With the new update on 22nd of May Valve dropped a new update, meant to celebrate the incoming IEM Cologne Major 2026, one of the biggest Counter-Strike tournaments in the entire year.

While the update introduced a brand new tournament hub for IEM Cologne Major 2026, it also introduced a variety of changes to skins and stickers, that will definitely have a significant impact on the CS2 trading market.

Want to learn more? Here's everything you need to know about the changes introduced in the CS2 22 May update!

Remember, if you want to prepare your inventory for any potential overhauls and updates, head over to SkinsMonkey.com, where you can always trade CS2 skins for best deals possible!

Key takeaways:

  • The latest CS2 update introduced the IEM Cologne Major 2026 Hub, allowing players to track the tournamnet results and score tournament-specific prizes.
  • The update also removed sticker capsules from the game, allowing player to purchase stickers directly from the tournament hub.
  • The 22 May update completely overworked the souvenir skins, allowing players to craft their own souvenir items instead of opening them from weapon cases.

IEM Cologne 2026 Major Hub.

Just like with other CS2 Majors, Cologne 2026 just received its own Major Hub. This integratede eSports feature allows players to participate int he tournaments in a more active manner, with a number of activities which encourage watching the matches, together with potential prizes for the most dedicated fans.

The IEM Cologne 2026 tournament hub allows players to purchase torunament promo items, as well as view the current tournament standings, future match-ups. Players who additionally purchase the Viewer Pass can also participate in the Pick’Em Challenge.

The Pick’Em Challenge is a staple of major torunaments for years now, allowing players who purchase the vierwer pass and challenge coin to participate in an eSports-based game, where they can try and predict the outcome of any match. It's more than just a simple game, however, as each succesful guess rewards players with tournament tokens.

Completing each Pick’Em Challenge succesfully allows players to upgrade their challenge coin, all the way from bronze to diamond, with each tier rewarding players with 300 bonus tournament tokens. These tokens can later be spent in the tournament hub for various promotional items, including stickers and CS2 skins.

Sticker Capsules Removed From The Game

One of the more controversial changes introduced to the game is the overhaul and removal of CS2 sticker capsules. This is one of the more significant changes to the game in the recent months that's definitely going to have a serious impact on the CS2 trading world.

Previously, CS2 stickers were obtainable through sticker capsules, a lootbox which worked just like CS2 cases. Players could purchase sticker capsules from different collections, each capsule holding a single sticker from its collection, including a chance to open rare sticker variants, such as foil or holo.

However, in the recent years there has been a significant debate in many countries regarding the legality of in-game lootboxes, and for a long time sticker capsules were not available in various region due to legal issues. To counteract this issue Valve decided to remove sticker capsules from the game.

While you can still purchase stickers from the Steam community market or third-party trading sites like SkinsMonkey.com, the new IEM 2026 Cologne stickers can be purchased directly from the newest tournament hub.

The new IEM Cologne 2026 stickers can be purchased using the tournament tokens. Instead of opening sticker capsules, all you need to do to get new stickers now is:

  • Open the Major Shop
  • Select:
    • a team
    • a player autograph
    • sticker rarity (Paper / Holo / Gold etc.)
  • Purchase the EXACT sticker you want directly

That's it. No more gambling, or trying to land the prefect sticker you want from capsules.

The price of each sticker is decided by its demand and shifts regularly. Depending on the tournament outcomes and market fluctuations, the prices can shift dynamically. However, if you purchase a sticker and its price drops signifcantly soon after, you don't have to worry. Valve also introduced a very gracious refund system. If the price of the sticker you purchased drops by at least 25 tokens within the next 24 hours, you will be refunded the difference in tournament tokens.

For example:

  • You buy a donk Holo for 1,000 tokens
  • A few hours later demand drops
  • Price falls to 850 tokens

Since the drop was more than 25 tokens, Valve refunds:

  • 150 tokens

The refund does NOT happen instantly though. Refunds are issued automatically to your token balance, rather than your Steam Wallet, typically within around seven days.

