There’s lots of talk about the most expensive CS2 skins, but what about the cheapest? After all, not everyone wants to spend lots of money on in-game items, no matter how cool they look. So, here are the best cheap CS2 skins we could find, sorted by weapon type. 

Note: this list uses the Steam Community Market as a price reference. Exact prices may be different—often lower—on third-party marketplaces. The prices you’ll see next to each skin are for the best (lowest float) condition available for under $1. You can read more about weapon conditions and float in CS2 here, in case you need a refresher. 

Now let’s buy some cheap skins!

Contents

• Assault Rifles
• Pistols
• Sniper Rifles
• SMGs
• Shotguns
• Machine Guns

Assault Rifles: Cheap CS2 Skins

We’ll start with what are arguably the most popular weapons in the game: assault rifles. Here are some cool-looking, wallet-friendly skins for the AR in your loadout. 

AK-47 | Elite Build

Price: $0.80 (Well-Worn) 

Even though this is far from the coolest skin in the game, AK-47 had to make this list—and there are very few (three, to be exact) cheap AK-47 skins in CS2 to choose from. Anyway, Elite Build has its fans: the combination of black and gray with crisp light-orange accents looks quite modern without crossing into sci-fi territory. 

AK-47 skins call for a slightly higher budget. Here are some suggestions—you can get these in decent condition for under $10: 

• AK-47 | Legion of Anubis (Field-Tested, Minimal Wear if you’re lucky)
• AK-47 | Phantom Disruptor (Minimal Wear, maybe Factory New on third-party marketplaces)
• AK-47 | Ice Coaled (Field-Tested)
• AK-47 | Cartel (Field-Tested)

If you like the Elite Build style, you can get a matching P90 skin for under $1 (and an AWP | Elite Build skin for $10–$25).

M4A4 | Converter

Price: $0.90 (Minimal Wear)

This skin already starts out pretty scuffed and damaged, so the rugged look is part of its appeal—and Minimal Wear looks relatively good. 

Still, note that by the time float maxes out at 0.40 (Well-Worn), the paintwork on the magazine and grip will be almost completely worn off and not much of the honeycomb design will be left on the body. So if you really like the look of this skin, go for the Factory New condition ($1.20).

M4A4 | Magnesium

Price: $0.50 (Minimal Wear)

The main element of this design are the stylized flames on a gray background, visible on each side of the rifle. On the right side (not visible here), there is also a small symbol featuring a defuser tool with wings. 

Like with the AK-47, there are only a few M4A4 skins that cost less than $1. So if you can increase your budget a little, here are some interesting picks for under $10: 

• M4A4 | Desolate Space (Field-Tested, Minimal Wear on third-party marketplaces)
• M4A4 | Tooth Fairy (Factory New)
• M4A4 | Neo-Noir (Field-Tested, maybe Minimal Wear outside of Steam)
• M4A4 | Royal Paladin (Field-Tested)

M4A1-S | Night Terror

Price: $0.90 (Minimal Wear)

This Restricted skin came out with the Dreams and Nightmares Case… but you probably already guessed by just looking at the design. It centers around the theme of insomnia, with scattered writing all over the rifle (words like pain, agony, never sleep, fear, and wake up). In case you never came across the term before, a night terror is an intense panic experienced during sleep. 

You can get it (the skin, not the panic) Factory New for around $2 ($10 with StatTrak). Also, check out our post on the best M4A1-S skins here!

M4A1s | Emphorosaur-S

Price: $0.80 (Field-Tested)

The Restricted M4A1s | Emphorosaur-S shows a dinosaur clawing through the side of the weapon, with one bright red eye peeking out. It also features an unusual magazine design, in which the bullets and the spring are visible. 

And no, Emphorosaur was not a real dinosaur. But hey, fun fact: according to the creator of this skin, the dinosaur depicted in the design is actually a velociraptor.

AUG | Ricochet

Price: $0.90 (Factory New)

The knotwork design of this skin is modern and eye-catching—and great if you’re going for a cyan-themed loadout on a budget. Note that in Battle-Scarred condition, this skin is very scuffed: by 0.60 float, most of the design is gone, revealing the matt black base. So if you want a crisp look to your AUG, go for lower floats, easily bought for under $1.

FAMAS | Survivor Z

Price: $0.60 (Factory New)

The red tape looks great in the Factory New condition, even though the skin is distressed by default. Some of you may actually prefer the Battle-Scarred version—it has a truly rugged, destroyed look that could suit loadouts in the post-apocalyptic style. Check out the skin wear preview by CS2Stash to see which condition works better for you:

Galil AR | Rocket Pop

Price: $1 (Field-Tested)

The Rocket Pop sports an abstract graphic design with stripes and pixels, including bright red accents and two shades of blue. All of that’s on a black base, which only becomes visible as float increases—Field-Tested floats still look pretty good, though.

