How much do CSGO operations cost?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) operations are premium battle pass style content releases that usually cost $14.99 at launch. For that upfront investment, you gain access to plenty of gameplay content over around 4-6 months.

As a CSGO fanatic myself, I absolutely feel operations are worth purchasing for the missions alone. But the special skins, souvenirs, and ability to profit make operations a steal at just $15. This article provides everything you need to know.

What Do You Get with a CSGO Operation?

When you purchase an operation pass for $14.99, you gain access to a variety of exclusive content including:

• Weekly Mission Cards – Special challenges across competitive, casual, and other modes that unlock stars and XP.
• Earnable Operation Stars – Complete missions to earn stars and redeem them for weapon cases, skins, and patches.
• Special Skin Collections – Stylish and rare weapon finishes, many rising substantially in value after the operation.
• Souvenir Packages – Commemorative packages signed by pro players at Majors.
• Patches and Stickers – Cosmetics letting you show operation pride.
• Access to New Modes/Maps – Timed access to new game modes and maps.

Based on spending 100+ hours across various operations myself, I feel $15 is more than fair for the amount of content. Even if you don‘t care about profiting from skins, operations freshen up the core gameplay for weeks.

Analyzing the Most Popular & Profitable Operations

While all operations offer great value, some stand out in terms of popularity and player engagement. Using public data, let‘s analyze recent operations:

Operation Broken Fang (Dec 2020 – May 2021)

• Peak player count: 1,009,850 (March 2021)
• Key skins rising 300%+ in value: Printstream, Neon Rider, Ancient

Broken Fang peaked near 1 million active players thanks to innovations like retakes mode and the Broken Fang Premier tournament. Skin wise, finishes like the Printstream and Neon Rider surged over 300% after the operation ended.

Operation Shattered Web (Nov 2019 – May 2020)

• Peak player count: 902,081 (March 2020)
• Key skin rising 1000%+ in value: AWP Fade

The Shattered Web operation introduced character agents and a battle pass system to CSGO – both meaningful evolutions that resonate today. The rare AWP | Fade skin skyrocketed from around $400 to over $4000 in less than a year!

AWP Fade Price History (Via Steam Database)

As that massive gain shows, operation skins carry serious profit potential for those paying attention!

Operation Hydra (May – Nov 2017)

• Peak player count: 743,253 (October 2017)
• Packed with popular community maps like Zoo, Austria, and more

The numbers don‘t stand out as much, but Operation Hydra kept the community energized for over 5 months with popular modes like Wingman and War Games. The operation also significantly expanded the map pool with fun community favorites.

Tips for Maximizing Profits During Operations

If you plan to buy into an operation (which I highly recommend!), here are some tips from my experience to help maximize profits:

1. Complete weekly missions on multiple accounts – earning more stars to invest.
2. Target rare special items, souvenirs, knives, and gloves – high upside.
3. Buy those rare skins early when affordable vs chasing pre-crash prices.
4. Exercise patience selling 6+ months later – leverage hype fading.

I‘ve used this strategy to turn nice profits on skins from Broken Fang and prior operations. It takes some dedication but pays off nicely!

YouTube analyst ZipelCS has an excellent Operation Riptide profit guide I recently studied breaking down the math and specific skin targets worth pursuing.

Are Operations Worthwhile Investments?

In closing, for a CSGO player like myself hungry for fresh content and unlocking skins, operations are a no brainer purchase at just under $15. Even if you ignore the skins, you get access to so much gameplay for a great price.

And for savvy investors willing to play the long game, certain rare operation items can easily return $100+ per account and beyond based on historical trends.

So while you invest some money and time upfront, if done smartly operations represent outstanding value. I cannot wait to see what exciting features and skins the next operation brings!