The best cheap CS2 skins for popular weapons cost anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars: a Factory New SG 553 | Ol' Rusty runs about $0.3, the AK-47 | Uncharted starts at $0.5, the M4A1-S | Nitro is around $0.4, and the AWP | PAW and AWP | Exoskeleton start at $2 to $3. Below are the cheapest finishes first, then affordable but interesting picks for the M4A1-S, AK-47, AWP, Desert Eagle and Dual Berettas.
One caveat up front: AWP skins cost more, so you will not find the very cheapest skins on that rifle. Still, $2 or $3 can buy a good-looking finish: low-rarity skins include plenty of well-made, detailed designs, and price is driven mostly by rarity and demand, not by the quality of the artwork.
Top cheap skins
This selection includes 3 budget skins, each costing about a dollar or less in Factory New:
In 3rd place is the AUG | Spalted Wood, which also exists as a Souvenir. The stock and lower body look as if they were treated with wood stain, giving unusual color shifts from dark green to light yellow. Factory New costs just over a dollar, Field-Tested about $0.7.
Silver goes to the G3SG1 | Orange Crash for the auto-sniper. A simple pattern in a dark orange, like the glow of Mars in a starry sky, gives the weapon a menacing look for about $0.5 in top quality, while worn copies cost around $0.3.
Gold goes to the cheapest skin in the selection, the SG 553 | Ol' Rusty from the Fracture Case. If you don't like the AK-47 on the T side, this rifle is a solid alternative. The rust on the barrel, handguard and stock has a warm bronze tone, and red graffiti stands out on the middle of the rifle. Every wear, Factory New included, costs about $0.2 to $0.3.
For more options, see our list of the best skins under $1.
M4A1-S
One of the most popular silenced CT rifles kept its fans even after Valve cut its firepower, and there are several cheap skins for it.
The first finish that comes to mind is the M4A1-S | Flashback from the Glove Case. Depending on wear it costs about $3 to $8, while Factory New is much pricier at around $100. The design mixes green with black on the handguard and adds rust on the silencer, and the hippie slogan "Make love not war" is painted in white on the rifle.
The second finish, the M4A1-S | Nitro, is even cheaper: Field-Tested costs about $0.4, Minimal Wear about $1 and Factory New about $10. It suits fans of minimalism, with just two colors, black and orange, and no patterns or graffiti. More budget picks are in our guide to the best cheap M4A1-S skins.
AK-47
The AK-47 is one of the most popular guns in the game alongside the AWP, so cheap skins that still look striking are scarce. The options below fit a modest budget.
The first one worth a look is the AK-47 | Elite Build. It costs $1 to $3 depending on wear, with Factory New around $8. The skin is simple: black and gray with orange accents.
Another good cheap AK skin is the AK-47 | Uncharted, which layers interwoven tribal patterns over the default finish. It costs roughly $0.5 to $0.7, with Factory New around $2. More options are in our list of budget AK-47 skins.
AWP
Let's start with a good-looking finish made of shiny metal plates with skulls on them: the AWP | Exoskeleton from the Operation Broken Fang Case. Besides its looks it has another plus: the dark blue and black colors don't catch the eye. Worn copies cost about $3 to $4, Minimal Wear about $10 and Factory New about $35.
If you like finishes with lots of bright colors, consider the AWP | Mortis. It has a dinosaur head on a chessboard, red ribbon-like stripes and a surreal Grim Reaper with a scythe on the stock. It looks like a skin worth dozens of dollars, yet worn copies cost about $4 and Factory New about $10.
And of course there is the cartoonish AWP | PAW, whose designer covered the whole rifle with dogs and cats. It is cheaper than the Mortis: from $2, with Factory New around $7. Other affordable sniper options are in our guide to budget sniper rifle skins in CS2.
Desert Eagle
This pistol drops opponents even at long range. It is one of the best-known pistols in the game and probably Nikola "Niko" Kovač's least favorite: in the 2021 Stockholm Major final, at map point on Nuke, he missed s1mple twice with it at the decisive moment.
The Deagle has plenty of cheap skins. Take the Desert Eagle | The Bronze: bronze paint with patterns of random numbers. Simple and effective at about $2 in Minimal Wear and Field-Tested, although Factory New costs around $20.
The next skin is easy to call stylish, and fans of black will like it. The pistol carries a thin, barely visible gold pattern that resembles a crystal lattice. The finish is not very popular, so it helps you stand out on a server. This is the Desert Eagle | Meteorite, which costs about a dollar in each of its three available wears, Factory New included. More picks are in our list of the best cheap Desert Eagle skins.
Dual Berettas
The dual pistols are a common pistol-round pick, and there is no shortage of cheap, good-looking skins for them.
A budget standout is the Dual Berettas | Cobalt Quartz, with a deep blue tone and an intricate lattice pattern. Factory New costs about $0.6, Field-Tested about $0.25.
Another good cheap skin is the fiery Dual Berettas | Panther. Its red shade is a little reminiscent of the famous Crimson Web, only less saturated. It costs about $3 to $4, with Factory New around $6.
Probably the most interesting cheap Berettas skin is the Dual Berettas | Dualing Dragons. The key detail is not the dragon texture but the wood-grain grips, which look like the wood trim in a luxury car. Prices run from $0.3 for worn copies to about $3 in Factory New.
Every skin in this article is available on the LIS-SKINS market, where you can sort listings by price. Prices are approximate and change daily. For a similar selection with other skins, see our best cheap skins for CS:GO.
