Many of us sit at our computers playing Counter-Strike wondering to ourselves: can I make money from doing this? We all know the answer is YES. Gaming is a billion-dollar industry, and there’s a piece of the pie available for everyone willing to put in the work. With so many people already having their foot in the door in the industry, it is easy to talk yourself out of even trying.
“There are already so many pro players, and I’ll never be that good.” We think we can help. We’ve put together this guide to help you earn money playing Counter-Strike, so you can live out your dreams in Valve’s FPS!
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about how to make money with Counter-Strike is live streaming. There are many gamers making money every day streaming their gameplay or analysis on Twitch.tv or on YouTube streaming platform. All you need to get started is a streaming or recording platform like OBS or XSplit, a love for playing games, and a microphone. A strong personality and sense of humor helps, too. There are lots of people who want to know how to make money with CS2, so you need to stand out from the crowd.
Credit: Daniel Morris
After having listened to several streamers talking about what the most important thing about streaming is, every last one has said the same thing. Consistency. If you stream at the same time every day on a strict schedule, people will get into the routine of watching you. Some people say you have to put on a character, but that is not the case. Characters can absolutely work, but most of the successful people who stream and earn money playing Counter-Strike are just themselves.
If you don’t like being a live entertainer, you can always try making YouTube videos instead. Anything from compilations, memes, and guides will garner you an audience if you do a solid job. If skins are your thing, there’s a big audience for that, too. It’s about finding your own niche to really make money with Counter-Strike.
If you want to learn how to make money with CS2, trading skins is a great place to start. The market for Counter-Strike 2 skins is absolutely enormous, with almost every player making trades on a daily basis. Because of this, the market fluctuates frequently, with skins going up and down in price all the time. If you want to earn money playing Counter-Strike, you can watch the market for patterns, and figure out when the best time to buy and sell is.
Credit: Daniel Morris
Of course, this method requires two things: a starting budget, and patience. Trading skins is undoubtedly a good way to make money with Counter-Strike, but it won’t happen overnight. You’ll need to use all your knowledge to ensure your long-term holds pay off.
If you’ve chosen skin trading as your method of choice when learning how to make money with CS2, then it’s important you do your research on where to buy and sell. Skins are cheaper on some CS trading sites when compared to others, as some have different commission rates. We’d recommend you do your own research on this one, as it can be the difference between a profit and a loss.
Another way to use your Counter-Strike game knowledge to make money is to bet on professional esports matches. If you know how to figure out who has the edge in a match between pro teams, betting can certainly win you a lot of money.
You can play Fantasy Counter-Strike. Pick your team of pro CS2 players and get points in order to beat the other teams in your league. You get points for all sorts of stats accumulated by the players you draft. For example, kills, assists, enemies flashed and KDA are all stats that would get you points. Using your knowledge of what players contribute to their teams, you can outsmart your opponents and win money. Sports leagues have gained massive popularity from draft leagues such as this one.
Okay, we know this one is a long shot for most people. But if you’re a young talent with a penchant for headshots, you can try your hand at attempting to earn money playing Counter-Strike by going pro.
Credit: Helena Kristiansson | © ESL
This takes extreme dedication to the grind, with CS2 esports notoriously difficult to get into. But if you’ve got the talent to reach the top, it’s one of the best ways to make money with Counter-Strike, with prize money in the hundreds of thousands in most cases.
There are careers within team organizations and production as well. Marketing managers, social media teams, coaching up-and-coming teams, and many more. The esports jobs sector is huge, with plenty of new positions being opened daily. You can use your in-depth knowledge to earn money playing Counter-Strike, all you need is a bit of research. All esports teams will have available job postings on their websites. Some require you to move, others will be remote, all will surround esports and people who are passionate about the field.
If you really want to make money with Counter-Strike, you can. It will take a lot of commitment and work, but it is possible and will become more so as the industry grows. The question is not really how to make money with CS2, but when.
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