CS2 Prime status is the paid tier of a free-to-play game. Counter-Strike 2 can be installed and played for free, but the free version has limits. Prime removes them. It is a single purchase, not a subscription, and it stays on the account.
For traders, the important part is drops. Only Prime accounts receive the weekly care package with cases, skins and graffiti. A free account can still trade, buy and sell items and open cases, but it never receives free items from playing.
What does Prime status include?
Prime unlocks Competitive and Premier ranked play, the Prime matchmaking pool that only matches you with other Prime players, weekly drops, and eligibility for some event items and rewards. It also raises the trust level Valve assigns to the account, which affects who you get matched with.
Prime used to be earnable by reaching a certain in-game level, and accounts that earned it that way keep it. Since a 2021 change, new accounts can only get Prime by buying it.
Is Prime status worth it for drops alone?
It depends on how much you play. If you rank up most weeks, the cases from weekly drops can add up to more than the Prime price over a year, especially if you hold cases that later leave the drop pool. If you play rarely, the drops will not cover it. The matchmaking benefits are the main reason most players buy it.
Prime is tied to the Steam account and cannot be moved or sold. Anyone offering to sell you a Prime account is offering an account transfer, which breaks Steam's terms and is a common route to losing both the money and the account.