I had the same question not long ago. Turns out there are a few different approaches players try. Some rely on regular gameplay drops, others keep an eye on community giveaways or small events. When I was trying to understand it better, I came across this page: https://cs2lore.com/free-cs2-skins-2026-guide . It goes through several methods people use when they want to get skins without paying directly. I don’t expect miracles from it, but it helped me understand what options are out there and which ones people talk about most.