The 10 Most Expensive CSGO Skins 2022. CS:GO is a game of skill and teamwork, but it's also a game full of incredibly expensive cosmetic items. These are the most expensive skins in CS:GO, with some reaching hundreds of thousands for a weapon skin.
CS: GO Not only is it an iconic FPS, it's also known for its extensive trading markets for skins and other in-game items. Players can showcase a range of customization options on the server, from weapons and knives to character cosmetics, badges, crates, and stickers.
Given so many skins and some teary prices, it can be confusing at first what makes a look worthwhile for a new player and why people are willing to pay so much. So before we look at the most expensive skins in the game, let's unpack it a bit.
10 Most Expensive CSGO Skins 2022
Counter-Strike their appearance has no intrinsic value: simply, what someone is willing to pay for them is worth it – and it turns out that people are willing to pay a lot. But why?
There are many different reasons, but most of them derive their value from appearance: rarity, pattern type, level of wear, or unique features. Check out the most expensive CS:GO skins, knives, stickers and more below, and what makes these items so expensive.
10. AK-47 Fire Snake: $1.000-10.000+
The AK-47 Fire Snake is one of the classic CS:GO weapon skins released in 2013 with the Operation Bravo case.
Due to its classic status and rarity, the StatTrack Factory New version of this skin will cost you from $10.000 is more.
9. AWP Gunnir: $4.000 – $12.000
One of the newest skins on this list, Gungnir was added to CS:GO in 2019 as part of the Norse collection.
Even a war-torn version of this skin will take you back thousands of years, but a Factory Fresh version can cost as much as $8.000, and some are over $11.000 at the time of this writing.
Gungnir replaced Desert Hydra as the second most expensive AWP skin – see below for the number one AWP skin.
8. Karambit / Butterfly Knife: Sapphire – $8.000+
Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald are the most expensive Doppler blades.
Due to the different stages of Doppler blades, some can be much cheaper. However, if you want a ruby or sapphire blade, you need to be prepared to lose a significant amount of money.
Typically the Karambit and Buttlerfly Knives from Sapphire will fetch the highest price tags, sometimes over $10.000.
7. Factory New Crimson Net blades: $10.000+
Factory Fresh Crimson Net knives are among the most expensive knives with the right pattern.
Like Doppler blades, many Crimson Web blades can sell for over $10.000 if they are Factory New, StatTrak, and have the right pattern. Alongside the karambits, the M9 Bayonet Crimson Webs also sold for over $14.000.
Pattern is also important for these leathers because of the placement of the webs. Factory Fresh Crimson Nets are also very rare, meaning very little of the red color has been scraped off.
While karambits are the most sought-after knife, the clean-cut M9 Bayonet is more to the taste of some. At least for someone who spent almost $15 on this Factory-New Crimson Web iteration of the knife.
6. Sports Gloves: Vice / Pandora's Box: $2.000 – $20.000
Sports Gloves were among the original 17 gloves added to CS:GO in the Glove Box update. The most valuable in terms of gloves are colored Sports Gloves. With Purple Pandora's box not far behind, utility gloves often charge the highest price.
Even a Factory New pair of these gloves can cost as high as $20.000, but worse wear levels often range from $1.000 to $6.000.
This is because while it is possible to get these gloves Factory New, it is incredibly rare to do so.
5. Katowice 2014 Stickers (Holo): $10.000 – $40.000+
These extremely rare stickers are the most expensive stickers in CS:GO from the Katowice 2014 event.
While we've talked about the various knives and weapon skins here, there is one item that perhaps stands out in terms of price in CS:GO and that is the rare stickers. Specifically, we're talking about the virtual stickers of the two teams competing at IEM Katowice 2014: Titan and iBuyPower.
These two are top dogs, although other team stickers at the event like Dignitas or LDLC can also fetch a high price. iBuyPower was the team that was infamously tipped off, but the reason why stickers have gotten so expensive is actually pretty simple.
They're incredibly rare, not particularly enforced, so it's really a simple matter of supply + demand. The fact that these stickers are so few in circulation, that they're almost legendary, and that they look just as good, means you'll likely have to pay $40.000 for one of these stickers. Yes, stickers. In a video game.
4. M4A4 Howl: $2.000 – $30.000+
The M4A4 Howl is the only 'Fugitive' rated skin in CS:GO due to the controversy over ownership of the artwork. Therefore, it is extremely rare.
A Factory New version and StatTrak are available for up to $5.000, although some more worn models without tags can be purchased for under $30.000. And with expensive stickers applied, it can sell for over $100.000.
