Volumetric textures show best on skins with engraving and relief artwork. In this roundup those are Glock-18 | Ironwork, M4A1-S | Basilisk, AWP | Black Nile, Desert Eagle | Corinthian and AK-47 | Cartel. When the game moved to Source 2, the new lighting brought out the relief in these designs, and they look almost three-dimensional when you inspect them. All of them are affordable: from under a dollar for the Desert Eagle to about $45 for a Factory New AK-47.
For each skin below you will find what makes its design stand out in CS2, where it drops and what it costs on LIS-SKINS. Dual pistols have a similar effect too, for example Royal Consorts from our list of the best Dual Berettas skins.
Glock-18 | Ironwork
On the old engine, the Glock-18 Ironwork did not look like much. Its main feature is the silvery floral ornament on the top of the slide. Previously, the drawing seemed almost flat, but in CS2 the volumetric effect is much more noticeable. The light pattern stands out beautifully against a dark background, making the skin noticeable and recognizable. And since the design uses only a few colors, a wide range of stickers will look great on it.
This Mil-Spec skin drops from the Glove Case and comes in all five wears and in StatTrak. Worn copies cost under a dollar, Minimal Wear about $3 and Factory New around $35.
M4A1-S Basilisk
This skin received relatively minor improvements with the release of CS2, but they made its design more expressive. The colors of the M4A1-S Basilisk have become more saturated, which means the contrast between dark and light areas has increased. As a result, the engraved basilisk on the body has become much more visible, especially on variants with low levels of wear. Some players still prefer copies with a higher float, since more wear does not distort the design but only darkens it.
This Restricted skin from the Operation Vanguard Weapon Case comes in all wears (float 0 to 0.68) and in StatTrak. The regular version costs about $7 in Field-Tested and around $25 in Factory New. For more options on this rifle see the best M4A1-S skins.
AWP Black Nile
One way to create a three-dimensional effect is to use contour lines that connect points of the same height, as on a topographic map. That is how the design of the AWP Black Nile works. The skin arrived in 2023 with The Anubis Collection, and its design uses only two colors. The lines on its surface are not just an abstract ornament, though. They reproduce a topographic map of the Nile, Egypt's main river. When you inspect it in CS2, the volumetric effect is clearly visible.
Black Nile has no StatTrak version but comes in all five wears. It is one of the most affordable AWP skins with this kind of design: about $2 in Field-Tested and around $15 in Factory New.
Desert Eagle Corinthian
Another popular engraved skin benefits noticeably from the new lighting system. In recent years, the popularity of this skin has gradually declined, but in CS2 the Desert Eagle Corinthian is drawing attention again. Its price is also very low: this Revolver Case skin costs under a dollar in the regular version and about $4 in StatTrak Factory New. It comes in Factory New through Well-Worn, with no Battle-Scarred.
AK-47 Cartel
In the design of the AK-47 Cartel volumetric textures are used only on some elements of the body, but they are worked out to the smallest detail. In contrast with the wooden stock and part of the body, the thin volumetric engraving with motifs from Mexican folklore looks even more interesting.
This Classified skin from the Chroma Case comes in all wears and in StatTrak. It is the most expensive pick here: about $15 in Field-Tested and around $45 in Factory New, with StatTrak Factory New at about $95.
You may like some of the skins on this list, or you may want to add other notable designs to your inventory. If you are not sure what to look at before buying, see our guide on how to choose a skin in CS2. All the skins above are available on LIS-SKINS.
