The most expensive CS:GO skins are either extremely rare, in high demand, or with a hefty price tag from the get-go. With CS:GO reaching record player counts all the time, huge amounts being traded for in-game skins isn’t uncommon. The are quite a few high-value and remarkable skins that are pretty rare, but they demand a high price. Today, we’re taking a look at that collection, working to figure out which of them is the most expensive CS:GO skin.

But since CS:GO skins are traded between players freely, we can quantify how rare each one is pretty well. Due to the upcoming Counter-Strike 2, a lot of these skins have the potential to rise even higher when the new game is released.

What Affects CS:GO Skin Value?

A few factors affect a skin’s value – the most obvious one is its rarity. The rarer a skin is, the harder it is to get, and the more people will pay for it. The next is wear– some skins are more battle-hardened, and show up in-game as such, affecting the value on the market. Another is the gun itself that the skin is actually for. The final factor is the StatTrak feature, explained later.

Rarity is defined in-game by tiers, assigned on a per-skin basis across eight tiers. From most common to least, this is:

Consumer (White)
Industrial (Turquoise)
Mil-Spec (Blue)
Restricted (Purple)
Classified (Pink)
Covert (Red)
Contraband (Orange)
Extraordinary (Gold)

To decide the wear of a skin, CS:GO assigns a value between 0.00 to 1.00 to every skin, with 0.00 being a flawless version. Skin wear can be one of five values, from best to worst:

Factory New (0.00 – 0.07)
Minimal Wear (0.08 – 0.15)
Field-Tested (0.16 – 0.38)
Well Worn (0.39 – 0.45)
Battle-Scarred (0.46 – 1.00)

It’s often the case that the better the condition, the more valuable (and rare) the skin. This is because in-game, a skin’s wear is essential to the amount of the skin that is actually visible to the player. It’s purely a cosmetic choice, and some players may prefer the cheaper, more battle-hardened look for their game. For pure monetary value though, the most expensive CS:GO skin is sure to be Factory New.

Of course, no matter the skin wear, the gun itself is an important factor in price. It’s only natural that the best guns in CS:GO get the most expensive skins to go alongside them. An AWP skin with the same rarity as a MAG-7 skin is always going to be more expensive.

The final factor is whether a skin is considered a StatTrak skin, which tracks player kills with the weapon over time. Not every weapon has a StatTrak variant, though the ones that do are worth considerably more than their non-StatTrak variants.

Most Expensive CS:GO Skins Ever Sold (2023)

This list is the definitive list of the most expensive CS:GO skins ever sold in 2023. This list will evolve over time, as the rarest skins have a habit of only increasing in price. Keep an eye on the CS:GO news for more information as and when these expensive skins get sold on the market.

10. AWP Gungnir

The AWP Gungnir is one of the most expensive AWP skins on the market. Released in 2019 as part of Operation Shattered Web, AWP Gungnir was part of the Norse collection, this particular skin featuring Odin’s spear running along the body of the weapon. It’s safe to say the popularity and price of this skin can be attributed to aesthetics. Though the AWP Gungnir doesn’t have a StatTrak variant, a factory new version still costs around $8,800.

9. Karambit Doppler (Sapphire)

It’s not just the guns among the most expensive CS:GO skins ever sold. Knives are a huge part of the market, and the Karambit Doppler is no exception. The Karambit Doppler has different phases, with many of these hovering around the $1000 mark. It’s with the Ruby and Sapphire variants, where the price really begins to shoot through the roof. For a factory-new StatTrak Karambit Doppler (Sapphire), expect to pay upwards of $9000 for a shiny new way to backstab your opponents.

As with all Karambit knives, you even get a new set of animations that play every time you equip and use it. While it’s not the only knife with a unique animation set, the Karambit ones are arguably the most interesting of the bunch.

