CS2 Skins Market Weekly: Sand Dune Hype Fades and Budapest 2025 stickers sale

Last week, the CS2 skin market shifted from update-driven volatility to normalization and rotation. Several items that surged earlier gave back gains as hype cooled, while Factory New rifles and pistols quietly moved higher on steady demand. A major in-game sale also played a key role in resetting prices across specific categories.

Here’s a breakdown of last week’s biggest losers and gainers, with context behind each move.

Biggest Losers

Budapest 2025 Champions Autograph | −74.67%

This decline was fully expected. Valve launched a 75% in-game sale on Budapest 2025 autographs, instantly flooding the market with cheaper supply. Secondary market prices adjusted almost immediately, making this a mechanical repricing rather than a sentiment-driven selloff.

P250 | Sand Dune (Minimal Wear) | −60.00%

After an extreme hype-driven rally the week before, Sand Dune entered a sharp correction. Once speculative demand disappeared and listings normalized, prices quickly retraced toward sustainable levels. This was a textbook post-hype unwind.

MP9 | Hydra (Minimal Wear) | −35.22%

Hydra continued to slide after failing to establish a new floor. With no fresh catalyst and weak organic demand, steady undercutting pushed prices lower throughout the week.

Two Times’ McCoy | USAF TACP | −27.86%

Agent skins remain thin and volatile. A small wave of selling was enough to trigger a deep percentage drop as attention rotated back toward weapon skins.

Sealed Genesis Terminal | −14.81%

Sealed items cooled as short-term traders locked in profits. Long-term interest remains, but without new narratives, prices drifted lower rather than collapsing.

Top Gainers

Five-SeveN | Heat Treated (Factory New) | +28.94%

Heat Treated FN benefited from a limited supply and renewed interest in modern pistol finishes. The move most likely was gradual and supported by thin listings, not a sudden pump.

AK-47 | Elite Build (Factory New) | +24.81%

Elite Build continues to act as a reliable FN entry-level AK. With premium AK prices remaining elevated, demand shifted toward affordable Factory New options with consistent visuals.

AK-47 | Orbit Mk01 (Factory New) | +22.22%

Orbit Mk01 FN saw quiet accumulation. Its clean, industrial design appeals to players building minimalist loadouts, and FN availability remains limited.

AWP | Atheris (Factory New) | +20.00%

Atheris remains a staple budget AWP. Factory New copies gained as players upgraded loadouts following recent volatility in other parts of the market.

AK-47 | Emerald Pinstripe (Factory New) | +19.52%

Emerald Pinstripe FN moved higher on steady demand. This was a slow grind upward rather than a momentum spike, supported by low volume and minimal undercutting.

CS2 News Last Week: In-Game Sale, Knife Sound Update, and Market Cooldown

The most impactful CS2-related development last week was Valve’s 75% in-game sale on Budapest 2025 Champions autographs. As expected, the discount caused an immediate repricing on third-party markets, with resale values collapsing to reflect the new in-game supply. This move directly explains the sharp drop seen in autograph prices.

Valve also shipped a smaller gameplay update featuring various knife sound adjustments. While the change did not alter knife mechanics or visuals, cosmetic and audio tweaks often renew short-term attention toward knife loadouts. However, this update had no immediate structural impact on the skin market and did not trigger noticeable price movement in knife-related items.

Market Takeaway

Last week was about normalization.

• Hype-driven skins corrected sharply

• In-game sales reshaped specific categories instantly

• Factory New rifles and pistols quietly regained strength

As volatility continues to fade, the market appears to be rotating toward stability, favoring skins with consistent demand over short-lived speculative plays.

The white.market P2P trading platform’s job here is simple: stable access, live data, and tools (spreads, floats, recent sales) so you can actually see where panic ends and real opportunity begins.