Pistols: Cheap CS2 Skins

It doesn’t matter if you like them much: you can’t really get away with playing CS2 without using pistols. Whether you stack pistol headshots like a pro or grit your teeth through pistol rounds, you may as well do it in style. And style doesn’t always have a terrifying price tag. 

Desert Eagle | Light Rail

In Field-Tested condition, this skin looks quite good. It doesn’t degrade that much as float increases, but it definitely loses some vibrancy in the Battle-Scarred range. If you want to splash out on a Factory New Light Rail, expect to pay around $4.40 ($20 with StatTrak).

Glock-18 | Umbral Rabbit

If you’re curious about the meaning behind this skin, the word “umbral” can mean a shadowy apparition (ghost). As for the rabbit: this skin was added to the game in 2023—the Year of the Rabbit in Chinese zodiac. This idea is also reflected in the rest of the design, which features other Chinese elements (traditional art style, temples, peony flowers). 

Glock-18 | Moonrise

Depending on the pattern number, this skin can feature a star on the slide release button (as in the image we featured here). Only 36 seeds out of 1001 possible variations result in the star appearing, which makes those skins pretty rare. They don’t achieve crazy prices, though: a Moonrise with a star will likely only cost a few dollars more. 

If you like the look of this Glock skin, good news: you can get a UMP-45 | Moonrise skin with a similar design for under $1, too. 

USP-S | Ticket to Hell

Price: $0.80 (Minimal Wear)

Ticket to Hell combines the simple look of a black-and-white color scheme with a complex design that includes dozens of vaguely related elements. The overall effect is pretty interesting—the skin features technical designs, labels, writing (including “Please be quiet” on the silencer), and barcodes. The QR code works, by the way—scan it to visit the Steam Community page of the skin’s creator.

P250 | X-Ray

In fact, there are quite a few interesting P250 skins you can get for under a dollar—far too many to share in this post without keeping you here for a week. Here are a few more cool-yet-cheap P250 skins to check out in your own time: 

• P250 | Nevermore
• P250 | Wingshot
• P250 | Supernova
• P250 | Inferno
• P250 | Cyber Shell

P2000 | Acid Etched

Sniper Rifles: Cheap CS2 Skins

In the right (virtual) hands and circumstances, sniper rifles are easily among the most powerful weapons in the game. Give yours a budget makeover with one of these skins. 

AWP | Phobos

Price: $1 (Minimal Wear)

Phobos is the cheapest Restricted AWP skin. It looks good in every condition—even as float goes up, most of the wear affects the scope, which gradually loses the yellow markings. The style of the skin works well with wear-and-tear, anyway—and in fact, Well-Worn conditions tend to be more expensive for this skin ($4). The float range tops at 0.40, which means that there’s no Battle-Scarred option for this one. 

Fun fact (fun is a relative concept, okay?): In Greek mythology, Phóbos was the personification of fear. That’s where the English word “phobia” (as in arachnophobia, for instance) comes from.

AWP | Acheron

Price: $1 (Minimal Wear)

This skin features a multicolored design that incorporates a bunch of skulls and several bones. It pays homage to its namesake: Acheron is the name of one of the five rivers of the Underworld in Greek mythology. Known as the River of Misery, it flows through the realm of the dead. 

If you want the design to stay intact, stay away from Battle-Scarred Acherons: at highest floats, the paintwork’s mostly gone and your rifle will look almost entirely black. 

AWP skins are among the most expensive in the game, so a $1 budget will limit your choices. For cool options below $5, check out: 

• AWP | Mortis (Minimal Wear)
• AWP | Duality (Field-Tested)
• AWP | Atheris (Field-Tested)

SSG 08 | Fever Dream

Price: $1 (Minimal Wear)

This skin is also known as Psychopath, for reasons that immediately become obvious upon closer inspection of the design. Scrawled across various parts of the rifle, you’ll find random-yet-disturbing words and phrases like careful, #headshot, hahahaha, hate, pain, and good night. There’s a longer phrase on the side, too, and it reads “ripped apart in minutes what was built in many years”. 

On the right side of the rifle (not shown in the image here) is Chinese writing that translates to “She is bad, and I am good”. At high float levels (Battle-Scarred costs around $0.35), a lot of the black base starts showing, but the writing changes in places—headshot becomes ‘he shot’, and ‘careful’ looks like ‘Carl’.

If you need a cheap SSG 08 skin, but Psychopath is not your thing, check out the sci-fi themed Ghost Crusader ($0.55 for Field-Tested). 

SCAR-20 | Enforcer

Price: $0.75 (Minimal Wear)

The Enforcer features a beautiful sunset gradient that looks sleek and modern, like a piece of cutting-edge tech. At higher floats, the colors are far less vibrant—this skin looks its best below 0.20 float, more or less. Factory New will only set you back around $1.80—consider going for that instead to see a crisp design on your rifle.

