Why Are Gun Skins So Expensive In Counter-Strike 2?

You would have probably called us nuts ten years ago if we had told you that people would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a few pixels. But things took a turn for the worst when Counter-Strike 2 was released in the middle of 2012. Because players could buy “skins” from the market or by opening cases from the in-game store, Valve’s competitive shooter gave fans fresh and inventive ways to spend their money. These skins can cost as little as a few pennies or as much as over $100,000. It’s actually fairly interesting to note that some extremely rare CS2 skins have also sold for over $150K in the past.

What is the actual reason behind the exorbitant cost of these CS:GO skins, and why are people choosing to spend so much money on in-game cosmetics rather than material goods like, say, a new car? Let’s examine the factors that drive up the cost of these CS2 skins and why buying them is frequently a very wise decision.

The Most Expensive CS2 Skins

Let’s find out which CS2 skins are regarded as “expensive” in the community before investigating the causes of the skins’ exorbitant costs. Knives and gloves are usually thought to be the priciest skins in CS2, mostly because they are hard to unbox and can only be gotten by opening cases. The least expensive CS2 knives are typically found for about $100, but among the CS2 community, incredibly rare blades that cost more than a million dollars are also not unheard of.

But, if you’re trying to purchase CS2 skins, knives aren’t the end of the world. As a matter of fact, the price tags attached to some extremely rare CS2 skins are significantly more than that of the majority of game knives. AWP Dragon Lore, M4A4 Howl, and Katowice 2014 Stickers are a few excellent examples of these skins; they are all no longer available through conventional channels and can only be bought directly from the Steam Community Market or other third-party websites.

What is the most expensive CS2 skin?

1. Karambit Case Hardened (Blue Gem): $1.5 million+

An offer of €1.2 million was rejected by the owner of this Karambit.

This particular factory-new, blue gem design 387 Case Hardened Karambit skin is practically legendary. Although it cost slightly more than $100,000 when it was purchased in 2016, its current value is far higher.

The owner rejected an offer of €1.2m (about $1.5 million USD at the time), indicating that someone would need to pay more than $1.5 million USD to purchase it even if it hasn’t been sold yet. The price will have only gone up by 2023, and it might even be worth more than $2 million at this point.

This is partly due to the fact that there is only about a 1 in 371 million probability of opening the same knife from a case. The only one in factory new condition is a blue gem Karambit, which is the best pattern.

2. Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore: $50,000 – $200,000+

The priciest AWP skins are the souvenir variations of Dragon Lore.

AWP skins come in a variety of pricing points, but the Dragon Lore is usually the most costly.

The most costly is the Souvenir version, which, in the event that it is Factory New, can sell for over $15,000. Even worse circumstances are probably going to cost at least $50,000. These souvenir versions, which come with gold stickers featuring the teams and event, are meant to honor a specific esports match. Only 114 exist.

3. AK-47 Case Hardened (661): $40,000-$200,000

This is the most costly AK because to its nearly all blue Case Hardened design.

Case Hardened AK skins can fetch outrageous amounts, just like case-hardened knives, contingent on the design. Pattern 661 is considered to be worth between $50,000 and $60,000, depending on condition, while the majority of AK-47 Case Hardened skins are only worth a few hundred dollars.

Due to this specific pattern, the weapon has the sought “blue gem” appearance over a large portion of its exposed surface. 

The price of this AK may increase to much than $100,000 if Titan stickers are also placed. At $400,000., a 661 AK-47 in StatTrak Minimal Wear with four Titan Holos was sold. Due to this, it is now the most costly single skin in CS:GO that has ever been sold. But more than the 661 AK alone, the stickers that were put were primarily to blame for this cost.

Although it has never been opened, a StatTrak 661 Case Hardened in Factory New is thought to be worth about $1 million.

4. Sport Gloves: Vice / Pandora’s Box (Factory New): $20,000 – $40,000+

Production Line In May 2023, a pair of brand-new Pandora’s Box gloves brought in more than $50,000.

One of the first 17 gloves added to CS:GO with the Glove Case upgrade were Sport Gloves. The most valuable gloves are the vibrant Sport Gloves. The factory-new Pandora’s Box gloves will now set you back about $50,000, while the least expensive FN Vice gloves will set you back about $20,000.

These gloves are less expensive in severe condition because factory new examples are quite uncommon. For example, Field-Tested Vice Gloves cost about $2,000.

There are only 29 FN Pandora’s Box Gloves and 113 FN Vice Gloves in the world.

5. Karambit / Butterfly / M9 Bayonet: Emerald / Sapphire – $8,000+

Doppler knives that cost the most are the sapphire, ruby, and emerald.

Doppler knives come in various phases, and some will run you about $1000. However, you will have to be ready to shell out a significant amount of money if you want a Ruby, Emerald, or Sapphire version.

Karambit, butterfly knives, and M9 bayonets in sapphire or emerald often command the greatest prices—currently over $10,000—while rubies are somewhat less expensive. These stones’ price did go up to $20,000 at one point in 2023, but it has since dropped again.

Although Ruby knives are often more affordable by a few thousand dollars, a Ruby M9 Bayonet will still set you back about $9,000 in total.

Factors That Influence The Price of CS2 Skins

We might now ask ourselves, “Why are CS2 skins so expensive?” in light of the fact that some of them can be quite pricey.

