Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is one of the most played multiplayer first-person shooter games in the world developed by Valve. With the average concurrent player count peaks still breaking the mark of one million on a regular basis. CS:GO remains one of the most popular eSports games out there.
With Valve introduced skins to CS:GO through the groundbreaking “Arms Deal” update in 2013, skins in CS:GO have gained significant economic value and the volume of skins being traded on the community market skyrocketed.
Nowadays, skins are a vital part of CS:GO and the CS:GO skins market has proven to the larger gaming ecosystem with solid examples of virtual item marketplace with their strong traits.
However, the success of CS:GO’s popular skins economy can’t be apart from the CS:GO skin grading model that comes with different grades, float values and patterns associated with the skins. CS:GO skins with a particular combination of these factors in demand can fetch a pretty decent amount of real money.
Hence before we take a deeper look into the top 10 most expensive skins out there, Let’s cover some basics on how CS:GO skins were valued and the factors that drive the prices of these expensive skins.
Factors That Determine CS:GO Skin Prices
Here are the main factors that often affect the values of CS:GO skins:
Hard factors
- The less often a skin drops, the more expensive it is
- The lower its float value is, the higher the quality of the skin, so the higher the price
- The more desirable the pattern, the more expensive it is
- Rare skin versions like the StatTrak™ or Souvenir generally perceived as more expensive due to their rarity
- Discontinued skins often lead to a steady growth in price
Soft factors
- The popularity of the skin
- How well the skin goes with other popular skins
- Supply and demand
- Stickers on the skin and the position of the sticker
- Other personal preferences
To make things a bit easier, we have calculated the reference price based on the trade records on major CS:GO skins marketplaces for each CS:GO skin covered in this guide.
The reference prices calculated for weapon, knife and gloves skins in this guide have excluded the value of the stickers. But Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore skin is the only exception because it comes with pre-attached stickers when it’s unboxed and you almost never found this Souvenir version sold without any stickers.
For skins that have never been sold in the market or haven’t been traded for a while. The reference prices were determined based on the asking prices in CS:GO skins marketplaces or offers from interested buyers through a reputable middleman.
Now we’ve covered some factors that can affect the prices of the skins. It’s time to explore the top 10 most expensive CS:GO skins of all time.
10. StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web
Reference Price: $9,500
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Covert
Type: Knife
The StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web has been painted with a spider web-patterned hydrographic over a red base coat and finished with a semi-gloss topcoat. The Karambit Crimson Web was initially introduced in CS:GO in August 2013 as part of the Revolver Case, alongside the “Arms Deal” update.
StatTrak™ is an added component of weapons and items introduced in the “Arms Deal” update. StatTrak™ weapons can keep tab number of kills you get in CS:GO, your StatTrak™ counter increases every time you skill someone.
StatTrak™ weapons like the StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web are generally more expensive than non- StatTrak™ weapons because they can only be found in Weapon Cases, and the relative chance of receiving a StatTrak™ version of the weapon skin you receive is just 1/10.
The StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web often sells for around $9,500 (Factory New) across all major CS:GO trading platforms. You might wonder what justifies the $9,500 price tag for a StatTrak™ knife? Let’s take a look at the chance and the cost of getting a StatTrak™ Knife from Weapon Cases.
The estimated chance of getting a StatTrak™ Knife regardless of the wear condition (case odds according to Valve’s Chinese partner: Perfect World):
| The chance of getting a knife | The relative chance of getting a StatTrak™ version | The chance of getting a StatTrak™ knife |
| 0.256% | 1/10 | 0.0256% |
The chance of getting a StatTrak™ knife is 0.0256%, equivalent to around 1 in 3,909. In general, the case keys have the same Steam price of $2.5 in CS:GO, so the cost of getting a StatTrak™ knife is $2.5 times 3,909, which is equal to $9,773. It’s very close to the selling price: $9,500 for the StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web in the market.
