pennies.
There are players who don't exchange cards for badges because they find these collectibles more valuable. At the same time, many gamers are only interested in badges and don't care about cards. Finally, lots of Steam users aren't interested in collectible items at all. You may be surprised, but some of them don't even know they exist!
How do I get CS:GO trading card drops?
Just play your favorite game. As long as you do this, you have a chance to get a card. In this regard, CS:GO is no different from other games that you can buy on Steam. When you receive the next collectibles, the Steam Client will inform you about it.
Although the number of card drops is limited, you can easily bypass it. To do this, make in-game microtransactions. As a result, you'll increase the number of drops available to you. You may be wondering where to find it. There is nothing easier!
- Go to the CS:GO page and find the TRADING CARDS section there. Click the View My Trading Cards link.
- Find out how many drops you have. The info you need is to the right of the header. Do you see the message "No card drops remaining" as in the image below? Then click on How do I earn card drops?
- In the pop-up window that opens, you'll see how much money you need to spend to get new drops. You'll also find a lot of other useful information there.
Can I sell CS:GO trading cards?
If you've crafted the badge you want and don't need to do it anymore, you can sell the extra cards. To do this, just follow the instructions below.
- Launch the Steam Client. Go to your Library. Open the CS:GO page. Click on View My Trading Cards in the TRADING CARDS section.
- On the next page, click on the View cards in my Inventory button.
- Select any CS:GO card and click on View badge progress.
- Click Sell these cards on the Market.
- List one or more cards for sale. Wait for someone to buy them and get your money.
FAQ
What do badges do in CS:GO?
First of all, these items allow players to stand out from other gamers. It's also a kind of small souvenir for fans of the game. They're of no practical use.
What level do you get CS:GO badges?
The standard badge has 5 levels. In fact, these are 5 collectibles that differ in design and name. As you level up, one badge changes to another. The only exception is the foil badge. It has no ranks.
How do you get the 10 year badge in CS:GO?
To get this badge, you must level up in Counter-Strike. You can earn experience in game modes like Casual or Wingman. When you reach a certain level, the item will be added to your Inventory.
