Best CS2 skins in 2024: AK-47, AWP, M4A4, USP-S, more

❘ Published: 2024-02-09T15:25:30

Valve

There are thousands of weapon skins to obtain in CS2 and getting the best ones at a good price can be difficult. Now that Counter-Strike 2 has replaced the original CS:GO, it could be the perfect time to refresh your loadout, so here are the best weapon skins you can currently get in the FPS.

Even if you’re bad at the game, Counter-Strike 2 still lets you flex your style with countless weapon skins. While some weapons are used almost every round, like the AK-47, some are more situational like SMGs and Pistols. While skins won’t make you any better at the game, they do help you look better while losing.

The only issue is that some of these skins are very expensive, which makes them both sought after and rare. While some of the skins here will be on the pricey side, we will focus mainly on skins you can get without needing to be super rich.

You can buy all these skins on the Steam market or a third-party site like Skinport.

We’ve picked three skins for each weapon: one cheap, one mid-range, and one expensive skin. Here are the best Counter-Strike 2 skins to buy in 2024. If you’re looking for a knife too, check out our list of the best knives to buy here.

Weapons

Best AK-47 skins
Best AWP skins
Best M4A1-S skins
Best M4A4 skins
Best USP-S skins
Best Glock skins
Best Desert Eagle skins
Best MP9 skins
Best MAC-10 skins
Best Scout skins
Best Galil skins
Best Famas Skins

Best AK-47 skins

Starting off with Counter-Strike’s most iconic and popular weapon, the AK-47, you are spoiled for choice in terms of good-looking and affordable skins. We’ve picked out our top three.

AK-47: Legion of Anubis ($5 – $20)

One of the best-looking AK skins is also one of the most inexpensive. The Legion of Anubis sports a black and gold color scheme, and easily one of the most detailed and intricate designs of any skin in the game.

You can pick up a Field-Tested one for around $15, which is a great price for such a good-looking covert skin.

AK-47: Neon Rider ($25 – $150)

If brighter colors are more your thing, then look no further than the Neon Rider AK, which sports a flashy blue and purple look, with pink accents.

This is the ultimate synthwave skin in CS2, and you can pair it with the Neon Rider Mac-10 too. A Field-Tested Neon Rider will cost around $50.

AK-47: Fuel Injector ($90 – $500)

For our more expensive pick, the Fuel Injector is a fantastic option. Even if you go for the cheapest, battle-scarred option, the Fuel Injector AK won’t look bad, it is simply a darker shade than the much brighter Minimal Wear or Factory new versions.

This skin has been going up in price a lot, so it could be a good one to hold on to for the long term before selling.

Best AWP skins

AWP: Atheris ($2 – $15)

You can never go wrong with the AWP Atheris. Just a few dollars for a field-tested version, this AWP just looks amazing. The black background is complemented by a winding neon green snake wrapped around the hilt of the AWP.

It’s so cheap and is ideal for anyone looking for a classy-looking skin that won’t break the bank.

AWP: Neo-Noir ($20 – $35)

There are a number of Neo-Noir skins in CS2, including the M4A4, Glock and USP-S, but the best is definitely the AWP.

Along with the Asiimov and Desert Hydra, it is one of three AWPs to have a white scope, something that many players love, and you can pick up a field-tested one for about $36. For a covert AWP skin, that looks this good, this is a great price.

AWP: Containment Breach ($50 – $500)

For our more expensive AWP pick, there were lots to choose from. You could also go for the Oni Taiji, Asiimov, or Lightning Strike, but some of these can start approaching the $500 mark.

Meanwhile, this bright forest green Containment Breach can be bought in field-tested for only around $80. And there’s a good chance it may continue to increase in price as it has more than doubled in the past year.

Best M4A1-S skins

M4A1-S: Nightmare ($7 – $50)

For the CT rifle, you have the choice of the A1-S or the A4. While the M4A1-S was nerfed, it’s still cheaper than the M4A4. So, you may want to start by picking up a relatively cheap, but great-looking M4A1-S like the Nightmare.

This Nightmare skin is only Classified (pink rarity), rather than Covert (red rarity), meaning the price is a bit lower. You can get one of these in field-tested for only $10 on the Steam market, or $20 for Minimal Wear.

M4A1-S: Black Lotus ($50 – $150)

One of the first new skins added to CS2, the Black Lotus will match the USP-S Black Lotus released back in CS:GO. Upgraded though for CS2, this M4A1-S version is truly beautiful.

As it’s so new, it’s still quite expensive for a purple tier skin, but it’s price should drop over time as more are unboxed, so you might want to wait before buying this one.

M4A1-S: Golden Coil ($30 – $250)

For our more expensive M4A1-S pick, we have to go with the Golden Coil. Never has a skin looked so expensive as this black and gold wonder. In CS2, it looks particularly stunning.

Field-Tested will cost you around $60, but once again, you might see this skin as an investment, as its price has more than tripled in the past year.

Best M4A4 skins

M4A4: Desolate Space ($4 – $25)

In CS2, you can have both the M4A4 and the M4A1-S in your loadout, so you no longer need to pick between them. So, you might want to have a nice skin for both.

For our cheap option, we’ve picked out the Desolate space, which is only $6 in field-tested. We previously had the Royal Paladin as our cheap pick, but its appearance is a bit darker in CS2 now.

M4A4: The Emperor ($8 – $150)

Much like the AK-47 Legion of Anubis, this is a mythical-looking skin with vibrant blue with the focal point featuring the Emperor himself.

You can buy one of these today in field-tested for only $12.

M4A4: Temukau ($10 – $150)

One of the newer best skins added to CS2, the M4A4 Temukau is one of a few anime-style skins. Although this won’t be to everyone’s taste, for anime fans, it’s the obvious choice.

Although it was very expensive when first released, the price has started to come down, and you can get yourself one of these for only around $20 in field-tested.

Best USP-S skins

USP-S: Cyrex ($1 – $4)

The USP-S Cyrex is arguably one of the best value-for-money skins in all of CS2, when comparing appearance and price. For as little as $1 and some change, you can get an incredibly detailed and colorful CT pistol, that also looks great with lots of stickers.

USP-S: Blueprint ($6 – $50)

If blue is more your color then red, then one of the best options for the USP is the blueprint. Despite only being a Mil-Spec rarity, this USP will cost around $5 in field-tested, simply because it’s so good-looking.

Once again, it goes great with blue sticker crafts, so get creative on your Blueprint USP-S.

USP-S: Printstream ($30 – $180)

The Printstream USP-S is one of the most expensive pistol skins, but for good reason. You can also pick up a Printstream Desert Eagle and M4A1-S to complete your CT loadout.

While there are a lot of USP-S, this one undeniably stands out from the rest, and looks especially good in CS2. For that though, you will have to spend around $35 for one in field-tested condition.

Best Glock skins

Glock: Water Elemental ($4 – $15)

For a glock with some more vivid colors, a great option is the Water Elemental. While the design looks great on its own, it will also fit a lot of blue or red stickers too.

You can get a field-tested Water Elemental for around $4.

Glock: Vogue ($2 – $10)

As the name implies, this Glock skin is for fashionable players. It’s not often you see a skin this detailed and vibrant only be a pink rarity, which also helps the price.

You can pick up the Glock Vogue for around $3 in field-tested condition.

Glock-18: Gamma Doppler ($40 – $250)

The Gamma Doppler skin is usually found on knives, but in the Train collection, it was added to the Glock. There are five ‘phases’ of this skin, with Emerald being the most expensive at over $200. The doppler design simply looks so good in CS2.

If you go for one of the other phases though, you can pick up a Gamma Doppler Glock-18 for less than $50.

Best Desert Eagle skins

Desert Eagle: Mecha Industries ($4 – $10)

For your pocket AWP, aka the Desert Eagle, you’ll definitely want to spruce up the boring default skin. As a starting point, the Mecha Industries is surprisingly cheap for a Covert skin.

You can get a field-tested version for only around $4, and as it is a white skin, lots of stickers will look good on this.

Desert Eagle: Midnight Storm ($18 – $30)

You might be surprised that an Industrial Grade skin (the lowest rarity in the game) can cost as much as $20, and be one of the best skins in CS2 but this Desert Eagle is part of an old collection from 2015.

Its red brother, Sunset Storm, will cost you as much as $200, but this blue version, which is arguably just as good-looking, is only $18 in field-tested. A bargain.

Desert Eagle: Ocean Drive ($14 – $140)

If you’re a Desert Eagle lover and want to spend a bit more, there are a couple of options. Our pick for the more expensive Deagle was between the Ocean Drive and Printstream, but for the price, the Ocean Drive wins out.

For only $20 in field-tested, this is the most vibrant and eye-popping Deagle you can own. For comparison, a field-tested Deagle Printstream is almost $50.

Best MP9 skins

MP9: Goo ($0.60 – $1.60)

As you’ll only use the MP9 on half-buys on CT side, you may not want to splash the cash too much. Few CS skins truly explore 3-D styles and designs like the MP9 Goo. It looks like what would happen if Venom had a gun and layered over the MP9 it just looks awesome.

You can get a field-tested MP9 Goo for as little as $0.70 on Steam.

MP9: Mount Fuji ($1.20 – $9)

For something a little more bright, the Mount Fuji is arguably the best-looking MP9 skin overall. It features a pattern-based design, meaning the location of the Mountain and the Sun can be in different positions.

For only $2 in field-tested, or $4 in Minimal Wear, it’s a very affordable, but beautiful, skin.

MP9: Rose Iron ($6 – $8)

For something a little darker, you could opt for the Rose Iron MP9, which sports a thorny rose upon a mostly all-black background.