Suppose you want to get a ballpark estimate of the chance of getting a specific Factory New StatTrak™ knife like the StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web by opening cases. Given the chance of getting a StatTrak™ knife is 0.0256%. Then we also need to consider the chance of getting a Factory New item (around 14.7%) and the number of possible knife skins in a Revolver Case, which is 65. The chance could be as low as 1 in 1.7 million.
Apparently, the market mainly values the StatTrak™ knife skins based on the cost of getting a StatTrak™ knife from cases rather than the cost of getting a specific StatTrak™ knife from cases. But please keep in mind that besides the drop rate and the cost of getting a skin, its popularity is also the main driver for its market price.
9. StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web
Reference Price: $11,300
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Covert
Type: Knife
Like the StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web, the StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web is also a StatTrak™ knife with a slightly higher reference price of around $11,300 in Factory New condition in the market. The StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web is also finished with a semi-gloss topcoat but has a straight blade and was originally intended to be mounted on a rifle.
Generally speaking, M9 Bayonet Crimson Web is one of the most populator items in CS:GO, with a popularity of around 90% regardless of whether it’s a StatTrak™ version according to CSGOSKINS.GG. Given the fact that it’s a StatTrak™ knife and the high popularity of M9 Bayonet Crimson Web skin. A StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web Factory New knife can easily fetch upwards of $10,000.
If you are looking for a StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web skin with a specific pattern, then the price can be more than doubled compared to the reference price. The StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web with pattern index: 302 has sold for around $22,332 in Jun 2021.
8. Moto Gloves Spearmint
Reference Price: $12,800
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Extraordinary
Type: Gloves
The Moto Gloves Spearmint are bulky hard knuckled gloves that can protect your hands from road rash at 60 mph. It was introduced to CS:GO in November 2016 and released as part of the Operation Hydra Case. These stylish gloves have red stitching on white leather.
Gloves skins were introduced to CS:GO in late 2016 and have been among the rarest skins in the game ever since. All CS:GO gloves are categorized as Extraordinary grade which means they’re ultra-rare. Gloves and knives are all considered ultra-rare items in the cases, so the chance of getting gloves in cases is the same as the knife, which is 0.256%.
The popularity of the Moto Gloves Spearmint is trending up in 2022. The reference price for Moto Gloves Spearmint is around $12,800 if you are looking for these gloves in Factory New condition. There were at least around 1-2 Factory New Moto Gloves Spearmint skins sold for around $12,000 each month on CS:GO trading sites.
7. Driver Gloves King Snake
Reference Price: $13,600
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Extraordinary
Type: Gloves
The Driver Gloves King Snake skin was first introduced to the game in Feb 2018 and can be found in Clutch Case. Remember, the chance of getting gloves in Clutch Cases is just 0.256%, and the chance of getting a Factory New item is around 14.7%. So the chance of getting Driver Gloves King Snake is even lower than 0.0376%, given there are 24 possible gloves in a Clutch Case.
Unlike Case Hardened skins that always have a different pattern associated with a pattern index ranging between 1-1,000, the pattern for the Driver Gloves King Snake is not changing so the pattern index will only relate to the location and formation of scratches and wear.
The Driver Gloves King Snake skin is popular across many major CS:GO trading platforms. The selling prices for these gloves are around $13,600 on one of the largest CS:GO marketplaces such as BUFF.
6. StatTrak™ M4A4 Howl
Reference Price: $13,900
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Contraband
Type: Rifle
The M4A4 Howl is one-of-a-kind and it’s the only Contraband Skin in CS:GO. Weapon skins with Contraband grade were available to drop at some point in-game but got removed while it’s already available in the game. M4A4 Howl skins already acquired by players will remain in their inventory. That’s why we can still find these skins trading in the marketplace.
The M4A4 Howl skin was removed from the Huntsman Weapons Case because the creators of the skin used a copyrighted artwork and Valve has to remove this skin from the cases to avoid plagiarism. The M4A4 Howl skins that remained in players’ inventories suddenly got rarity grade moved to Contraband and the value of these skins shot up overnight.
