How to Trade Up to a Knife in CS2: All Steps and Details to Get Shiny New Gold

The recent update from Valve in October 2025 has brought about one of the most significant changes to Counter-Strike 2's trading economy. For the first time, players can use Covert (red rarity) skins to trade up to a knife in CS2.

Previously, players could only obtain knives through purchasing them on the Steam Market or through case openings, making them difficult and expensive to obtain. Now, so long as players have the right skins, any player has a shot at crafting one of these rare items in Counter-Strike 2. In this article, we will delve into how to trade up to a knife in CS2.

Understanding the Knife Trade Up System in Counter-Strike 2

The CS2 knife trade-up update introduces the ability for players to trade up to a knife in CS2 through the use of five Covert skins in a trade-up contract. These skins can either be standard or StatTrak skins; however, all of them must be one type or the other. If you put in all StatTrak skins, then your result will also be a StatTrak knife.

After completing the trade-up contract, you will receive either a knife or gloves from the random collection that your input skins came from. While the trade-up system allows players to earn knives through any number of provided skins, there is still some risk involved.

How to Trade Up to a Knife in CS2 after the Recent Update

If you are interested in knowing how to trade up to a knife in CS2. Here is how you can do this using this simple process:

Step 1: Collecting Covert Skins

First things first, you must acquire five Covert skins. These are the skins that are the most rare in the game and can be identified by their red colour. They can be obtained through case openings, traded, or bought off the Steam Community Market. Whichever way you like.

Since the update, Covert items are now significantly more expensive. Prices have risen as much as 30% in one day, and honestly, this was expected as well. If you're trying to save money, watch the market for low-priced listings or offer to trade with other players.

Step 2: Choosing the Right Collection

How to trade up to Knife CS2? To answer this, you need to choose the right collection for you. The chosen collection will determine the knife you can receive. When you trade up to a knife in CS2, the item you will receive will be randomly drawn from all of the collected collections from your five input skins.

For example, if you traded three skins from one collection and two from another, your knife or gloves could be drawn from either collection. If you want to increase your odds of getting that specific pattern or finish with a knife such as Doppler, Fade, Ruby, or Sapphire, then use five skins all from the same collection.

Step 3: Executing the Trade-Up Contract

When you have five Covert skins, open your inventory and go to the Trade-Up Contract area. Add the skins you selected, ensure that you are not mixing regular with StatTrak items, and confirm your trade-up. Once you digitally sign the contract, the game will give you either a knife or gloves immediately. Lastly, it is a good idea to verify market trends before making any trades to a knife in CS2. After the new update, knife prices fell dramatically, with some knife skins losing as much as 50% of their value.

That was all for this guide on how to trade up to a knife in CS2. Meanwhile, you can also check out our Counter-Strike 2 Guide.