The first ever stickers in Counter-Strike
The first stickers in Counter-Strike
Despite many people believing the first stickers being released with the Sticker Capsule in early 2014, the very first time stickers were introduced in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was in November 2013 with the DreamHack Winter Souvenir Cases. These stickers have a significant difference though. You can't apply these yourself, but instead, they are already applied to a weapon. The same mechanism is used until today in Counter-Strike's souvenir cases.
The List of Stickers for DreamHack Winter 2013
A total of 6 different stickers were introduced, each available in Paper and Foil variations. The article picture contains them all, from left to right:
- Sticker | Shooter & Sticker | Shooter (Foil)
- Sticker | Shooter Close & Sticker | Shooter Close (Foil)
- Sticker | Mountain & Sticker | Mountain (Foil)
- Sticker | Polar Bears & Sticker | Polar Bears (Foil)
- Sticker | Blue Snowflake & Sticker | Blue Snowflake (Foil)
- Sticker | Frosty the Hitman & Sticker | Frosty the Hitman (Foil)
Was It an Early Prototype for Stickers?
These stickers actually have a description in the game files, even though their market pages are not accessible on Steam:
"This sticker can be applied to any weapon you own and can be scraped to look more worn. You can scrape the same sticker multiple times, making it a bit more worn each time, until it is removed from the weapon."
This suggests that they were originally designed to be applied by the user with the option to scrape, but the timing of the DreamHack 2013 Major might have been too early. As a result, they were released within the Souvenir packages, which use automatic sticker placement mechanics when unboxing, thus randomizing the sticker positions on the weapons.
Facts About the DreamHack Winter 2013 Stickers
- These tournament stickers are the only ones that feature the main sponsor of the Major, SteelSeries, in most of them.
- Even though the rare stickers are named Foil stickers, they actually have a Holo effect. This contrasts with the Katowice 2014 souvenir stickers, which have real Foil stickers.
- The Sticker | Blue Snowflake (Foil) is the only sticker that is different compared to its paper version.
How to Get the Stickers?
The DreamHack 2013 stickers were distributed to viewers watching the DreamHack 2013 Major Championship, either through GOTV or through Twitch streams to their linked Steam accounts. The souvenir package was introduced on November 27th, 2013.
You can still obtain the DreamHack 2013 Souvenir Package, which drops skins from six different collections: Dust II, Safehouse, Lake, Italy, Train, and Mirage, on the Steam Market or third-party marketplaces:
Conclusion
The DreamHack 2013 stickers hold a unique place in Counter-Strike history as the very first iteration of stickers in the game. Though they function differently from modern stickers, they laid the foundation for the customization mechanics that followed.
About the author
I'm the Head of Research at Clash.gg. With over 7 years of experience in the Counter-Strike niche, I have developed extensive knowledge of the game, its strategies, and the competitive scene. My insights are based on years of in-depth analysis and close involvement with the Counter-Strike community.