As you can imagine, The M4A4 Howl has already seen incredible price valuation in CS:GO skin marketplaces over the past few years. The StatTrak™ version of this skin will surely cost you a fortune in the trading marketplace. The reference price for StatTrak™ M4A4 Howl is currently around $13,900 in the market and owning a Howl is a matter of prestige nowadays.
5. Sport Gloves Vice
Reference Price: $20,500
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Extraordinary
Type: Gloves
The Sport Gloves Vice is the second most expensive gloves skin in CS:GO, which often sells for around $20,500 in Factory New condition. This Gloves skin was introduced in February 2018 as part of the “Welcome to the Clutch” update and can be found by opening Clutch Cases. The Sport Gloves Vice has an eye-catching appearance with a striking mix of pink and blue technical fabrics and it’s a very sought-out skin in the market.
Most of the Sport Gloves Vice skins in Factory New condition in the market have a float value between 0.0608 and 0.069. If you are looking for these gloves with a float value lower than 0.0608, you will need to pay the price much higher than the reference price.
There was a specific Sport Gloves Vice skin with a float value as low as 0.0604 with BUFF Float Ranking: 3 that was sold for $34,500 in Jun 2022 on BUFF CS:GO skins marketplace. Now you may realize the float value of some ultra-rare skins can sometimes influence the skin trading price significantly.
4. Sport Gloves Pandora’s Box
Reference Price: $28,800
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Extraordinary
Type: Gloves
The most expensive gloves skin in CS:GO is the Sport Gloves Pandora’s Box. The reference price for this gloves skin is around $28,800 in the trading marketplace. The Sport Gloves Pandora’s Box is arguably the best-looking gloves available and can only be found in the Glove Case and Operation Hydra Case.
It seems like these gloves won’t be included in any newly released cases, so we would expect the prices of these eye-catching gloves will continue to rise.
One factor that can also affect the price of CS:GO gloves skin is whether the color scheme goes well with other knife and weapon skins in CS:GO. The black and purple color scheme of the Sport Gloves Pandora’s Box goes really well with many other skins, which is driving the price of these gloves high.
The price of the Factory New Sport Gloves Pandora’s Box skin doesn’t seem to be affected much by its float value. These gloves with a float valve between 0.062 to 0.069 were sold in a similar price range around $28,800.
3. Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore
Reference Price: $29,800
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Covert
Type: Rifle
The Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore is one of the rarest skins in CS:GO because the chance of getting a Dragon Lore AWP finish is as low as 0.0004%. The drop rate of this skin is even lower than the StatTrak™ knife and arguably the lowest drop rate of all weapon skins.
The Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore can be found in a souvenir case as part of The Cobblestone Collection and the souvenir case can only be dropped when fans spectate games during CS:GO Majors.
Many people think Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore skins can come without pre-attached stickers and many websites claim that the price for a Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore is without stickers. This is actually wrong because the Souvenir skins always have pre-attached and exclusive stickers with autographs from the top CS:GO players. If the signatures were from popular AWPer like KennyS or JW it would add more value to the Souvenir skin.
In other words, if you found someone telling a Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore can be unboxed without any stickers attached to it, then it’s totally wrong. Take a look at the video below about unboxing a Factory New Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore, the Souvenir skin does have pre-attached stickers when it’s unboxed from the Cobblestone Souvenir Package.
A specific Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore in Factory new condition even sold for over $61,000 in January 2018 because it comes with an unstarched sticker signed by the MVP of the ELEAGUE Boston Major 2018: Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham.
2. AK-47 Case Hardened (Pattern #661)
Reference Price: $185,000
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Classified
Type: Rifle
The AK-47 Case Hardened with pattern #661 (also called The Scar Pattern Version 1) is the ultimate AK-47 Blue Gem. It’s commonly considered the top 1 pattern among all other tier-1 Case Hardened patterns in CS:GO community and is usually referred to as the best pattern by skin traders. A specific AK-47 Case Hardened (Pattern #661) skin in Minimal Wear condition with 4 Titan | Katowice 2014 stickers sold for a whopping $150,000 in Jan 2021.
