From designs based on old-school consoles, VHS tapes, and other relics of 80s technology to those inspired by vintage cars, there are (surprisingly) many retro skins in CS2 to choose from. Here are our top picks, and at the end of the post, we’ll look at a few interesting retro-style skins from the Steam Workshop as well. Ready for a trip into the past?

Five-SeveN | Retrobution

The color palette is the main characteristic that makes this skin “feel” vintage—from the 1930s all the way to the 1960s, secondary colors were more popular than primary in interior and graphic design, broadly speaking. So, perhaps powder blue or teal instead of electric blue, orange instead of bright red, and so on. That’s why these muted, slightly “off” colors in Retrobution immediately evoke a retro atmosphere (and also why skins with bright red or neon blue accents often feel “modern” by comparison). The rounded lines are also typical of retro designs. All in all, the perfect retro skin for your Five-SeveN, courtesy of Coridium!

Open cases with Five-SeveN | Retrobution

P250 | Cassette

The design on the slide of the gun is similar to the cardboard packaging used for VHS tapes, and it features the word “cassette” in Japanese. VHS was invented in Japan, and Japanese companies dominated the global VHS market, so it only makes sense. The black body of the gun has a detailed texture to it, similar to the texturing on most VHS tapes. At $0.15, Cassette is definitely worth buying (hey, maybe someone taped Baywatch on it!). 

Open cases with P250 | Cassette

FAMAS | ZX Spectron

Price: $1–$7

See what I meant about red accents making black backgrounds look modern? 

The four colored stripes give the skin a retro look, though, reminiscent of old gaming consoles—and not without reason, since this skin is directly inspired by the 8-bit ZX Spectrum computer. The Spectrum was one of the first small, affordable home computers/early gaming consoles, released in 1982 and discontinued ten years later. 

Just like the FAMAS skin, it’s black with four colored stripes (see it here). The stripes and the name were a reference to the fact that it supported color displays. You’d hook it up to your home TV and play away (if you could get your game to load). A tape deck was also needed because—and this is true—ZX Spectrum games came on audio cassettes. 

The FAMAS skin looks cool even without this backstory, but hey, now you know! To find out more about the ZX Spectrum, check out this video for a good overview of its history and games.

Open cases with FAMAS | ZX Spectron

Sawed-Off | Analog Input

Price: $1–$2

Here’s another skin that pays homage to a retro gaming console: Analog Input, inspired the late-90s Sega Dreamcast. If you look at a Dreamcast controller, you’ll recognize the four colors used in this design as references to the buttons: yellow X, green Y, blue B, and red A. The triangular arrows on the stock and forend of the shotgun resemble the Start button on the controller, too. 

Despite its rather short career (it was released in 1998 and discontinued in 2001), the Dreamcast amassed a cult following, and it remains popular to this day among retro gamers. It was the first console with a built-in modem and online support, and it brought us the first successful online RPG for consoles, Phantasy Star Online. Despite all these “firsts”, the Dreamcast was Sega’s last console—after its discontinuation, Sega shifted their focus to software development. 

Back to the skin: at first glance, Analog Input seems rather simple, but a closer look will show you that its creator, S.H.A.D.O.W, included tons of intricate details, making this one of the most interesting Sawed-Off skins out there. Awesome choice for only a couple of bucks. 

Open cases with Sawed-Off | Analog Input

MAC-10 | Button Masher

The red circuit board visible through the “plastic” looks good, as does the 3D effect of the buttons. Luckily, unlike its real counterparts, the plastic on this skin doesn’t go yellow as the float goes up. 

Open cases with MAC-10 | Button Masher

M4A1-S | Decimator

Price: $12–$54

Time for a different side of the 80s. Decimator was inspired by 80s futurism in movies and games, so the likes of Tron, Terminator, Robocop, Blade Runner, and so on. The skin was originally named “Decimator 2000” since, as its creator Coridium points out, many products from the 80s had a number in the name, like Atari 2600 or Sinclair ZX81 (that’s Spectrum’s grayscale predecessor, BTW). 

