Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a multiplayer first-person shooter created by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment that was released in 2012. Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists compete in objective-based games against one another. Terrorists explode a bomb while Counter-Terrorists attempt to stop them, or Counter-Terrorists attempt to rescue Terrorist captives.
Counter-Strike is nearly as well-known for its skin market as it is for the game itself, but what is the most costly CS:GO skin? And why are they so pricey to begin with?
Only the greatest CS:GO skins – or possibly the rarest – deserve to be at the top of the list of most expensive CS:GO skins, so if you’re searching for the ultimate flex and have the cash to show it, check out our guide to the most expensive CS:GO skins below.
Read Next: How to Equip and Use the Ghost Knife in CSGO
Most Expensive Skins in C:GO 2022
The top five most costly CS:GO skins are as follows:
- AWP Dragon Lore
- Butterfly Knife Crimson Web
- M4A4 Howl
- Karambit Crimson Web
- Butterfly Knife Lore
AWP Dragon Lore
Cost: $296,969/£241,664
Given that the AWP is the most popular gun in the game, it’s easy to see why an AWP skin stands at the top of our list of the most expensive CS:GO skins. As a result, the AWP Dragon Lore is not only the most costly AWP skin but also the most expensive skin period. It’s easy to see why the Dragon Lore is so sought after, having been donned by CS:GO luminaries like Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David and Oleksandr’s1mple’ Kostyliev.
The pistol costs roughly $9,000/£7,300 as a normal Factory New, but you can also get your hands on a Souvenir Factory New Dragon Lore for a whopping $296,969/£241,664. If this sold, it would easily outperform the all-time most expensive CS:GO skin sale (which we’ll get to in a moment).
Butterfly Knife Crimson Web
Cost: $5,600/£4,500
Knives are the most recognizable in-game aesthetic in CS:GO, possibly even more so than the AWP. The Butterfly Knife is the most sought-after blade in the group, featuring twice on this list and holding the title of the most costly knife in CS:GO.
The Crimson Web version has a jet black grip and a red blade with spider-web decals. This version provides a wonderful colour that complements many other cosmetics such as gloves and rifle skins and a clean finish to provide flex to your loadout. A regular Factory New item now costs $5,600/£4,500, but if you want StatTrak capabilities, you’ll have to go all in with a hefty $32,600/£26,500.
M4A4 Howl
Cost: $5,000/£4,000
The M4A4 Howl, arguably the most infamous skin in CS:GO, will set you back a hefty buck in return for the envy of all your colleagues.
The M4A4 Howl, first published in May 2014, rapidly became the topic of the community as the first – and only – Contraband skin in CS:GO, having been pulled from drops owing to a DMCA takedown by the original artist. As a result, the only Howls in rotation are those that dropped during the brief period it was accessible.
A Factory New M4A4 Howl will set you back $5,000/£4,000, while a StatTrak version would set you back nearly treble at around $14,000/£11,400.
Importantly, the Howl could theoretically rank at the top of this list because it holds the record for the highest known cash exchange in CS:GO history at $130,000/£106,000, but that is likely due to the three iBUYPOWER Katowice 2014 stickers imprinted over its body.
Karambit Crimson Web
Cost: $4,000/£3,255
The Crimson Web decal is back in the new Karambit knife, and it’s easy to understand why this version has joined its Butterfly Knife big brother at the top of the rankings. It is significant in the Counter-Strike skin trade scene since it was one of the first knives added into CS:GO with the Arms Deal update.
The Karambit, like the Butterfly Knife, has distinct animations, but it also has a distinct idle posture, with the user holding the knife backward. Factory New variations of this knife are extremely rare, which is why the price difference between Minimal Wear and Factory New is so great. The ordinary FN value, for example, is more than four times that of the MW at $4,000/£3,255, while the StatTrak version is a stunning 13 times that of the MW at $10,700/£8,700 v/s $842/£685.
Butterfly Knife Lore
Cost: $6,200/£5,000 or $8,700/£7,100
The most current skin on this list is the Butterfly Knife Lore, which debuted as a new version of the beloved Butterfly Knife in the September 2021 Operation Riptide case. It’s virtually a synthesis of the two most expensive CS:GO skins, with the shape of the Crimson Web Butterfly Knife and the design of the AWP Dragon Lore – no surprise it’s so pricey.
It’s a wonderful-looking skin with a design that exactly fits the form of the Butterfly Knife. Still, if you want to get your hands on this jewel and start flipping away, it’ll cost you back $6,200/£5,000 or $8,700/£7,100 for the Factory New and StatTrak variants, respectively.
So that concludes our list of the most costly CS:GO skins available right now. You’d have to be very wealthy to buy even one of these skins, but if you had the dough hanging around, why not get one and flaunt it?