All CS2 Knives: Most expensive & cheapest CS2 knife, best knives and how to buy them

Calum Patterson
cs2 knives

Knives are typically the most desirable items in Counter-Strike 2. If you want to swap out the default blades for something more exciting, here are all the knives in CS2 (formerly CSGO), ranked from most expensive to cheapest.

There’s a total of 19 knife types you can use, and all of them have unique skins, patterns and designs too. Although some knives, like the Butterfly Knife or Karambit, are always expensive, some of the “cheaper” knives can be very pricey too if they have a certain pattern on them.

For example, rare patterns called ‘Blue Gems’ will make any knife cost thousands of dollars. Some knives can sell for over $10,000, with the most expensive knife valued at around $1.5 million.

But, since most of us don’t have that kind of money, we’ll just be looking at prices of CS2 knives on the Steam Market or reputable third-party websites like Skinport. The prices will depend on the skin, wear, and pattern. Knife prices fluctuate regularly, so this page will be updated each month with the latest prices.

In CS2, the first new knife in years has been added: the Kukri knife, available only in the Kilowatt case.

Contents

How much are CS2 knives?

These are the price ranges for the standard versions of these knives. These price charts don’t include extremely rare versions such as Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Black Pearl, or Blue Gem (Case Hardened) knives.

These are the most expensive knives in CS2 ordered by price as of November 2023:

All CS2 Knives and prices (November 2023)

KnifeRelease datePriceImage
Butterfly KnifeJuly 1, 2014$580-$8000Butterfly Knife in csgo
KarambitAugust 14, 2013$460-$6000karambit knife
M9 BayonetAugust 14, 2013$430-$5000m9 bayonet csgo
Talon KnifeAugust 3, 2018$260-$3000talon knife csgo
Kukri KnifeFebruary 7, 2024$250 – $2500kukri knife
Skeleton KnifeNovember 19, 2019$250-$2500skeleton knife
BayonetAugust 14, 2013$200-$2500bayonet csgo
Stiletto KnifeAugust 3, 2018$170-$2000stiletto knife in csgo
Flip KnifeAugust 14, 2013$150-$2000flip knife in csgo
Nomad KnifeNovember 19, 2019$140-$1800nomad knife in csgo
Classic KnifeOctober 18, 2019$140-$1500classic knife csgo
Huntsman KnifeMay 1, 2014$120-$1400huntsman knife csgo
Ursus KnifeAugust 3, 2018$110-$1400ursus knife csgo
Falchion KnifeMay 26, 2015$110-$900falchion knife in csgo
Bowie KnifeFebruary 18, 2016$100-$900bowie knife in csgo
Paracord KnifeNovember 19, 2019$100-$900paracord knife in csgo
Survival KnifeNovember 19, 2019$100-$900survival knife csgo
Shadow DaggersSeptember 17, 2015$90-$600shadow daggers in csgo
Navaja KnifeAugust 3, 2018$80-$600Navaja Knife vanilla in csgo

Most Expensive CS2 knife: Butterfly Knife

The Butterfly Knife is one of the early knives added back in 2014, and to this day, it is generally the most expensive knife on the market. The least expensive version is typically around $500, while the most expensive can reach over $20,000, typically for Emerald or Sapphire Butterfly knives. Sales for Emerald Butterfly Knives have even reached over $25,000, but they are currently around $15,000.

Although the blade itself isn’t the biggest, especially compared to the Bayonet, Bowie, or Huntsman, the reason the Butterfly is so expensive is all because of the animations.

Both drawing the knife and inspecting it will see your in-game character perform some incredible feats of knife trickery, flawlessly showing off moves a professional would be proud of. Check out the animations in the video:

However, the most expensive single knife in CS:GO is actually a Karambit, specifically the 387 pattern ‘Blue Gem‘ Karambit in Factory New condition. There is only one of these knives in existence, and its current owner turned down an offer of around $1.5 million for it.

Cheapest CS2 knife

The cheapest knife in CS2 is the Navaja knife. Added in 2018, it’s one of the newer knives, and suffers from a very small blade and limited animations.

Many players claim it looks more like a letter opener or butter knife, than something that could actually do much damage. The cheapest Navaja knives are around $100.

Cheapest CSGO knife
This Marble Fade Navaja is more expensive, and has been rising in price.

Another cheap knife is the Shadow Daggers, costing around $110 for the cheapest set. This is, in fact, two knives, wielded in each hand, which you might think would make them more desirable.

Unfortunately, like the Navaja, they’re not the most intimidating knives, and so suffer from a rather negative reputation among players.

Best CS2 knife to buy

So, if you want to get your very own knife in CS2, where to start? There are a number of things to consider, beyond just what one you think looks the best.

Price & Investment

Obviously, you can only buy what you can afford, but if you can’t afford the knife you want right now, you should consider waiting and saving up some money. Counter-Strike knives can be an investment if you keep them for a while before selling.

Some knives have also lost value in the past, but with the release CS2, every knife in the game almost has increased in price. Fade, Doppler and Vanilla knives have benefited the most from new CS2 lighting, so their prices have shot up.

Animations

Before buying your knife, you should check out the animations in-game. You will see these animations in every match, so it’s best to choose a knife that has animations you like.

There are lots of YouTube videos that will show you all the animations, or you can also check it out yourself in-game, by using a custom server and websites like BroSkins.

Wear, Pattern, Skin

Every knife has a variety of skins, from plain dark skins like Night Stripe to vibrant rainbow colors like the Marble Fade. Typically, more colorful skins will cost more, because they are more desirable. You can also get the plain version of each knife, called ‘Vanilla’ – but don’t be fooled, that doesn’t mean they will be cheaper.

Blue Gem knife in CSGO
Case Hardened knives with lots of blue are very rare and expensive, and are called “Blue Gems”.

Blue Gems, like this Talon above, are Case Hardened skins with max-blue patterns. The website CSGOBlueGem tracks all the known Blue Gem knives in existence, if you want to learn more.

It’s also important to pay attention to the wear level. A ‘Factory New’ knife will look almost flawless, while a ‘Battle Scarred’ Knife will look very damaged and worn – which obviously impacts the price.

Finally, if you want to get serious about your knife, pay attention to patterns. Every knife skin has 1000 patterns, and they can all look very different. For example, on ‘Fade’ knives, some patterns will have more of the knife painted, while some will have big gaps missing – no two knives are identical.

Where to buy CS2 knives

If you’ve made your mind up, there are a few places to buy your knife. The easiest way is through the Steam Marketplace. Here, items under $2000 in value can be listed, and you can simply deposit money into your Steam balance to make the purchase.

However, there are downsides to Steam, the main one being the prices. Because Valve takes a percentage of every sale, sellers will often list their items at a higher price. This is where third-party websites can have an advantage.

There are many reputable CS2 skin websites such as Skinport, BitSkins, or CSMONEY. These sites will often have knives for sale cheaper than what you will find on the Steam market.

And there is no price limit, so if you’re looking for a very expensive knife pattern like a Ruby or Emerald, you will have to use a third-party website, as the Steam Marketplace has a price cap.

That’s everything you need to know about knives in CS2. If you’re also looking to kit out your weapons with some skins, check out our list of the best CS:GO weapon skins here.

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About The Author

Calum is Dexerto's Managing Editor, based in Scotland. Joining Dexerto in 2017, Calum has years of experience covering esports, gaming and online entertainment, and now leads the team to deliver the best coverage in these areas. An expert on all things Twitch and gaming influencers, he's also an expert in popular shooters like Apex Legends, CS2 and Call of Duty. You can contact Calum at calum.patterson@dexerto.com.