The M4A1-S CT-exclusive assault rifle is a popular alternative to the M4A4 (and not just because it’s 200 in-game bucks cheaper). With manageable recoil, no bullet tracers, and a suppressor, it’s the AR of choice for many players. We’ve picked 15 best M4A1-S skins to make your rifle as awesome-looking as it is effective!

Note: Prices come from the Steam Community Market—you’ll likely find they’re different (often lower) on third-party websites. We selected skins for this list by analyzing a series of online threads and discussions to determine which skins are players’ overall favorites. 

1. Printstream

Price: $115–$540

Kicking off our list is good ol’ Printstream, one of the all-time fan-favorites among M4A1-S skins. This black-and-white design seems simple at first, but a closer inspection reveals tons of intricate details on every part of the rifle. The pearlescent finish seals the deal. 

There are two other skins from this series in CS2: Desert Eagle | Printstream ($31–$100) and USP-S | Printstream ($27–$126). 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Printstream

2. Master Piece

Price: $100–$800

Added to CS:GO relatively soon after the game’s initial release, Master Piece features an intricate graffiti design on the side, combining yellows and reds with a blue background. 

The graffiti itself is complex and almost impossible to read—trademark traits of the wildstyle form of graffiti. So, what the hell does it actually say? Silence (apparently). 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Master Piece

3. Icarus Fell

Price: $560–$580

Icarus Fell has a beautiful color palette of varying shades of blue, ranging from almost neon-bright to near-black. The design features feathers and splashes of melting wax, in reference to the myth of Icarus (AKA the guy who made a pair of wings and met a grisly end by flying too close to the Sun). 

This skin has a very limited float range (0.00–0.10) and is only available in Factory New and Minimum Wear conditions. Note also that the appearance of the skin changes depending on its pattern index, although there are no “special” or rare patterns to look out for in this case. 

If you’re feeling the blue look, check out our post on the best blue skins in CS2: you’ll find blue options for every weapon!

Open cases with M4A1-S | Icarus Fell

4. Blue Phosphor

Price: $800–$940

With metallic blue upon blue on top of more blue, this skin has got to be the crown jewel of any blue loadout (especially given its value). It comes in Factory New and Minimum Wear only (float range 0.00–0.08), and there are slight variations in appearance determined by the skin’s pattern index. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Blue Phosphor

5. Hot Rod

Price: $945–$1315

Arguably the shiniest of the Hot Rods, this skin has a red-on-chrome look that’s beautiful in its simplicity. It’s super-red—there’s not much more to say, really. If red is what you’re after, check out our post on the best red CS2 skins and consider the other Hot Rod skins: AUG | Hot Rod (around $500) and MP9 | Hot Rod (around $90). 

(By the way, M4A1-S | Hot Rod’s flavor text reads Automatic. Systematic. Hydromatic.—see if you get that reference without Googling it.) 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Hot Rod

6. Welcome to the Jungle

Price: $900–$3300

Did you immediately get the Guns N’ Roses song stuck in your head when you read the heading, too? No? Ok, never mind. 

Welcome to the Jungle depicts a pit viper poised as if to attack, with a complex backdrop patterned with leaves and blades of grass. The whole design has a warm color palette, with reds, oranges, and tans. The rifle is further decorated with symbols reminiscent of ancient civilizations like the Aztecs or the Incas—this skin is part of the Ancient Collection, after all. An impressively intricate and beautiful design with an equally impressive price tag. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Welcome to the Jungle

7. Golden Coil

Price: $35–$195

Snake again, but in a markedly different style (and price range). A serpent shown mid-strike is the centerpiece of this elegant, black-and-gold design. Different scale-themed patterns make the skin more interesting, as do the floral ornaments on the stock, grip, and body of the rifle. 

Golden Coil’s creator, Kitch.sb, designed a whole collection of skins for over twenty CS2 weapons (originally named Snakebite), but so far, only the M4A1-S made it into the game. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Golden Coil

8. Cyrex

Price: $18–$37

You can’t go wrong with the red, white, and black combo, especially if you’re going for a modern look. Cyrex is pretty affordable for an M4A1-S skin—you can easily find it in Minimum Wear for well under $30. 

