Even though they’re very situational, shotguns are worth mastering in Counter-Strike—especially with the $900 you get for each shotgun kill. For many, Nova is the shotgun of choice, thanks to a higher-than-average range and decent damage. Sounds good? Let’s go through the best Nova skins in CS2 to get you battle-ready!

1. Hyper Beast

Price: $14–$40

Hyper Beast skins tend to top any “best of” list, and this is no different. Hyper Beast is by far one of the most eye-catching, intricate skins for Nova, combining vibrant purples, oranges, and greens with monster-themed imagery typical of this collection. Note the tongue of the monster acting as the trigger. Awesome skin all-round and not too expensive—in fact, it’s the cheapest of the Hyper Beast skins. Here are the others: 

• AWP | Hyper Beast ($22–$113)
• M4A1-S | Hyper Beast ($15–$150)
• Five-SeveN | Hyper Beast ($25–$117)

Open cases with Nova | Hyper Beast

2. Wild Six

Price: $0.35–$1

If you’re into the post-apocalyptic aesthetic, you won’t find a better Nova skin than Wild Six. The colors, details, and stickers are all consistent with a Fallout-style vibe, and the skin is nicely aged and worn to look realistic. 

If Wild Six reminds you of another CS2 skin, you’re probably thinking of AK-47 | Rat Rod, which has a very similar look—and for good reason, since it comes from the same collection. 

Open cases with Nova | Wild Six

3. Sobek’s Bite

Price: $4–$15

From the future to the (distant) past: Sobek’s Bite is an Egyptian-themed skin from the Anubis Collection. Mostly black and gold, it has an elegant look that’s best appreciated in Factory New—luckily, that’ll only set you back around $15. Sobek, by the way, was the god of the river Nile in Ancient Egyptian mythology. He was depicted as having the head of a crocodile—which you can see on this skin above and to the left of the trigger. 

Open cases with Nova | Sobek’s Bite

4. Dark Sigil

Price: $0.15–$0.40

The latest addition to CS2, Dark Sigil has a Nordic theme, depicting longships and dragons typical of viking imagery. The aged wood of the forend looks very realistic and pairs well with the dark-gray of the rest of the design. Perfect choice if you’re after a simple, cheap CS2 skin. 

Open cases with Nova | Dark Sigil

5. Wood Fired

Price: $0.10–$0.25

Old wood tinted olive-green with burnt-in flames as decorations—that pretty much sums up Wood Fired. The realistic wood effect works very well on shotguns, especially Nova with its classic, old-school look. 

Open cases with Nova | Wood Fired

6. Clear Polymer

Price: $2–$6

Take a look inside your Nova with Clear Polymer, which makes the shotgun look as if the body is made of see-through plastic. Some of the inner parts, like the trigger mechanism and recoil reduction spring, are vivid green. Some will find it tacky, no doubt, but there’s no denying that it’s an interesting idea. If you like this look, get a matching Glock-18 | Clear Polymer skin for under $1. 

Open cases with Nova | Clear Polymer

7. Toy Soldier

Price: $0.60–$3

Here’s another take on using plastic as the main “material”. The idea behind Toy Soldier is to make the shotgun look like a plastic weapons that wouldn’t look out of place in the grip of a, well, toy soldier. The skin achieves this aim, thanks to the flat green used on the entire shotgun and details like the embossed-effect star emblem on the stock. Cool idea if you’re into green CS2 skins. 

Open cases with Nova | Toy Soldier

8. Antique

Price: $11–$16

Polished wood for the stock and forend, aged metal with gold inlays for the body: Antique is the perfect name for this skin. It will make your Nova look like something out of a nineteenth-century armory, so if you’re into that old-school, decorative look, you should be pretty happy with this skin (especially at under $20 for Factory New). 

Open cases with Nova | Antique

9. Bloomstick

Price: $6–$55

One of the most expensive Nova skins, Bloomstick shows cherry blossoms on a flat red background. The flowers could be a lot more detailed, as they have a slightly stretched, blurry look to them. Still, it’s one of the most colorful Nova skins and your best option if you’re looking for red CS2 skins for your shotgun.

Open cases with Nova | Bloomstick

10. Plume

Price: $0.80–$1.50

If Bloomstick’s missing some detail, Plume has it in abundance. This skin features a fairly intricate feather design in different shades of brown, brining birds of prey to mind. It’s both simple and detailed, and works well with the Nova. Great skin for only around a dollar!

Open cases with Nova | Plume

11. Koi

Price: $0.80–$1.60

Plume has feathers, Koi has scales. Specifically, koi scales—the decorative Japanese koi fish can come in different colors and patterns, though a mixture of orange and white is among the most common. Cool idea and great execution. 

Open cases with Nova | Koi

12. Exo

Price: $0.15–$0.30

Let’s end on something completely different: Exo, one of the few modern-looking shotgun skins. Does a futuristic, angular pattern of purple and white suit Nova? Yes—it looks surprisingly good on the classic shotgun, and it’s your best bet if you’re into building sci-fi-themed or futuristic loadouts. 

Open cases with Nova | Exo

Here they are: the best Nova skins in CS2. Hopefully, we gave you some options for every taste, from Antique to Exo and Hyper Beast to Bloomstick. Time to fire up a match, get in close, and blow some heads off with your cool-looking Nova!