Gamma Doppler is a finish for knives and the Glock-18 that comes in five variants: Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4 and the rare Emerald. The phases differ in how much green, turquoise, blue and black covers the blade, while Emerald is solid green. Emerald is the most expensive variant, and among the regular phases Phase 2 costs the most on nearly every popular knife: a Karambit Gamma Doppler runs about $1,600 in Phase 3, around $2,500 in Phase 2 and about $7,300 as Emerald. Below is how each phase looks, which items have the finish and what each phase costs across knives.
Where Gamma Doppler Appears
Gamma Doppler knives first appeared in 2016 in the Gamma Case and Gamma 2 Case, which gave the finish to the Karambit, Bayonet, M9 Bayonet, Flip Knife and Gut Knife. Later, the Operation Riptide Case (2021) and the Dreams & Nightmares Case (2022) added it to the Butterfly Knife, Falchion Knife, Bowie Knife, Huntsman Knife and Shadow Daggers. On knives the finish exists only in Factory New and Minimal Wear, and StatTrak versions exist too. How the colors fall on the blade depends on the pattern index, so copies of the same phase still look different.
The finish also exists on a firearm: the Glock-18 | Gamma Doppler from the 2021 Train Collection. It comes in all five wears from Factory New to Battle-Scarred, with no StatTrak but with Souvenir versions. That sets Gamma Doppler apart from the regular Doppler, which is knife-only. For a full comparison of the two finishes and Fades, see Fade vs Doppler in CS2, and the phase logic of both finishes is covered in our piece on phases in Doppler and Gamma Doppler.
Gamma Doppler Phase 1
Phase 1 is the darkest: the blade shows a lot of black and dark green. Under CS2 lighting, turquoise and blue areas and a purple-to-blue transition stand out more, so the blade now shows nearly every color in the Gamma Doppler texture. Phase 1 usually prices in line with Phases 3 and 4: a Factory New Karambit | Gamma Doppler Phase 1 sells for about $1,800.
Gamma Doppler Phase 2
Phase 2 is close to the opposite of Phase 1. There are no sharp contrasts: the entire surface is a mix of bright neon green and turquoise. Because its look is the closest to Emerald, Phase 2 is the priciest of the four phases on almost every knife. The gap is real: the Karambit | Gamma Doppler Phase 2 costs around $2,500 versus about $1,600 for Phase 3, and the M9 Bayonet about $1,600 versus $1,100 to $1,200 for the other phases.
Gamma Doppler Phase 3
Phase 3 mixes green with a sea-green shade of turquoise. There is almost no black on the blade, and the borders between colored areas are fairly sharp. Phase 3 is often the most affordable: the Karambit | Gamma Doppler Phase 3 costs about $1,600.
Gamma Doppler Phase 4
Phase 4 is similar in color to Phase 3. The main difference is softer transitions between turquoise and green, without hard borders. Price-wise it usually sits next to Phases 1 and 3: about $1,600 for a Karambit and about $1,100 for an M9 Bayonet.
Gamma Doppler Emerald
The rarest and most expensive version of Gamma Doppler knives and the Glock-18 is Emerald. It looks sharply different from the four phases: the whole surface is a deep, solid green. Emerald costs three to four times as much as a regular phase: the Karambit | Gamma Doppler Emerald and the Butterfly Knife cost about $7,300 to $7,400 in Factory New, and the M9 Bayonet about $6,400. The cheapest way into the color is the Glock-18 | Gamma Doppler Emerald, at around $200 in Field-Tested.
Gamma Doppler Prices by Phase
Approximate LIS-SKINS prices for regular (non-StatTrak) Factory New copies. Prices change daily, and a strong pattern within a phase can sell higher.
| Weapon | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 | Emerald |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karambit | ~$1,800 | ~$2,500 | ~$1,600 | ~$1,600 | ~$7,300 |
| Butterfly Knife | ~$1,800 | ~$2,300 | ~$1,700 | ~$1,800 | ~$7,400 |
| M9 Bayonet | ~$1,200 | ~$1,600 | ~$1,200 | ~$1,100 | ~$6,400 |
| Bayonet | ~$470 | ~$640 | ~$450 | ~$470 | ~$1,600 |
| Flip Knife | ~$380 | ~$440 | ~$380 | ~$380 | ~$1,300 |
| Gut Knife | ~$140 | ~$150 | ~$160 | ~$150 | ~$430 |
| Shadow Daggers | ~$90 | ~$90 | ~$90 | ~$95 | ~$180 |
| Glock-18 | ~$90 | ~$110 | ~$95 | ~$95 | ~$380 |
The cheapest Gamma Doppler knife is the Shadow Daggers | Gamma Doppler: any of the four phases costs about $90 to $95.
How to Identify the Phase and Get a Gamma Doppler Knife
The phase is written in the item name on the market, for example "Gamma Doppler Phase 2" or "Gamma Doppler Emerald", and each phase has its own LIS-SKINS page with its own price.
Phase and pattern do not depend on float. Wear only affects scratches, while the color layout is set when the item is created and never changes.
Gamma Doppler knives still drop from the Gamma, Gamma 2, Operation Riptide and Dreams & Nightmares cases, but the chance of any knife from a case is about 0.26%, and the phase is random. More on the options is in how to get knives in CS2.
Since October 2025 a knife can be crafted with a trade-up of five Covert skins, but the result is random as well. The complete guide to crafting knives and gloves explains how it works.
If you want a specific phase, buying the knife directly is the cheaper route. To compare Gamma Doppler with other finishes and models, see our overview of all CS2 knives.
FAQ
Which Gamma Doppler phase is the most expensive?
Emerald is the most expensive variant. Among the four regular phases, Phase 2 costs the most on nearly every popular knife because it is the greenest and closest to Emerald.
How is Gamma Doppler different from Doppler?
Regular Doppler phases use red, blue, purple and black tones, and its rare variants are Ruby, Sapphire and Black Pearl. Gamma Doppler is built on green and turquoise, and it has one rare variant, Emerald. Gamma Doppler also exists on the Glock-18, while Doppler is knife-only.
Does float affect the Gamma Doppler phase?
No. The phase and color layout do not depend on float. Gamma Doppler knives come only in Factory New and Minimal Wear, so wear is barely visible on them.
What is the cheapest Gamma Doppler knife?
The Shadow Daggers: any phase in Factory New costs about $90 to $95, and Emerald about $180. Among single-blade knives the Gut Knife is the cheapest, from about $140.
