> CS is one of the very few (or only current) game where you can't get a cosmetic without paying (must purchase keys to open lootboxes) and you don't know what you are getting (lootboxes).
You get dropped items through playtime which you can sell on the community market to gain steam wallet funds, which you can then use to purchase most other cosmetics or even games.
I do not believe CS:GO free tier had any cosmetic drops, only lootbox drops. But I certainly could be mistaken. In either case, any truly free cosmetics were much rarer than other games.
I don’t believe you get any drops without Prime, period. But even if you only get lootboxes, they also have value and can be sold on the marketplace (which is what I do with all of mine).
You get dropped items through playtime which you can sell on the community market to gain steam wallet funds, which you can then use to purchase most other cosmetics or even games.