Sticker capsules are a type of container that grants the player one random sticker when opened. Stickers can be applied to weapon skins in order to create a unique-looking skin or to showcase support for teams and players from the competitive scene. Skins with applied stickers are referred to as crafts by the community. Unlike weapon cases, most sticker capsules do not require a key to open. However, a few legacy capsules such as Sticker Capsule, Sticker Capsule 2, and Community Sticker Capsule 1 do require a key, which can be bought from the in-game store.

Stickers come in various films (also called finishes or sticker types), each with its own visual effect:

• Paper (standard, no effect)
• Holo (holographic effect)
• Foil (metallic, reflective effect)
• Glitter (sparkling effect)
• Gold (metallic gold, exclusive to Major tournament capsules)
• Lenticular (changes based on viewangle)

Sticker rarity is typically distributed across a tier system, with rarer stickers being harder to unbox and usually more valuable:

• High Grade
• Remarkable
• Exotic
• Extraordinary

We can differentiate between the following types of sticker capsules:

• Key Capsules: The first three sticker capsules added to CS:GO can still be obtained from the weekly care package instead of a case. These are the only capsules that require a key to open. If you want to learn more about the drop system, check out this guide. Both the Sticker Capsule and Sticker Capsule 2 use the same key.
• Shop Capsules: Whenever new capsules are introduced, they are available for purchase directly from the in-game store. This system replaced the older coupon-based method, which you can read about below. Shop capsules usually feature community-designed stickers and do not require a key to open. However, since they tend to remain in the shop for several years, they are often considered poor investments.
• Event Capsules: For esports events like Major tournaments, you can purchase capsules featuring participating teams from the in-game store. These include both team capsules (which showcase the logos of esports organizations) and autograph capsules (featuring player signatures). Valve shares 50% of the sales proceeds with the qualified teams. At the end of each event, the capsule prices are discounted by 75% before being removed from the store permanently. Afterward, they can only be acquired from other players via the Steam Community Market or third party marketplaces. Over time, many of these capsules have gained significant value. For example, the EMS Katowice 2014 Legends capsule is now among the most expensive in the game. During the last few majors, Valve kept adding borderless stickers without much variation, leading to poor resale prices.

Depending on the rarities included in the capsule, the following odds can be expected: