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Trade hold: Meaning in CS2

Definition

A Steam trade hold is a 15-day delay Steam puts on a trade or Market listing when the account has not had the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator for at least 7 days. Counter-Strike 2 items are no longer held, because Trade Protection replaced holds for CS2.

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A Steam trade hold is a delay Steam adds before a trade or Market listing actually goes through. The items sit in a held state where neither side can use them, and the trade completes only when the hold ends. Steam uses holds to give a real account owner time to notice and cancel trades made by someone who stole their password.

The Mobile Authenticator support page states the rule: trades or Market listings created before a Mobile Authenticator is added, or during the first 7 days after it is added, are held for 15 days. Trades or listings created more than 7 days after the authenticator is added are not held.

Do trade holds apply to CS2 items?

No. Steam's Trade Protected Items page says Counter-Strike 2 items are not subject to trade holds or trade escrow. CS2 items move between accounts right away, whatever the account's protection level. Instead, every CS2 item received in a trade is Trade Protected for 7 days after the trade, and either account can start a reversal from its own Trade History page during that week. A trade hold delays a trade before it completes; trade protection acts after it completes. The 15-day hold still applies to items from other Steam games that use holds.

Which restrictions still apply to CS2 traders?

Steam's Trading and Market Restrictions page lists account-level blocks that apply no matter which game the items come from. Steam Guard must have been on for 15 days before you can trade or use the Market at all. A device that has not been used with Steam Guard before cannot trade or use the Market for 7 days, unless the Mobile Authenticator has been on the account for at least 7 days. Removing the Mobile Authenticator blocks trading and the Market for 15 days. A forgotten-password reset brings a 5-day block, or 30 days on an account inactive for two months. Reversing trades through Trade Protection brings a 30-day block. Use the trade hold calculator to see when a specific restriction or protection window ends.

How do I avoid a trade hold?

Install the Steam Mobile app, turn on the Mobile Authenticator and wait 7 days before trading. Keep it active. If you switch phones, move the authenticator to the new device through the app instead of removing it; Steam says a transfer brings only a 2-day trade and Market restriction, while removal brings 15 days. Most marketplaces will not trade with accounts that lack the Mobile Authenticator, so setting it up is the first step before selling anything.

Example

You add the Mobile Authenticator on Monday and list a Team Fortress 2 item on Wednesday; that listing gets a 15-day hold. A CS2 knife you trade the same day moves at once, but it is Trade Protected in the receiver's inventory for 7 days.

Frequently asked questions

Are CS2 items held by Steam?

No. Steam says Counter-Strike 2 items are not subject to trade holds or escrow. They are Trade Protected for 7 days after a trade instead.

Can I skip a Steam trade hold on other games' items?

No. The only way to avoid it is to have the Mobile Authenticator active for at least 7 days before the trade or listing is created.

What happens if I cancel a held trade?

The trade is voided and every item goes back to the account that offered it, but Steam then restricts your account from trading for 7 days.

Is a trade hold the same as trade protection?

No. A trade hold delays a trade before it completes. Trade protection is a 7-day period after a CS2 trade completes during which the items are locked and the trade can be reversed.