Examining the variables that affect the cost of CS2 skins is the first step towards comprehending this. Some of the main variables that influence the cost of each available CS2 skin are as follows:

Rarity

A skin loses a significant amount of value the moment it becomes accessible or is easy to unbox. Knives cost more than Covert skins, which cost more than Classified skins, and so on, for the same reason. Needless to say, skins that are significantly rarer are those that can no longer be dropped or unboxed, such as Dragon Lore, Howl, and Medusa. as well as  their price tags promptly reflect their rarity.

Whether or not something can be deemed a ‘collector’s item’ or not, initially depends on skin rarity. This is categorized by tiers, of which there are eight levels. The most common grade of skin is ‘Consumer’ and the rarest is ‘Contraband’ (only one skin has been assigned this exclusive grading).

• Consumer (White)
• Indsutrial (Light blue)
• Mil-Spec (Blue)
• Restricted (Purple)
• Classified (Pink)
• Covert (Red)
• Contraband (Orange)
• Extraordinary (Gold)

The M4A4 Howl skin is the sole one with illicit status. After controversy regarding the skin’s artwork, or more precisely, the theft of someone else’s artwork, Valve unintentionally produced one of the rarest cosmetics in the history of CS:GO. The skin was initially intended to be disguised.

What was uploaded was a copy of the original design. Once Valve apprehended the poacher, they completely reclassified the rarity and redesigned the design, giving it the fitting moniker Contraband.

Yet, the fact that Valve ceased adding more skins to player inventory at that point makes this one even more uncommon. indicating that the weapon’s finish rose in value above all previous levels.

A skin’s pricing will be greatly impacted by its entire supply. For example, the price of the 114 Souvenir AWP Dragon Lores that are available worldwide has increased dramatically.

Attractiveness

Although it’s true that most CS2 players purchase weapon skins primarily for gameplay purposes, as was previously said, CS2 skins are frequently excellent investments. Because of this, attractive skins and skins with unique characteristics are far more expensive than regular skins. These skins are referred to as “Play Skins,” and professional players frequently purchase them to use in competition games.

Special Variants

There are unique CS2 skin variations that are far less common than the standard ones. The StatTrakTM and Souvenir skins are two of these variations; they are both more expensive than the standard skins. A player’s chances of obtaining the StatTrak form of a skin are reduced when they open weapon cases, although during large tournaments, players can get souvenir skins by opening Souvenir boxes that drop when they complete tasks.

Value as an investment

Many people purchase CS:GO skins just as investments and have no intention of using them for gameplay. For this reason, compared to standard “play skins,” some skins and nearly all sticker capsules can be safer and better investments. The scarcity and limited availability of CS2 skins make them excellent investments.

Liquidity

Another crucial factor you should think about while buying CS2 skins is liquidity. While some products in CS2 are always in demand in the community, others are quite difficult to sell because the majority of people don’t want them. Less liquid products may remain in your inventory for a long time before you locate a suitable buyer for your skins, whilst more liquid items can be sold whenever you feel like turning your skins into cash.

Skin float value (wear)

The wear of a weapon skin is another factor to take into account; this is determined by the weapon skin’s “float value.” A skin’s flotation value can vary from 0.00 to 1.00, where 0.00 represents its finest and most immaculate version and 1.00 represents its most worn version. This is basically how the “condition” of cosmetics is determined.

A skin that has the “number 1” lowest or highest float will also sell for more money. Thus, you will be able to demand “overpay” from collectors if you have the best-looking skin in the game.

They are separated into five different categories, each of which denotes a different level of wear, to aid in this process. Below is a summary of them.

The best way to visualize float value is as a continuum, where factory new is frequently the most appealing shape a cosmetic may take.

Better (lower) floats tend to be more costly skins because they are not only rarer but also appear better in-game with less fading, scratching, and color loss.

Pattern

The precise pattern of a skin is the next thing to think about. The mere fact that two weapons in CS2 have the same skin doesn’t guarantee that the skins will be applied precisely alike. For different skins, there are up to 999 patterns available, and the kind can affect the value.

For instance, various patterns on fade skins will have a higher percentage of fade, which basically means that more of the knife or pistol is covered.

For Case Hardened skins, pattern is especially significant since some Case Hardened patterns will have more blue than others; a Case Hardened skin with a lot of blue is referred to be a “blue gem,” which is exceedingly rare and costly.

Other distinct skin variances change the worth. For instance, the price of knives is determined by the variety of patterns found on the Doppler skin. Each of the possible phases for a Doppler knife is listed below, with Phases 1-4 being the most typical (Mythical).

The 100% marbleized sapphire, ruby, or emerald that runs through each of the genuine sapphire, ruby, and emerald varieties is what makes them all “Legendary.” With a 100% pure black pattern phase and specks of purple and blue running through it, the Black Pearl is the only ‘Ancient’ knife in CS2 and is possibly the rarest knife pattern in the game. It is nearly impossible to find one for your inventory.

You may be considering getting some weapon skins for yourself now that you are aware of the factors driving up the cost of CS:GO skins. There are always less expensive options available in the market if you’re not prepared to shell out thousands of dollars for skins.

Additionally, keep in mind that the costs associated with purchasing CS2 skins are subject to change, so you always assume risk when making this investment. For example, the AWP Dragon Lore will most likely be significantly reduced in price if Valve chooses to add Cobblestone back to the pool of Active Duty Maps in CS2.