A StatTrak Factory-New Howl with 2020 iBuyPower Holo stickers sold for this amount in 4 and is probably worth even more today.
3. AK-47 Hardened Case (661): $30.000-100.000+
Similar to Case Hardened knives, Case Hardened AK leathers can be priced exorbitantly depending on the model. While hardened AK-47s are expensive ($1.000+), the top model is the 661 count with an estimated value of around $30.000-35.000.
This particular model means that most of the weapon's visible area is the same 'blue jewel' appearance, making it highly enviable.
If this AK also has Titan stickers, it could push the price over $100.000.
2. Commemorative AWP Dragon Lore: $10.000 – $100.000+
Commemorative versions of AWP Dragon Lore are the most expensive AWP skins.
While there are many expensive AWP skins, Dragon Lore is usually the most expensive.
The most expensive are the Souvenir versions, which can usually buy for over $20.000 in Factory New condition. These Commemorative versions will commemorate a specific esports event and will feature gold stickers with the teams and the event.
Which is the Most Expensive CSGO Skin?
1. Karambit Hardened (Blue Stone): $1,5M+
The 10 Most Expensive CSGO Skins 2022 winner, the owner of this Karambit turned down the 1,2m euro offer.
This Hardened Karambit is Factory New, pattern 387, an almost legendary skin. It was purchased in 2016 for just over $100.000, but is now highly valued.
Although it has yet to be sold, the owner turned down an offer of €1,2 million (about US$1,5 million at the time), suggesting that someone would have to pay more than US$1,5 million to get it.
One reason is that the chance of opening the same knife from safes is roughly 371 in 1 million.
Why are CS:GO skins so expensive?
skin rarity
Whether something can be considered a 'collector's item' depends initially on the rarity of the skin. It is categorized by tiers, which have eight levels. The most common view rating is 'Consumer' and the rarest is 'Fugitive' (only one view is assigned to this particular rating).
- Consumer (White)
- Industrial (Light blue)
- Mil-Spec (Blue)
- Restricted (Purple)
- Classified (Pink)
- Hidden (Red)
- Leak (Orange)
- Extraordinary (Gold)
The only Contraband skin is the M4A4 Howl. It was originally a Stealth skin, but after the confusion surrounding the skin's artwork, or more specifically someone's artwork being stolen, Valve accidentally created one of the rarest cosmetics in CS:GO history.
The original design (called Howling Dawn) was stolen by a Steam member. After catching the poacher red-handed, Valve overhauled the design and upgraded the rarity to an entirely new classification, aptly named Contraband.
But what makes this skin even rarer is that Valve has stopped offering stock of skins beyond what's already available in players' inventories. This means that the weapon's skin has become more sought after than ever.
Skin buoyancy (abrasion)
Another variable to consider is the wear of a gun plating, which is measured by its 'swim value'. Floats can vary between 0.00-1.00, 0.00 is the best, most intact state of a leather, and 1.00 is the most worn state. This is essentially how 'stats' of CS:GO cosmetics are evaluated.
To help, they've been divided into five different categories, each representing a particular degree of wear. These are summarized below.
Typically, the better (lower) the float, the more expensive the skin will be, because not only is it rarer, but it looks better in-game with fewer scratches, discoloration, or faded appearance.
Pattern
The next thing to consider is the exact model of a leather. Just because two weapons have the same skin in CS:GO doesn't mean the skin will be applied exactly the same. There are up to 999 patterns for various skins, and the type can affect the value.
For example, in Pale skins, different patterns will have a higher Fade percentage – essentially meaning more parts of the weapon or blade are covered with Pale coloring.
The pattern is particularly important for Hardened skins, as some Hardened patterns will have more blue on them than others – If a Hardened skin has too much blue, then it is considered a “blue gem” – extremely rare and extremely expensive.
There are other custom view variations that change the value. For example, the Doppler coating for knives has multiple patterns that determine the price. Below are each of the stages a Doppler blade can have, Stages 1-4 being the most common (Legendary).
The True Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald variants are each considered 'Legendary' and feature 100% marbled sapphires, rubies or emeralds in their respective patterns. The Black Pearl is the only 'Ancient' blade in CS:GO and with a 100% pure black pattern phase and purple and blue speckles running through it is arguably the rarest blade pattern in the game, making it nearly impossible to get one. for your inventory.
The last variant that tends to increase the price is the StatTrak™ variation of a particular weapon/knife skin. As you can imagine, a StatTrak™ weapon or knife measures the number of kills earned by its owner. This can sometimes even double the price compared to the non-StatTrak version.