CS2 Souvenir Packages Guide: Major Tournament Drops & Signed Skins

What Are Souvenir Packages?

Souvenir packages are special containers unique to Valve Major Championships—the premier competitive events in Counter-Strike 2. Unlike regular weapon cases that players purchase and open with keys, souvenir packages are dropped randomly to viewers watching Major matches live. Each package commemorates a specific match round and contains a weapon skin with gold tournament stickers already applied.

The souvenir system creates a direct connection between esports viewership and in-game collectibles. When you receive a souvenir drop, it's tied to the exact match you were watching, featuring the competing teams' logos, the tournament emblem, and crucially, the autograph of the round's MVP (Most Valuable Player). This creates unique items that serve as historical artifacts from competitive Counter-Strike history.

Souvenir packages date back to CS:GO's early Major Championships and have become one of the most collectible item categories in the game. A souvenir skin from a Grand Final match, featuring a legendary player's MVP signature on a desirable weapon, can be worth significantly more than its standard counterpart. The combination of limited supply, historical significance, and aesthetic appeal makes souvenirs a fascinating corner of the CS2 economy.

Anatomy of a Souvenir Skin

Every souvenir skin shares a consistent structure of pre-applied gold stickers that tell the story of its origin. Understanding these components helps you evaluate souvenirs and recognize what makes certain combinations valuable.

Sticker Placement

The positioning of these four stickers varies by weapon type. Valve determines optimal placement positions for each weapon model, and all souvenirs of that weapon type share consistent sticker locations. This standardization means collectors can immediately identify souvenirs by their distinctive gold sticker arrangement.

Some weapons have more visually prominent sticker positions than others. The AWP, for example, displays stickers prominently on the scope and body, making souvenir AWPs particularly desirable. Pistols and SMGs may have less visible placements, affecting their aesthetic appeal and market demand.

The "Souvenir" Tag

All souvenir skins are marked with a "Souvenir" prefix in their name (e.g., "Souvenir AWP | Dragon Lore"). This tag cannot be removed and distinguishes souvenirs from regular skins with manually applied stickers. The souvenir tag also prevents the skin from accepting additional stickers—the four pre-applied stickers are permanent and exclusive.

How to Earn Souvenir Drops

Souvenir packages are distributed through a random drop system during Major Championship matches. Understanding the requirements and mechanics helps maximize your chances of receiving drops.

Understanding Drop Rates

Valve has never officially disclosed souvenir drop rates, but community analysis suggests drops are relatively rare. During popular matches with hundreds of thousands of concurrent viewers, your individual probability of receiving a drop in any given round is quite low. However, over the course of an entire Major (typically 2-3 weeks), dedicated viewers often receive at least one package.

Drop rates appear consistent regardless of which match stage you watch. Group stage matches, playoffs, and Grand Finals all seem to have similar per-viewer drop probabilities. The perceived rarity of Grand Final souvenirs comes from fewer total rounds being played, not different drop rates.

Viewing Platforms & Requirements

Multiple platforms support souvenir drops, each with specific account linking requirements. Ensure your accounts are properly connected before the Major begins to avoid missing potential drops.

Account Linking Guide

For Twitch drops, navigate to your Twitch Connections settings and link your Steam account. The connection must be established before the Major begins—linking mid-tournament may not immediately enable drop eligibility. Verify the connection is active by checking that Steam appears in your connected accounts list.

For GOTV viewing, no additional setup is required beyond being logged into CS2 with your Steam account. This is often considered the most reliable method since there's no third-party platform in the middle.

Troubleshooting Drops

• No drops received: Verify account linking, check Steam inventory filters, confirm Prime Status if required
• Delayed drops: Packages may take minutes to hours to appear in inventory
• Multiple platforms: Watching on multiple platforms simultaneously doesn't increase odds
• AFK viewing: Some Majors require periodic interaction to maintain eligibility

Souvenir Collections by Map

Each CS2 map in the Major pool has an associated weapon collection, determining which skins can appear in souvenirs from matches played on that map. Understanding these collections helps you know what you might receive—or what to look for when trading.

Map pool rotations affect souvenir availability. When Valve removes a map from competitive play, its souvenirs become rarer over time as no new packages are generated. The removal of Cobblestone from the Active Duty pool famously contributed to Dragon Lore souvenir price appreciation.

For more details on how skins are organized and their rarity tiers, see our Skin Rarity Tiers Guide.

What Makes Souvenirs Valuable

Souvenir value is determined by multiple intersecting factors. Unlike regular skins where float and pattern dominate pricing, souvenirs add layers of complexity through their sticker combinations and historical context.