Players Can Now Craft New Souvenir Skins

Perhaps the biggest change introduced in the patch concerns souvenir skins. Prior to the update, souvenir skins were obtained almost entirely through Major tournaments. Players had to watch official matches or use Viewer Pass rewards to receive souvenir packages, which were tied to specific maps and matches. Once redeemed, the package would drop a weapon skin with gold stickers representing the teams and event, making each item a permanent collectible linked to a real esports moment.

With the recent Cologne 2026 IEM update, the souvenir system received a significant overhaul. Instead of relying on random drops, players can now use a Major Viewer Pass and souvenir tokens to choose the exact match, map, and souvenir package they want. This shift removed most randomness from the system and made souvenir acquisition more predictable, allowing players to target specific collections or matches rather than hoping for a lucky drop.

In addition to this large overhaul, players can now use souvenir skins in trade-ups. While previously players were not able to craft with souvenir skins as materials, they can now be used in a regular trade-up, allowing you to turn ten souvenir skins into one of a higher rarity from one of the collections used in the process. While the trade-up won't give you a brand new souvenir skin, it can still be used to obtain rare and expensive skins from older collections, like Dust 2021, which are often worth significant amount of money, much more than mid-tier souvenir skins.

What Does It Mean For CS2 Trading?

While features such as souvenir crafting aren't live until the Cologne major starts, the news already had a significant impact on the CS2 trading world.

The change to souvenir skins is causing serious shifts on the market. Just like with the knife crafting update when most cheap Covert skins shot up in price, players are now buying out cheap souvenir skins from older collections to turn them into more expensive items. If you're sitting on a large collection of souvenir skins, your skins portfolio just went up in price significantly.

If you're planning on trading CS2 skins, now is the perfect time to buy out lower-end souvenir skins in bulk. While there are already shortages on the Steam community market, third-party trading sites like SkinsMonkey.com still stock souvenir skins of different qualities and price ranges, as well as offering better deals than the integrated Steam market. It's a perfect choice if you're looking to increase the value of your souvenir skins.

While the trade-ups have certainly impacted the CS2 economy, it's also important to keep in mind that some weapons that previously only existed in normal or StatTrak versions can now appear as souvenir drops, while at the same time, older souvenir skins are starting to price closer to their standard versions. For example, skins like AK-47 | Redline or M4A1-S | Nitro that were never part of souvenir pools before can now appear in that format, but they don’t carry the same extreme premium that older iconic souvenirs like AWP | Dragon Lore once did, meaning souvenir pricing overall is becoming more aligned with regular skin value instead of sitting in its own isolated high-end category.

In Conclusion

Although not all features of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 are live, they are already affecting the CS2 skins economy, and players and traders alike are waiting for potential ripples in the market. Although time will tell what's the final impact of this new update, one thing is for certain- now is the perfect time to trade souvenir skins.

Remember, if you're looking to instantly trade CS2 skins for the best prices possible, make sure to check out the rest of our website, where you can always use our dedicated trade bot 24/7, and even participate in free CS2 skins giveaways!

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FAQ

What is the CS2 22 May 2026 update about?

The update introduces the IEM Cologne 2026 Major Hub, a new sticker purchasing system, and a major overhaul to how souvenir skins are obtained and used in Counter-Strike 2.

What is the IEM Cologne 2026 Major Hub?

It is an in-game event hub that lets players follow the tournament, participate in Pick’Em predictions, earn tokens, and buy event-related items like stickers and souvenirs directly from the hub.

How do Pick’Em rewards work in the Cologne 2026 update?

Players who complete Pick’Em predictions earn tournament tokens. These tokens can be used to buy stickers, souvenir items, and other Major-related rewards, with higher coin tiers granting bonus token rewards.

Are sticker capsules still in CS2 after the update?

No. Sticker capsules have been removed and replaced with a direct purchase system where players buy stickers individually through the tournament hub using tokens.

How do souvenir skins work after the update?

Souvenir skins are now selected through the Major Hub using tokens instead of random drops. Players can choose the match, map, and package directly, making the system more controlled and predictable.

Can souvenir skins be used in trade-ups?

Yes. Souvenir skins can now be used in standard trade-up contracts, but they lose their souvenir properties and behave like normal skins in the output.

Do trade-ups with souvenir skins give souvenir items?

No. The output of any trade-up contract is always a standard skin. Souvenir status does not carry over.