Valve, the creators of CS2, strongly discourage the use of skin changers, arguing that it undermines the value for players who purchase skins legitimately. Additionally, the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) system can flag skin changers as malware because they alter the game's data without proper authorization. This means using a skin changer on a server protected by VAC could lead to an immediate ban.
This can also be detected on the client side, so even if the skin changer is for your use only, it can lead to a ban. The idea is that skin changers undermine the purchases of people who have bought the cosmitics legitimately.
Even having the skin changer installed can be risky! You might accidentally have it active and even though you're not wallhacking, VAC will ban you without a second thought.
If you want to try out new skins before you buy, you can enter third-party community servers that are not protected by VAC. Here, you can install skin changer plugins and test out the best CS2 skins from cheap to premium.
Will Playing on a Skin Changer Server Get You Banned?
Even though Valve isn't a fan of skin changers, you won't get banned just for playing - provided you're confining your activity to specific servers. Commonly referred to as "ws servers," they're technically against Valve's rules, but there's often no real crackdown on them.
Should there be any disciplinary measures, they'll target the server owners rather than the players. You can breathe easy and test out new skins to your heart's content.
Of course, this does mean you can't play game modes that impact your rank. You are, however, allowed to play pseudo-competitive games within these servers. Many skin changer servers give players the option to compete in standard 5v5 scrims while using whichever skin they want.
It's important to note that you must restart the game before joining official game modes. If you forget, you might get perma-banned.
Basically, playing in skin changer servers is doable, because the impact is on the server side. Downloading a skin changer you your device will put you at risk of the VAC hammer. Be careful, stay positive, and keep your account safe!