There are three other Cyrex skins in CS2: 

• SCAR-20 | Cyrex ($40–$65)
• SG 553 | Cyrex ($4–$16)
• USP-S | Cyrex ($1–$3)

If you like this aesthetic, you’ll be glad to know there are also a few other skins from the same collection as Cyrex (the SCI-FI collection by Nextgenz) in the game. They include SCAR-20 | Cardiac, XM1014 | Black Tie, and M249 | System Lock. Those last two made our best cheap CS2 skins list, by the way. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Cyrex

9. Hyper Beast

Price: $14–$180

This colorful, comic-book-like design features a… well, a hyper beast, judging by the impressive teeth and red eyes. The vivid combination of colors means that Hyper Beast will go great with just about any loadout, particularly with other blue or purple CS2 skins. Or you could combine it with other Hyper Beasts to form your own hyper beast army: 

• AWP | Hyper Beast ($20–$107)
• Five-SeveN | Hyper Beast ($30–$130)
• Nova | Hyper Beast ($15–$35)

Open cases with M4A1-S | Hyper Beast

10. Player Two

Price: $15–$110

Anime- and comic book-themed designs will always find their crowd of enthusiasts, and it’s no different with skins. Player Two features a super-colorful design with a CT character and tons of patterns, details, and a dog on the magazine, because why not. It looks best in Factory New and it gets expensive at low floats, but if you’re on a tight budget, you can get a decent-looking Field-Tested Player Two for under $20. 

Check out more anime designs here: Best Anime Skins in CS2. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Player Two

11. Nightmare

Price: $6–$45

Nightmare combines a vivid blue background with the image of a nocturnal creature of unspecified type and origin (I want to say… skeletal horse?)

According to its creator, the skin was inspired by Game of Thrones, Venom (Marvel), Lich King (WoW), and Prey. And even though those inspirations make sense, the skin doesn’t feel derivative in the slightest—and as far as CS2 skins go, it’s pretty unique and very recognizable. Excellent choice for any horror-inspired loadout, or an inventory that combines black with vivid colors. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Nightmare

12. Knight

Price: $2700+ ($1200–$1500 for Souvenir)

The black-and-brass design of Knight is intended to evoke images of renaissance armor. Whether it’s successful is for everyone to judge for themselves—what matters is that it looks pretty cool, regardless of context. Knight has a minimalistic look, with understated embellishments, which gives it a rather elegant feel. 

Belonging to the Cobblestone Collection, Knight is commonly used for AWP | Dragon Lore crafts. Dragon Lore is one of the most expensive skins in Counter-Strike, which in turn drives the value of low-float Knights to $3000 and beyond. You’ll notice Souvenir Knight skins are much cheaper than standard ones, though—that’s because Souvenir items are not eligible for use in CS2 trade-ups. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Knight

13. Chantico’s Fire

Price: $15–$140

Say what you will about Chantico’s Fire, but it sure is eye-catching, with that yellow-and-red combo. 

Chantico, in case you’re wondering, was the goddess of fire in Aztec mythology. The (rather chaotic) patterns covering the rifle are also a reference to Aztec culture, representing imagery typical of Aztec art. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Chantico’s Fire

14. Decimator

Price: $10–$40

The synthwave vibes are strong in this one. This 80s sci-fi (RoboCop, anyone?) inspired design by Steam user Coridium combines electric blue and pink with a black background for a look that’s somehow… retro futuristic? 

If you’re into this look and SMGs, check out Tec-9 | Decimator as well. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Decimator

15. Control Panel

Price: $8–$85

“Retro futuristic” again: Control Panel looks like 80s movie set designers’ idea of a high-tech control center. With a blue background and an array of dials, indicators, buttons, displays and switches, the design is quite intricate and interesting—though chances are, you won’t have time to appreciate it mid-battle. Control Panel will make a cool addition to any retro- or sci-fi-inspired loadout. 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Control Panel

That’s all: 15 best M4A1-S skins for just about any budget. If you prefer (or often switch to) the M4A4, you’ll find the best M4A4 skins here, and for T-side assault rifles, take a look at our list of the best AK-47 skins. Have fun!