This skin will cost around $6-$8 no matter the condition, so you may want to spend the extra to get it in Factory New, as you’re not saving much with field-tested.

Best MAC-10 skins

MAC-10: Laptis Gator ($0.30 – $1)

On the T side, you’ll be using the MAC-10 mostly as the SMG of choice. To get started, we’d recommend checking out the very cheap but good-looking MAC-10 Laptis Gator.

In-game, it really has a shiny, reptile-like appearance, and is bright blue. This also makes it great for blue stickers, and is only around $0.35 in field-tested.

MAC-10: Disco Tech ($2 – $18)

Possibly the most vibrant skin in all of CS2, the MAC-10 Disco Tech features an incredible color-changing exterior, which cycles through yellow, purple, red and pink as you move around in-game.

It’s a great choice for holo stickers, and the wear only affects how bright it is, never appearing scratched. You can pick it up in field-tested for around $2.50.

MAC-10: Gold Brick ($40 – $80)

If you have some money to burn on a MAC-10 skin, then you should at least make people know about it by purchasing the always flashy ‘Gold Brick’ MAC-10. The name tells you all you need to know about this skin.

Because it’s a collection skin, it will cost you around $35 in field-tested. You can also get a ‘souvenir’ version, which is cheaper because it can’t be used in trade-ups, for only around $15.

Best Scout (SSG 08) skins

SSG 08: Abyss ($0.20 – $3)

As you’ll only buy a Scout when you can’t afford the AWP in-game, you probably don’t want to spend too much cash on one. So, for a cheap but excellent-looking option, look no further than the Abyss.

As a pattern-based skin, you can get some of these with a lot more blue on them than others, which can increase the price. But generally, you can get one of these in field-tested for only $0.30.

SSG 08: Turbo Peek ($4 – $15)

For the car lovers out there, this is the skin for you. The SSG Turbo Peek features a similarly colorful design as other skins like the Neon Rider, and has a similar racecar theme too.

The Turbo Peek costs just over $5 in field-tested at the time of writing.

SSG 08: Dragon Fire ($10 – $25)

You might think that the truly exceptional sniper skins are always reserved for the AWP, but the Scout Dragon Fire proves this wrong. Designed perfectly for the SSG 08, the Dragon Fire is an incredibly detailed piece of art.

You will have to spend around $15 for a field-tested one, which isn’t cheap for a Scout, but we’d say the art is worth it.

Best Galil Skins

Galil: Stone Cold ($1 – $7)

When you can’t afford the AK-47 on T Side, you’ll need to get used to opting for the much cheaper Galil. Thankfully, this weapon is blessed by many great skins. One is the Stone Cold, which is remarkably cheap given its good looks.

If you’re a blue skin fan, then this inexpensive option is a must for your inventory. You can pick one up for just over $1 in field-tested condition.

Galil: Chromatic Aberration ($1 – $10)

Still a relatively cheap skin, the Chromatic Aberration is also available on the AWP, but it looks best on the Galil. It might be an acquired taste for some, but it’s a unique skin that always pops in-game.

It’s only a few dollars at most in Minimal Wear, so we’d opt for that version as it looks nearly identical to Factory New.

Galil: Cerberus ($12 – $80)

For the slightly more pricey option for the Galil, it has to be the Cerberus. Based on the three-headed monster from Greek mythology, this skin has incredible character.

You can also get the Cerberus as a souvenir skin, but that will cost you more than double the price. A regular one in field-tested is only around $18.

Best Famas Skins

Famas: Valence ($1-$5)

For a great-looking and inexpensive Famas skin, especially to suit a red and black loadout, look no further than the Valence.

For only $2 in Field-Tested, this is a slick-looking Famas, that also looks excellent with some red stickers applied.

Famas: Commemoration ($12-$30)

If you want to spend a bit more on the weaker CT rifle, then the gold ‘Commemoration’ is a fancy option for the Famas.

At $15 in Field-Tested, it’s certainly not cheap for a weapon you won’t be using that often, but it’s undeniably a stunning skin.

Famas: Waters of Nepthys ($30-$140)

Admittedly, this is a very expensive Famas, and it’s very new too, added in 2023 in the Anubis Collection. But, it has to be on the list as it’s unlike any other skin in CS2.

This skin has an impressive holo-like effect, that makes this skin look like water as it moves around in-game. You have to see it in motion to really understand it.

That’s our pick for the best weapon skins in CS2 for the most popular weapons. While we didn’t cover every weapon in the game here, this should help you start building out your inventory, whether you want to spend big or keep it conservative.

Once you’ve got your skins, you may also want to personalize them with stickers. Check out our picks for the best stickers in CS2 here.

There are lots of other great skins for weapons like the P250, Five Seven, AUG, and the Famas. But you’ll use these weapons a lot less in-game, so you may want to start with skins for the more popular weapons first.

Those are the best CS2 weapon skins! For more content on the game, check out our guides below:

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