The Best CS:GO Skins and Date of Release: The Ultimate Guide

Looking to show off your skills in CSGO? Impress your friends on Mirage and Dust2 with the best CS:GO skins from our list below.

While aim and skill mean everything in a competitive first-person shooter like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, having the flashiest skin on your weapon comes at a close second. As a game that has been around for nearly a decade, CS:GO totes hundreds of skins for the nearly 60 weapons available in the game. CS:GO skins are received organically, and randomly, from weapon cases or mission rewards. These cases can only be opened with keys purchased at $2.50 (£1.79).

The more popular way of guaranteeing the purchase of skins though is through the Steam Marketplace. Players that have received CS:GO skins from crates can sell them on the marketplace and users can buy them outright without risking drop probability. The combination of popularity and supply and demand have made skins an actual form of currency in the CS:GO ecosystem.

The most expensive CS:GO skin available right now, for example, is the Souvenir Dragon Lore AWP in Factory New condition which will set you back $26,000 (£18,280).

While that might not be in your price range, here is our list of the best CS:GO skins available on the market right now.

These are the five best CS:GO skins

WATER ELEMENTAL (GLOCK)

The Breakout Collection
Factory New – $11 / £7.75 / €9
StatTrak – $38 / £26.79 / €31.10

Released in the Breakout Collection in 2014, the Water Elemental skin covers the entire Glock in red and blue with the image of, you guessed it, a water elemental. The trigger and handle are the only part of the gun not covered in color. The black accents might be subtle, but they make all the difference in the design.

One of the more affordable skins in the game, it is still in high demand with its artistic style.

NEO NOIR (AWP)

The Danger Zone Collection
Factory New – $57 / £40.17 / €46.64
StatTrak – $137 / £96.57 / €112.11

Although a higher-end price range, the Neo Noir skin for the AWP is certainly worth it. Coming from the Danger Collection in 2018 the Neo Noir skin is certainly a piece of artwork on one of the deadliest guns in the game.

More than a splash of color here and there, the skin dons an illustrious noir-style image of two women on the body and rear of the weapon. With a purple, blue, and pink color scheme attaching this skin to your AWP almost makes you not want to use it…almost.

MECHA INDUSTRIES (M4A1-S)

The Gamma Collection
Factory New – $29 / £20.44 / €23.73
StatTrak – $102 / £71.89 / €83.47

This M4A1-S skin may look like a simple color change but the closer you look the more you see the impeccable details.

Coming from the Gamma Collection in 2016, the Mecha Industries skin has a white and gray base color scheme with some light, but important, red highlights throughout. The details give it a rustic, yet futuristic look for anyone that’s looking for something different, but nothing flashy.

Even at the higher usage of the skin getting to Battle-Scarred almost doesn’t even make the skin look worse, it actually makes it look more rustic and even a bit better.

NEON RIDER (AK-47)

The Horizon Collection
Factory New – $137 / £96.56 / €112.11
StatTrak – $450 / £317.18 / 368.25

Yes, you read that price correctly. Although released in 2018 in the Horizon Collection, the Neon Rider skin looks like something straight out of Cyberpunk 2077.

Covered in bright neon pinks, purples, and blues, the AK-47 skin is certainly one of the flashiest available in the game right now. While it’s not the most expensive skin in CS:GO, you’d still have to drop a pretty penny to be the lucky owner of the Neon Rider skin.

Plus, donning it in-game will certainly get you props from your teammates, and maybe even your enemies.

DISCO TECH (MAC-10)

The Prisma 2 Collection
Factory New – $23 / £16.21 / €18.82
StatTrak – $73 / £51.45 / €59.73

Is the Neon Rider a bit too pricey for you? Well, the MAC-10’s Disco Tech skin could be the next best thing. The newest skin on this list was released as a part of The Prisma 2 Collection just a year ago in March 2020.

The pattern itself is quite mesmerizing with it’s combination of bright colors flowing into each other and geometric shapes. But it doesn’t stop there. The color combo literally changes with movement as the skin itself is holographic.

So there you have it, our five best CS:GO skins available on the market now. Some might have you searching the back of the sofa for some loose change and others are a bit less dramatic.

Still, if you’re looking for some flashy skins that’ll turn some heads in your next CS:GO ranked match, these are the ones to nab.

Magnesium M4A4

Just like in life, sometimes simpler is better. If you prefer something simple for your M4A4, we recommend you go with Magnesium M4A4 skin. Aside from giving your weapon a magnificent finish, Magnesium is one of the most popular skins of choice for most M4A4 users.

While Asiimov is still the number one, Magnesium is climbing fast and is soon to become as popular as Asiimov. If you like to stay ahead of other players, this skin might just be a great way to beat your opponents.

Flashback USP-S

Flashback is currently a fan-favorite CSGO skin. It’s a perfect skin for the silenced USP-S pistol that comes with a detachable silencer that gives every player that killer look. If you don’t like attracting attention when you do your killing, this is a perfect weapon of choice for you.

The silencer allows for less recoil while also providing enough suppressing support to eliminate the unnecessary noise.

Bioleak MP9

If you want to go full cyber on your enemies, Bioleak might just be an excellent skin to add a bit of a thrill to your shooting game. What makes this skin so cool and more popular than others is the illusion of a chemical spill depicted with varying shades of green randomly sprinkled all over the skin.

What AWP skin does s1mple use?

While the Ukranian holds an impressive list of accolades, his inventory is arguably equally as impressive. There’s no doubt that his one-of-a-kind Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore is the most coveted skin in s1mple’s collection.

How much is s1mple’s inventory worth?

SteamAnalyst.com – Inventory Value: 7840.12 | s1mple | 76561198034202275 – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Skins, DOTA2 Skins, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) Skins, Weapons Prices and Trends, Trade Calculator, Inventory Worth,.

What is the most expensive AWP skin?

The Dragon Lore still manages to be the most expensive skin on the market even after seven years. While many other expensive skins are colorful, this one is relatively low-key, with a shimmery sheen over a red dragon with black accents on the rifle.

Where do CS pros get their skins?

They get it for free and gambling. Every PRO who streams, they use gambling sites from time to time, which means they got sponsored from that site. Also you can see name tags on they’r skins, which means that site gave them skin they want in return that they promote site with name tag.