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CSRated

How We Test and Score CS2 Sites

Short answer

CSRated scores every site from our own real-money tests. We score each area from 0 to 10, then combine them with fixed weights: fees and trust count most for marketplaces, trust and fairness count most for case opening sites. The overall score is calculated by code, never typed by hand, and affiliate deals are not part of it.

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Scoring weights

Marketplaces

Marketplaces scoring weights
AreaWeightWhat we measure
Fees25%Seller, buyer and withdrawal fees on a $100 sale, compared with other marketplaces.
Trust25%Operator transparency, company registration, KYC, 2FA, track record and how disputes are handled.
Payout speed20%Time from sale to money arriving in our account in our own test withdrawals.
Selection15%Number of CS2 listings, price range covered and supported games.
Usability10%How easy it is to list, buy, filter and withdraw on desktop and mobile.
Support5%Response time and quality when we contacted support with a real question.

Case Opening

Case Opening scoring weights
AreaWeightWhat we measure
Trust and licensing30%License, operator identity, KYC, 2FA and history of paying out.
Fairness and provably fair25%Published odds, a working provably fair system we could verify ourselves, and stated house edge.
Payout speed20%Time from withdrawal request to skin or money received in our own test.
Usability15%Clarity of odds, deposit and withdrawal flow, and responsible gaming tools.
Support10%Response time and quality when we contacted support with a real question.

Overall score = sum of (area score x weight) / 100, rounded to one decimal. Open data: /data/sites.json.

Research scores (before we test)

Until we finish a real-money test, a site shows a research score instead. It is calculated only from facts the site publishes on its own pages, each linked in the review, using the fixed rules below. Payout speed and support need our own withdrawal and support ticket, so they are left out and the other weights are scaled up. Research scores are marked "Research" everywhere they appear and are replaced by the tested score once testing is done.

Marketplaces

Marketplaces research score rules
AreaRule
FeesSeller fee plus buyer fee (and half of any withdrawal fee) from the site's fee page: 0% scores 10, 15% or more scores 2. A site that does not publish its seller fee scores 3.
TrustNamed operator (+2), stated jurisdiction (+1), ID checks (+1), two-factor login (+1.5), years operating (up to +1.5), from a base of 3.
Payout speedNeeds our own real-money test.
SelectionBase 4, plus 1 per supported game beyond CS2 (up to 3) and 0.75 per listed feature (up to 4).
UsabilityBase 3, plus 0.6 per distinct deposit or withdrawal method (up to 8) and 0.25 per currency (up to 5).
SupportNeeds our own real-money test.

Case Opening

Case Opening research score rules
AreaRule
Trust and licensingLicense on the regulator's own site (+5, or +4 without a verify link), named operator (+1.5), jurisdiction (+0.5), two-factor login (+1), ID checks (+1), minus 3 if its terms allow players under 18, from a base of 1.
Fairness and provably fairA published seed-based provably fair system scores 8, plus 2 with a public verification page. No published system found scores 1.
Payout speedNeeds our own real-money test.
UsabilityBase 3, plus 0.6 per distinct deposit or withdrawal method (up to 8) and 0.25 per currency (up to 5).
SupportNeeds our own real-money test.

How do we test a site?

We follow the same steps on every site and log each one with its date on the review page.

  1. Read the rules. We read the site's fees page, terms, help center and legal notice, and note where every fact came from.
  2. Open a real account. We sign up like any user, turn on every security option, and note what ID checks the site asks for.
  3. Use our own money. On marketplaces we deposit, buy a skin and sell a skin. On case opening sites we deposit a small amount and verify results with the provably fair tools.
  4. Withdraw and time it. We withdraw and record the exact time from request to money or skins arriving.
  5. Contact support. We ask support a real question and record how fast and how well they answer.

Until all of this is done, a review shows "Review in progress", marks unchecked facts as "Not yet verified", and stays hidden from search engines.

How are scores weighted?

Each area gets a score from 0 to 10. The overall score is the weighted average below, worked out automatically when the site is built. The tables above this text come straight from the same code that calculates every score.

How often do we re-check?

We re-check every verified site at least every 60 days, and sooner when a site announces a change to fees, payouts or rules. Promo codes are re-checked at least every 30 days and removed when they expire. The "Last verified" date on each page shows when we last checked.

How do affiliate deals affect scores?

They do not. Affiliate status is not an input to the formula. We test sites that pay us nothing in exactly the same way, and a site can lose its ranking while paying us. Read the affiliate disclosure.

What do "Not yet verified" and "No license found" mean?

"Not yet verified" means we have not confirmed that fact ourselves, so we leave it blank instead of guessing. "No license found" means we checked the site's footer, terms and legal pages and found no gambling license claimed.

Can I use your data?

Yes. Verified facts for every tested site are in our open dataset at /data/sites.json, and the fee table is at /marketplaces/fees/. Please link back when you cite them.

How do the free tools get their numbers?

Every number a tool uses, such as Valve's published case odds or Steam's market fees, is stored in one place with its source link and the date we checked it. Each tool page lists those sources in its "Numbers used" box.