Who writes our content
Everything on SkinKings is written by people who play CS2. Not content writers who googled “how to spray in CS2” — actual players with hours on the game, real ranked experience, and accounts on the platforms we write
about.
As for guides, explanations, and professional settings, the authors draw on their own experience playing CS2 and, where necessary, thoroughly research information from specialized resources. For platform reviews, the person writing the review has personally used the platform. Not just signed up. Used it — deposited, played, and attempted a withdrawal.
We don’t outsource content to freelancers unfamiliar with the game, and we don’t publish AI-generated reviews.
How we review CS2 platforms
When we review a skin site, case opening platform, or trading site, here’s what the process looks like:
- We create a real account. No dummy registrations. We go through the full signup flow the same way a new user would, including KYC verification where required.
- We deposit real money. This is non-negotiable for us. You can’t write an honest review of a withdrawal process without actually trying to withdraw. We test minimum deposits, payment method availability, and processing times firsthand.
- We test the platform over time. A single session isn’t enough. We check whether bonus terms match what’s advertised, whether support responds, and whether conditions change after registration.
- We write what we found — including the bad parts. If a platform has slow withdrawals, we say so. If the support was useless, it goes in the review. A review that only covers positives isn’t a review, it’s an ad.
Our ratings reflect the state of the platform at the time of testing. We add a “Last reviewed” date to every review and update them when we become aware of significant changes.
How our ratings work
Every platform on SkinKings gets a score from 1 to 5 stars. Here’s what goes into that number.
We look at five areas:
- Safety and licensing — Does the platform have a clear ownership structure? Are there documented complaints about withheld withdrawals or locked accounts? This carries the most weight in our final score.
- Withdrawal experience — How long did it actually take? Were there unexpected fees or verification steps not mentioned upfront? We test this ourselves on every platform we score.
- Bonus terms — Are the wagering requirements reasonable and clearly stated before you deposit? We’ve seen platforms advertise bonuses that are practically impossible to claim.
- Customer support — We contact support with a real question before publishing. Response time and quality both count.
- Platform experience — Is it stable? Is the game selection what it claims to be? Are the odds or case contents published transparently?
What the stars mean:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent across all areas. We use it ourselves.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good platform with minor issues worth knowing about.
⭐⭐⭐ Decent but has real drawbacks — read the full review.
⭐⭐ Significant problems. Approach with caution.
⭐ We don’t recommend it. Listed for awareness only.
Our affiliate relationships
We’ll be straight with you: SkinKings makes money through affiliate partnerships. When you register on a platform through one of our links, we receive a commission. That’s how the site stays running.
Here’s what that means and what it doesn’t mean.
It means some platforms we review have a commercial relationship with us. We mark these clearly — you’ll see “affiliate partner” or similar language on those pages.
It doesn’t mean we only review platforms we’re partnered with. We cover platforms regardless of whether there’s a commercial relationship, because our readers are looking for a complete picture of what’s out there.
It doesn’t mean a partnership improves a platform’s rating. We’ve turned down affiliate deals with platforms we wouldn’t recommend. We’ve also given critical reviews to platforms we do have deals with when the testing warranted it.
If we receive a platform for free to review, or are paid for coverage in any form beyond standard affiliate commission, we disclose that explicitly in the review.
What we won’t do
We won’t publish a positive review in exchange for payment. We won’t hide affiliate relationships in fine print. We won’t remove a negative review because a platform complained about it.
We also won’t tell you to use any platform. Every review on this site is informational. You decide what you do with it. We’re not responsible for your experience on any third-party platform — their terms, their
support, and their decisions are theirs, not ours.
Corrections and updates
We get things wrong sometimes. Platforms change their terms quietly. Bonus conditions shift. If you spot something outdated or inaccurate in our content, contact us and we’ll look into it. Corrections are made
transparently — we note what changed and when.
The educational side of the site
Our guides, callouts, spray patterns, and pro settings content operates completely separately from our platform reviews. There are no affiliate angles in the educational content. It’s there because we think it’s
useful, full stop.
Questions? Reach us through the contact page.