G3SG1 | High Seas

Price: $0.75 (Field-Tested)

This one stands out in any line-up, doesn’t it? High Seas rocks a nautical theme, complete with a small compass on the side and waves etched into the stock. 

Note that at high floats, this skin looks much less impressive than in this image. It doesn’t have the vibrancy and shine that make this skin distinctive. At the far end of Battle-Scarred, the paintwork on the magazine is completely gone.

If you like the look of this one, consider getting a Factory New one—it’ll only cost you around $3 and the difference in appearance will be very noticeable. Check out this skin wear preview to see for yourself:

For another cheap G3SG1 option, take a look at The Executioner. It’s a Classified skin that costs just under $2 (Field-Tested).

SMGs: Cheap CS2 Skins

With high fire rates and fairly manageable spray control, SMGs are often the ideal choice for fast-paced close- and mid-range combat. Run-and-gun in style with these cheap SMG skins! 

Mac-10 | Ensnared

P90 | Vent Rush

Price: $1 (Minimal Wear) 

With not only paint, but also gaffer tape and pipes integrated into the frame, Vent Rush is pretty unique. Since it’s rugged-looking by default, it works well in every condition—and some of you may actually prefer the Battle-Scarred look ($0.46).

P90 | Neoqueen

Price: $1 (Minimal Wear)

With this skin, you get a cool urban look that resembles a comic book illustration covered in detailed graffiti. It looks good in all conditions, really, so let your wallet or preferences guide your choice!

MP9 | Ruby Poison Dart

Price: $0.70 (Field-Tested)

If you want a vibrant-looking skin, pay attention to the exact float value: at 0.20 this skin looks much better than around 0.30. That said, you may like the rugged look of this skin in Battle-Scarred condition—it has a completely different feel. Check out the wear preview of the Ruby Poison Dart:

Shotguns: Cheap CS2 Skins

Shotguns (like many, many other things) are a pretty polarizing issue in Counter-Strike. Some love them and swear by them, others see them as too situational to be useful. For those of you in the former group, here are some awesome-looking shotgun skins for under $1.

Nova | Koi

Price: $0.80 (Field-Tested)

The float value for this skin ranges between 0 (Factory New) and 0.30 (Field-Tested). The latter looks quite good: black markings begin to appear on the grip at higher floats, but they fit in quite well with the other black elements in the design. A Factory New Koi will only cost you around $1.60, though.

Nova | Toy Soldier

Price: $0.55 (Field-Tested)

Even if you were never into playing with toy soldiers, you have to admit the idea behind this design is pretty cool. 

In Field-Tested condition, the skin looks okay—but stay away from very high floats, as a lot of the gray base will show in most Battle-Scarred Toy Soldier skins.

XM1014 | Black Tie

Price: $0.40 (Field-Tested)

Here’s a sleek, modern shotgun skin on a budget. Even though it looks pretty simple, there are several interesting details in this design, like the small Power button just behind the forearm. 

Field-Tested looks great—there’s no major visual difference compared to Factory New. Still, Minimal Wear only costs around $1.20, so consider extending your budget a little.

Sawed-Off | Limelight

Price: $0.95 (Minimal Wear)

Limelight will work well with any futuristic or sci-fi themed loadout, in particular. This skin is surprisingly cheap—you can even get a StatTrak version for around a dollar, albeit at high floats (0.40+).

Machine Guns: Cheap CS2 Skins

Machine guns are a truly… well, niche choice in CS2, especially in competitive matches. But there are still some cool skins for them out there, so here goes, for all four of you that actually use them: 

M249 | Aztec

Price: $1 (Minimal Wear)

The name says it all, really—this design is inspired by Aztec art and architecture, which makes for a unique and cool-looking skin. The lore for this skin is that it was recovered from Aztec ruins (…just go with it), hence the rust that’s present even in the lowest float ranges. Prices start at around $0.55, but if you can increase your budget a little, go all-out and get the Factory New Aztec with StatTrak for $4.

M249 | System Lock 

Price: $0.60 (Factory New)

The black-and-red combo is simple but effective—this skin looks modern and eye-catching, with a budget-friendly price tag. For $2, you can get it in Factory New condition with StatTrak.

Negev | Man-o’-war 

Price: $0.50 (Minimal Wear with StatTrak)

The gold-and-blue of the Man-o’-war is quite understated, but it still looks good. The name and design of this skin likely reference the Portuguese man ‘o war, AKA the super-dangerous jellyfish-like creature you really, really wouldn’t want to meet. Alternatively, it could refer to a type of sailing-era warship. Either way, this skin comes with a limited float range (Minimal Wear and Field-Tested only), and $0.50 will get you the lowest possible float. 

There you have it: 30 cheap CS2 skins that any wallet can handle. Knives are missing from this list for reasons that are likely obvious—but you can check out our guide to the cheapest CS2 knives. Don’t expect them to cost under a dollar, though!