Create a Top-Tier Set for Pennies! Best Skins Under $5 in Counter-Strike 2
It is often believed that to have a beautiful inventory with cool skins, you need to spend a lot. Today, we aim to prove that this is not the case and that it is quite possible to find items that cost less on the Steam marketplace than a cup of coffee. Some of these skins are even cheaper than $1, a sum you can get by selling a couple of cases from the weekly drop. Of course, we won’t be able to include a knife or gloves in the set, so we’ll make a selection of the 10 most used weapons in the game.
USP-S | Ticket to Hell
- Factory new – $1.50
- Minimal wear – $0.65
- Well-worn – $0.47
- Field-tested – $0.28
- Battle Scarred – $0.23
Let’s start building our set with default pistols, and for the CT side, we pick the stylish black skin, which looks much more expensive than its cost. In Factory New condition, this skin costs just $1.50, and you can also go for Minimal Wear considering its condition. Despite the many small details, the skin looks cohesive and very well thought out. You might not know this, but the QR code on the skin leads to the author’s workshop page. Honestly, in our opinion, this skin can easily be in the top 5 USP-S skins in the entire game.
Glock-18 | Vogue
- Well-worn – $2.90
- Field-tested – $2.92
- Battle Scarred – $2.49
Although the skin in higher qualities costs a bit more, you should still be quite satisfied with its appearance. The main scuffs are on the back of the pistol and don’t significantly impact the overall impression. In Battle Scarred condition, you might find a version where only the eyes are visible, but we think it’s better to go for the fully decorated body. Bright colors are well combined while maintaining a strictness that allows you to focus on the beautifully drawn female eyes. The skin looks like it’s straight from a magazine cover and absolutely deserves a spot in our set.
Desert Eagle | Mecha Industries
- Well-worn – $4.79
- Field-tested – $4.55
- Battle Scarred – $4.57
We finish with pistol skins by choosing a design for the most formidable and precise weapon in the game – the Desert Eagle. Highlights with this weapon are always incredibly thrilling, and having a good skin on such a device is essential. We decided to go with the classic from the “Mecha Industries” collection, which has been in the game since 2016. The futuristic style of the skin is in perfect balance of black and white colors, making it look both flashy and modest. The main beauty of this item is the change in float. The skin’s paint only gets duller with lower quality but does not lose any drawings or textures. This allows us not to chase expensive versions but to comfortably fit into the budget.
M4A4 | Desolate Space
- Well-worn – $4.78
- Battle Scarred – $2.28
Another veteran from 2016, this skin won players’ hearts at first sight. This skin also doesn’t have wear in low quality, making it fit comfortably under five dollars. An interesting fact – the skeleton in a spacesuit on a cosmic background changes to a gas mask head in the Chinese version Perfect World. The item has very pleasant colors, beautiful art, and is considered a very popular choice for the M4A4.
M4A1-S | Night Terror
- Factory new – $1.35
- Minimal wear – $0.59
- Well-worn – $0.98
- Field-tested – $0.35
- Battle Scarred – $1.34
Since in CS2 you can buy both the silenced and non-silenced M4, which many players take advantage of, we couldn’t leave out a skin for the M4A1-S. It’s great that our budget covers all qualities, which is important for this item. Initially, the skin design features mainly red and black shades, but as the float increases, it becomes entirely purple. For many users, the Battle Scarred variant is more preferable, and players try to find a skin with a float of 0.60 and higher on the marketplace.
AK-47 | Phantom Disruptor
For the main weapon of the terrorists, we decided to keep the horror theme, so we chose this item. The body of the rifle is covered with black matte paint and decorated with a surreal ornament of various body parts of a fantastic monster. The skin seems extremely undervalued and looks much more expensive than its actual cost. The only explanation for its low popularity is the pale color scheme and unpopular shades, making it hard to fit into any set. For $5, you’re unlikely to find anything more original and interesting for the AK-47.
MP9 | Food Chain
- Minimal wear – $4.17
- Well-worn – $1.62
- Field-tested – $2.11
- Battle Scarred – $1.42
Moving on to the weapons for economic rounds. Of course, most counter-terrorists often take the MP9, and for the skin, we chose an item from the Operation Riptide case. Considering the case is no longer in active drop, this item should increase in price, but it’s unlikely to be by a large amount. The pattern index almost doesn’t affect the appearance of the skin, so we can save even more by purchasing a Field-Tested or Well-Worn version.
MAC-10 | Sakkaku
- Well-worn – $1.10
- Field-tested – $0.38
- Battle Scarred – $0.23
A skin from the latest Revolution case with an extremely low price definitely makes it into our selection under $5. The beautiful art will suit everyone, but the main feature of this design is the vast number of crafting variations with stickers. You can diversify the look of the weapon at a relatively low cost, which allows you to surprise people on the server without buying a new skin.
AWP | Atheris
- Well-worn – $2.30
- Field-tested – $3.25
- Battle Scarred – $2.11
We still need to deal with skins for sniper rifles, starting, of course, with the AWP. Usually, the price for this popular device is significantly inflated, and the rifle often falls into Classified or Covert quality. Why this skin was given Restricted quality is entirely unclear, but for us, it is definitely a plus. The stunning image of the African bush viper with a cool scope resembling snake scales makes this skin very stylish. Getting such art for just $2-3 is a gift from VALVE that we can’t pass up.
SSG 08 | Fever Dream
- Factory new – $2.48
- Minimal wear – $1.23
- Well-worn – $0.77
- Field-tested – $0.42
- Battle Scarred – $0.46
We finish our selection with the light sniper rifle, which is not used as often in the game. Choosing a skin for this weapon is quite easy due to the low cost, but we quickly decided on Fever Dream. The design of this rifle seems to us the most successful for its price, and its twin brother, the AWP, was an additional factor.
By purchasing all these items, you will be fully equipped and will forget what it’s like to play with boring skins or without them at all. The most expensive version will cost around $30, and the cheapest one is half that price – $14.01.