If you are looking for pattern #661 in Factory New condition, the asking prices often range between $160,000 and $209,000 with or without stickers. Here are the current asking prices for AK-47 Case Hardened (Pattern #661) in Factory New condition on BUFF skins marketplace:
BUFF is becoming the new CS:GO skin traders’ bible and the best place to figure out how much your skins inventory is actually worth. Because the volume of skins traded on BUFF is currently the highest among all CS:GO marketplaces and BUFF’s monopoly is making the price changes on it are so influential. Hence it will be the best marketplace to determine the potential selling price for skins like AK-47 Case Hardened (Pattern #661) in Factory New condition that has never been traded in the market.
Since there was no reported trade for the AK-47 Case Hardened (Pattern #661) in Factory New condition in the market so far, the reference price was estimated based on the asking prices on BUFF at around $185,000. It’s very likely the price will sit above $150,000 because the AK-47 Pattern #661 skin in Minimal Wear condition sold in Jan 2021 has set the expectation.
Here are three main reasons that make pattern #661 the best blue AK-47 pattern:
- The only pattern with a full blue top and a completely blue back
- Lots of blue on the barrel
- A sticker can cover up the line to make the blue top look perfect
Remember, there is no such thing as a “100% blue top AK-47”, but after exploring all AK-47 Cask Hardened patterns from 1 to 1,000, you will realize that pattern #661 is truly the rarest the best pattern. Because it has an almost perfect full blue top and the only line that is not in blue can easily be covered by a sticker.
1. Karambit Case Hardened Blue Gem (Pattern #387)
Reference Price: $1.5 Million
Condition: Factory New
Rarity Grade: Covert
Type: Knife
The most expensive CS:GO skin is the Karambit Case Hardened Blue Gem with pattern template #387. A particular Factory New Karambit Case Hardened with pattern #387 valued around at $1.5 million is currently the most expensive knife skin in CS:GO.
This particular Karambit Case Hardened Blue Gem has a float value of 0.048, and the chance of opening the same knife skin from cases is as low as 1 in 371 million. The estimated value of the skin is determined by an offer made for it in September 2021 by a private collector through a reputable middleman: Youtuber ohnePixel to offer €1.2 million (around $1.5 million at the time). But the owner of the knife skin turned down the offer by stating “1.2 is low”.
Pattern #387 is considered the best pattern of Karambit Case Hardened knife skin in CS:GO community as it literally appears completely blue on the playside of the knife, earning this particular Karambit Case Hardened Knife the name “The Blue Gem.”
According to CSGOFloat, there are only eight Karambit Case Hardeneds with the blue gem pattern #387. The particular knife skin we discussed above is the absolute best out of all of them. If the $1.5 million sale ever comes through in the future, it will become the most expensive CS:GO skin ever sold in the entire history of CS:GO skin trading.
The Takeaway
After going through some of the most expensive CS:GO skins that cost a fortune, and you’ve now known the chances of getting some of the one-of-a-kind CS:GO skins can be even lower than the chances of winning the jackpot. Would you still be one of those people who rapidly spent more money buying and opening cases in the hopes of striking it lucky and landing a rare skin?
We believe the answer is “No.” Cases really shouldn’t be seen as some way to make money by being lucky, it should more be seen as a way of supporting the game and the eSports community like it was supposed to be originally. For example, a portion of the proceeds from sales of eSports Case Keys will go towards the prize for CS:GO community competitive events.
Last but not least, if you are really interested in getting some of these rare skins and the prices are within your budget, then our advice is: Don’t unbox, save up!
Here’s a quick recap of the top 10 most expensive CS:GO skins of all time:
- Karambit Case Hardened Blue Gem (Pattern #387)
- AK-47 Case Hardened (Pattern #661)
- Souvenir AWP Dragon Lore
- Sport Gloves Pandora’s Box
- Sport Gloves Vice
- StatTrak™ M4A4 Howl
- Driver Gloves King Snake
- Moto Gloves Spearmint
- StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web
- StatTrak™ Karambit Crimson Web