The Perfect Souvenir

A "perfect" souvenir would combine all optimal factors: a highly desirable base skin (AWP Dragon Lore), Factory New float, legendary player MVP signature (s1mple or equivalent), from a Grand Final match, with the signature in the optimal sticker position. Such items are extraordinarily rare and can command prices in the tens of thousands of dollars.

For understanding how float values affect skin appearance and pricing, see our Float Values Explained Guide.

MVP Signatures & Star Players

The MVP signature is often the single most important value factor for souvenirs. The autograph connects the skin to a specific player's performance in a specific round, creating items that celebrate individual excellence in competitive CS2.

Premium MVP Signatures

According to HLTV statistics, certain players consistently rank among the world's best, making their signatures particularly valuable:

• Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev – Widely considered one of the greatest CS players ever, his signatures command massive premiums
• Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut – Multi-time HLTV Player of the Year, highly sought signatures
• Nikola "NiKo" Kovač – Legendary rifler with devoted fan following
• Marcelo "coldzera" David – Two-time Major MVP, historical significance
• Device (Nicolai Reedtz) – Decorated Astralis-era star, collectors seek his signatures

Signature Placement Value

The physical position of the MVP signature on the weapon affects value. Signatures in prominent positions—the AWP scope, AK-47 wood, or M4's best visible spot—command premiums over signatures in less visible locations. This is purely aesthetic preference but significantly impacts market prices.

For information on how rare player-associated items (like knives from famous players) work in regular cases, see our Knife Odds Guide.

Souvenirs vs Regular Cases

Souvenir packages and regular weapon cases serve different purposes in the CS2 ecosystem. Understanding their differences helps clarify why souvenirs occupy a unique market position.

Economic Comparison

From a value perspective, souvenir skins and their regular counterparts have different pricing dynamics:

• Common skins: Souvenir versions often worth less than regular + equivalent stickers (low demand for common souvenirs)
• Mid-tier skins: Souvenirs may be comparable to or slightly above regular versions
• Premium skins: Souvenirs with good MVPs can be worth multiples of regular versions
• Legendary skins: Perfect souvenirs (Dragon Lore + s1mple + Factory New + Finals) can be worth 10-50x regular versions

For detailed information on regular case odds and expected values, see our Case Odds Explained Guide and use our Case ROI Calculator.

Market Dynamics & Trading

The souvenir market operates differently from regular skin trading due to the unique nature of these items. Understanding these dynamics helps whether you're looking to buy, sell, or hold souvenirs.

Pricing Complexity

Unlike regular skins where float value largely determines price within a wear tier, souvenir pricing involves subjective evaluation of sticker combinations. Two souvenirs with identical base skins and floats can have drastically different values based on MVP and match factors. This makes the Steam Community Market less useful for souvenir price discovery—most serious trading happens on third-party platforms with detailed listing descriptions.

Supply Dynamics

Trading Considerations

• Price research: Check multiple platforms; Steam Market often has limited souvenir listings
• Verify authenticity: Inspect sticker combinations carefully—scammers sometimes craft fake "souvenirs"
• Float matters: Factory New souvenirs are exponentially rarer; verify float before purchasing
• MVP verification: Confirm MVP signature matches claimed player using inspect tool
• Match verification: High-value souvenirs can be cross-referenced against match records

Notable Historical Souvenirs

Certain souvenirs have achieved legendary status in the CS community, representing watershed moments in competitive Counter-Strike history. According to Liquipedia's Major Championships archive, these tournaments produced the most sought-after souvenirs.

Most Valuable Souvenir Categories

• Katowice 2014 Souvenirs: The first Major with stickers. Extremely limited supply due to smaller player base. Any souvenir from this event commands premium prices.
• Cobblestone Dragon Lore Souvenirs: The combination of CS2's most iconic skin with gold stickers makes these the holy grail. A Factory New Dragon Lore with a famous MVP from Grand Finals can exceed $30,000.
• Grand Final MVP Souvenirs: Championship-deciding matches with legendary plays create historical artifacts. s1mple's Grand Final MVP souvenirs from various tournaments are highly collectible.
• Last Appearances: Souvenirs featuring players who retired shortly after, or teams that disbanded, become "final" signatures with collector appeal.

Record-Breaking Sales

While exact prices fluctuate, certain souvenir sales have made headlines in the CS trading community:

• Factory New Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore with s1mple MVP: Reported sales exceeding $30,000
• Katowice 2014 souvenirs from Group Stage matches: Even common skins fetch hundreds due to tournament rarity
• Grand Final souvenirs from championship teams: Major-winning organization's souvenirs appreciate after victories

Market prices for these items change significantly over time. For current valuations, research recent sales on established trading platforms rather than relying on historical figures.

Frequently Asked Questions