8. AK-47 Fire Serpent

AK-47 skins generally fall on the pricier side, with the Fire Serpent being no exception. The Fire Serpent was released in 2013 alongside Operation Bravo. The case at the time was considered pricey, which limited the number of players that went on to receive the skin. Now almost a decade on, the skin remains one of the rarest available in the game, being used notably by Imperial in-game leader FalleN on the pro circuit. A StatTrak Factory New version of the Fire Serpent will set you back almost $10,000.

As one of the oldest skins in CS:GO, expect the AK-47 Fire Serpent to rise in price in the future. As less of the Operation Bravo Cases exist, any skin that can be found in it should be expected to rise. It certainly won’t ever see a rerelease, so it would be shocking to see it drop.

7. Crimson Web Knives

We’ve put these two together, as all the Crimson Web knives sell for around the same price in Factory New condition. Knives are all-around some of the most expensive CS:GO skins, with it being unusual for any knife to sell for less than $50. The rarity and age of these knives mean for any of the set, you’re looking at around $12,500. CS:GO knife skins are often seen as a status symbol in the community, and the Crimson Web knives which were released in 2014 certainly make a statement when used by players. Good luck finding them, though, as Factory-New variants are rarely found on CS:GO trading sites.

These prices in the future might be affected by whatever Crimson Web knife some popular players choose to use. Ultimately, a lot of CS:GO skins rise and fall based on streamer and player use, and these knives are no different.

6. M4A4 Howl

If you own the M4A4 Howl, you truly own a piece of CS:GO history, with owning one like owning an NFT. The M4A4 Howl isn’t just rare – it’s one of the collector’s most popular skins, as it was only available for a short amount of time when it was released in 2014. The artist that created it issued a DMCA takedown notice that removed the skin from loot boxes after only a month – those who had already opened a box and received one got to keep it. Valve changed the rarity of the skin from Covert to Contraband, the only skin with that tag in the whole game, adding to the legend of the M4A4 Howl. They can neither be received by opening nor by trading up now!

Banning a skin from the game is one easy way to make sure it is one of the rarest. In 2023, a StatTrak Factory New M4A4 Howl sells for around $13,750. Valve has continued to make the M4A4 a more viable alternative to the M4A1-S, and if this continues expect to see the M4A4 Howl rise even further. With the news that players will be able to use both at the same time in Counter-Strike 2, this could prove to be another massive factor in the M4A4 Howl price.

5. Sport Gloves (Vice + Pandora’s Box)

When Sport Gloves were released in 2016 alongside the Glove Case, players could never predict how the Pandora’s Box variant would become one of the most expensive CS:GO skins ever sold, with the Vice variant released two years later reaching similar heights. Much like knives, glove skins are a status symbol, with little practical use, though that hasn’t stopped the gloves appearing at the top of the game. The Vice variant has been shown to be the AWPer’s choice, with legendary players s1mple and kennyS both appearing with the skin. The rarity of these skins has driven the prices to crazy levels, with the Sport Gloves (Vice) selling for almost $20,000 factory new, and the Pandora’s Box variant reaching $32,850.

A lot of players take the opportunity to combine their gloves with a similar-looking knife. This can inflate the price of certain gloves, if they compliment another popular knife.

4. iBuyPower Holo Sticker

Yes, a virtual sticker takes fourth place on the list. But looking at the most expensive skins ever sold in 2022, and, well – it’s there, for a cool $55,990 in the current market.

The sticker gained its astronomical value for a few reasons. The sticker is based on iBuyPower, and their participation in IEM Katowice 2014. The team disbanded in 2015 after they were involved in a match-fixing scandal, which only added to the rarity of the sticker as the team never had the chance to add more to their collection. As well as this, many of the stickers still in circulation after all this time have already been applied to other weapons in order to bolster their valuation.

Simply put – there’s just not that many of them out there anymore. As time passes, this problem will only worsen, with more and more players applying the sticker to their weapon. Though the iBuyPower sticker probably won’t go extinct anytime soon, expect the price to shoot up as supply drops in the coming years. When there’s only a couple left, the sticker definitely has the potential to become the most expensive CS:GO skin. For speculate-to-accumulate types, the iBuyPower Holo sticker is definitely a potential opportunity to make money with CS:GO skins.