Open cases with M4A1-S | Decimator

Tec-9 | Decimator

Open cases with Tec-9 | Decimator

AK-47 | Neon Rider

Price: $27–$165

Neon Rider is another retrofuturistic, synthwave skin, similar in style and color palette to the Decimator. But while the Decimator was inspired by specific movies and shows from the 80s, Neon Rider has its own character and story, also happening in the 80s. 

Open cases with AK-47 | Neon Rider

MAC-10 | Neon Rider

Open cases with MAC-10 | Neon Rider

SG 553 | Ol’ Rusty

Price: $0.15

We’re taking it way back with Ol’ Rusty. The aged powder blue of the background and the stylized writing remind us of Fallout… and of course, the 60s style that influenced Bethesda in the first place. Given its design, Ol’ Rusty looks just as good in Factory New condition as it does in Battle-Scarred.

Open cases with SG 553 | Ol’ Rusty

UMP-45 | Grand Prix

Price: $0.50

Ol’ Rusty sounds like an affectionate name for an old car, so we’re staying in the same realm with Grand Prix, inspired by vintage racing cars. This skin comes only in Field-Tested condition, which is a shame, since a Factory New shine would lend it a much sleeker look in my opinion. Still, it’s a nice choice if you’re looking for an old-timey vibe. 

Open cases with UMP-45 | Grand Prix

M249 | Nebula Crusader

Price: $1–$5

We had computers and gaming consoles above, now it’s time for an old-school game. Nebula Crusader is clearly inspired by vintage arcade games, and its creators did an excellent job emulating the style and feel of a vintage game. From the art style to the font and color palette, Nebula Crusader looks like a real 80s game. 

Every part of the design consistently sticks to the arcade theme, especially the icons along the top of the rifle. And have you noticed the placement of the word “SCORE:”? It’s right above the StatTrak counter:

Open cases with M249 | Nebula Crusader

Retro Skins from the Steam Workshop

Want more retro skins in CS2? There are plenty of awesome ideas in the Steam Workshop, so here’s hoping that we’ll get some old-school skins with the next case. Here are a few highlights—if you like them, remember to support their creators by liking and sharing their work, this way, the skins will stand a better chance of entering the game one day. 

SSG 08 | Retro Palette

Inspired by vintage Polaroid cameras, Retro Palette features a logo for the fictitious “Cedar Pro”, a photographic device the skin’s creators made up for the purposes of this design. Retro Palette looks particularly good on the SSG 08, since the design makes interesting use of the rifle’s shape and structure, but the SCAR-20 version is worth a look as well. 

View SSG 08 | Retro Palette in the Steam Workshop

FAMAS | F.M.as 218.12

A few of the same themes appeared throughout this list, but F.M.as 218.12 is unlike anything we’ve seen so far, not just in this post, but in CS2 skins as a whole. The skin makes the rifle look like a vintage radio, complete with a wooden case, dial scale, speaker, and brass elements. Unique design with a cool name—the numbers are a reference to the release date of CS:GO in day/month/year format (21-8-2012, so August 21, 2012). 

View FAMAS | F.M.as 218.12 in the Steam Workshop

MAC-10 | Vintage

Simple but effective, Vintage goes for a black-and-white background with colored stripes characteristic of vintage designs from the 70s and 80s. We’ve seen the rainbow motif in several skins, but Vintage limits itself to reds and yellows only. Nice, straightforward skin with a distinct retro vibe. 

View MAC-10 | Vintage in the Steam Workshop

Glock-18 | DMG-01 (Green Edition)

Does this one remind you of anything? All of the buttons, including the directional ones, the red “B” and “A”, and the slanted “Select” and “Start”, are faithful renditions of those you’ll find on the 1989 Nintendo Game Boy. The Glock’s slide shows a “screen” with 8-bit graphics reminiscent of those you’d see on your Game Boy, too. All very vintage… and vaguely Printstream, but that’s never a bad thing. 

Its creator has added several versions to the workshop, including one with a blue screen and a full-color screen edition. 

View Glock-18 | DMG-01 in the Steam Workshop

Alright, this closes our list of the best retro skins in CS2. Did we miss any? Have you found a new favorite? Let us know on social media, and have fun on Key-Drop!