3. AK-47 Case Hardened (661) 

The AK-47 Case Hardened isn’t the rarest CS:GO skin on this list, but the pattern 661 variant is the exception. For those looking to get their hands on the AK-47’s most expensive CS:GO skin, you’ll have to fork out a massive $400,000 to use it on the server. It might not be the most appealing to the eye, but its rarity means that it’s the most expensive to add to your inventory.

The most recent sale of a pattern 661 AK-47 Case Hardened came in April 2023, where it was combined with four Katowice 2014 Titan Holo stickers. This made it extraordinarily rare even for the most dedicated of collectors.

2. AWP Souvenir Dragon Lore

For a long time, the AWP Souvenir Dragon Lore was the most expensive CS:GO skin ever sold. The odds of receiving this skin are about 1-in-250k, so if you’re looking to find one from a case, all the best. The AWP Souvenir Dragon Lore is however the most expensive gun skin, with the AWP being the most popular weapon in-game. It’s fitting that this skin has been used in-game by the best AWPer of all time, s1mple.

If you have plenty of cash burning a hole in your pocket, a Souvenir Factory New variant of the AWP Dragon Lore will set you back an eye-watering $425,000.

1. Karambit Case Hardened (Blue Gem)

The Karambit Case Hardened (Blue Gem) is the stuff of legend. Undoubtedly the most expensive CS:GO skin in history, the Karambit Case Hardened (Blue Gem) is literally one of a kind. For context, every Case Hardened Karambit knife features a unique pattern, each of which has a different level of rarity in the community. This Factory New knife is pattern 387, with its all-blue pattern on one side contributing to the hype surrounding the weapon. With odds of 1 in 371 million of bagging one of these for yourself, we wouldn’t recommend you go into a case opening expecting to bag a Karambit Case Hardened (Blue Gem).

The owner, Newb Rage, acquired the skin for over $100,000 in 2016. It’s proven a smart investment, with the value only rising ever since. The owner claimed he received a $1.4m offer for the skin, but incredibly turned it down. Newb Rage is yet to make their intentions known, with no offer yet high enough to tempt them to sell up. If they do ever decide to sell, the Karambit Case Hardened (Blue Gem) would comfortably become the most expensive CS:GO skin ever sold, and would likely hold that record for some time to come.

What is the Rarest CS:GO Skin in 2023?

In the CS:GO space, the rarest doesn’t always equate to the most expensive. However, when it comes to the very top of the tree, that’s exactly what it means, with Newb Rage’s Karambit Case Hardened (Blue Gem) skin also being the rarest CS:GO skin ever. He has the only version of this knife in pattern 387, and only time will tell if any other skin in future will equal the seven figures being touted by potential buyers. If another skin does manage to claim the throne, it will probably be years away yet.

How can I make money with CS:GO Skins? 

One of the best things about CS:GO having an open market is the opportunity for all players to make money with CS:GO skins. Even after each game, players have the opportunity to win cases at random that can then be opened and potentially be worth thousands of dollars, with plenty of expensive CS:GO skins up for grabs. These cases feature even the rarest CS:GO skin, with players opening thousands of cases each day in the hopes of pulling the most expensive CS:GO skin to add to their collection.

Another way to make money with CS:GO skins is by investing in ones that you think will rise in the future. As with any type of investment, there’s always an element of risk at play here, so take care to ensure that your purchases are well-thought-out. There’s money to be made in both long-term and short-term holds, and followers of CS:GO esports will find the most benefit here.

It’s not just in-game that players can make money on CS:GO skins. On third-party sites, players can take part in CS:GO betting with skins, where players have the opportunity to bet on the competitive scene using skins that they’ve purchased from the Steam marketplace. In this environment, the potential for players to earn expensive CS:GO skins is better than ever, with plenty of players willing to risk their rarest CS:GO skins on a variety of markets. It’s worth checking out, especially for players who have inventories of skins that will never be used, as a lot of players do.