The most expensive knife in CS:GO and CS2 history is considered to be a Karambit | Case Hardened in Factory New with pattern 387 and a float of about 0.048. It is a so-called Blue Gem with an almost entirely blue blade: according to ohnePixel, its owner turned down a $1.2 million offer in 2021. A regular Karambit with this finish costs about $660 in Battle-Scarred to about $1,550 in Factory New on LIS-SKINS, so nearly all of the record copy's value comes from its pattern.
Among knives you can actually buy right now, the leader on LIS-SKINS is different: a StatTrak Karambit | Doppler Black Pearl in Factory New sells for around $17,000. Below is the story of the record Karambit, the biggest knife deals, and the most expensive knives on the market in 2026.
Why is this copy so valuable? The Case Hardened finish has 1,000 pattern variations (indexes 0 to 999), and only a handful produce a blade that is almost completely blue. A knife or gloves drop from a case with a chance of about 0.26%, roughly once in 385 openings, and the specific model, finish, pattern, and Factory New wear make the odds of unboxing this exact copy vanishingly small. The Karambit #387's price is therefore set not by cases but by what a particular collector is willing to pay.
According to the community, the current owner goes by the nickname Newb Rage. His real name has not been disclosed. He reportedly acquired the Karambit in 2016 for about $100,000.
What It Is Worth Today
Counter-Strike skin experts, including ohnePixel, valued the knife at around $800,000 in August 2021. They pointed to the following price factors:
a very rare, almost fully blue pattern;
Factory New condition;
an extremely low float;
a popular model: the Karambit remains one of the most sought-after knives;
a vanishingly small chance of unboxing such a copy.
Together, these factors put its price in a different league from ordinary knives.
The high price tag has not scared buyers off. According to ohnePixel, who acted as the intermediary, Newb Rage received a $1,200,000 offer in September 2021 but declined: he wanted $1,500,000 for the Karambit. The buyer would not go to one and a half million, and the deal fell through.
Had it gone through, it would have been one of the largest skin deals in the game's history. Similar valuations are mentioned for another record holder with the same finish, covered in our article on the most expensive skin in CS2, the AK-47 Case Hardened #661.
The Biggest Knife Sale in CS:GO
Once again it is a Case Hardened Karambit, this time without the unique 387 pattern and with higher wear than the $1.2 million knife. Copies like this are called Blue Gems because pure blue covers most of the blade's front side. Karambits with blue on at least half of the blade are especially prized.
As usual, the parties to the deal were not named. All that is known is that it went through a Chinese marketplace, so one or both sides were most likely from China. The Karambit reportedly sold for about $120,000.
The Most Expensive CS2 Knife Currently for Sale
The skin market moves every day, so the priciest knife on sale can change at any moment. On top of that, ultra-rare copies like the Karambit #387 almost never get listed on marketplaces: deals of that size happen privately, through intermediaries and middlemen.
Among knives that are available on the market, the top of the range belongs to the Doppler gems: Black Pearl, Ruby, and Emerald. On LIS-SKINS they cost about $7,000 to $17,000, while most knives sell for hundreds of dollars or a few thousand.
The most expensive non-StatTrak knife right now is the Butterfly Knife | Doppler Black Pearl in Factory New, at around $15,500. When this article was first published, the leader was the Butterfly Knife | Doppler Ruby with its deep red blade: it cost $7,700 back then and now goes for about $10,500 in Factory New.
| Knife | Wear | Price on LIS-SKINS |
|---|---|---|
| StatTrak Karambit | Doppler Black Pearl | Factory New | ~$17,000 |
| Butterfly Knife | Doppler Black Pearl | Factory New | ~$15,500 |
| Butterfly Knife | Doppler Ruby | Factory New | ~$10,500 |
| Karambit | Doppler Black Pearl | Factory New | ~$8,350 |
| M9 Bayonet | Doppler Ruby | Factory New | ~$7,450 |
| Karambit | Doppler Ruby | Factory New | ~$7,350 |
The full ranking of expensive knife and finish combinations with current prices is in our article on the most expensive knives in CS2.
The Most Expensive Knife on LIS-SKINS
Once again, it is a Karambit. In practice, only the Karambit and the Butterfly Knife compete for the title of the most expensive knife in Counter-Strike.
The Karambit stands out for its look: a curved knife of Asian origin whose shape resembles a tiger's claw. Many players also like how the models hold it in a reverse grip, which looks distinctive and instantly recognizable.
The Butterfly Knife's strength is its animations: the flashy flip-open when you draw it and a detailed inspect.
Even so, the Karambit holds on to the title of the most expensive knife, including on LIS-SKINS.
Our number one knife right now is the StatTrak Karambit | Doppler Black Pearl in Factory New, at around $17,000. The Doppler finish comes only in Factory New and Minimal Wear (float 0 to 0.08), and knives with it dropped from the Chroma, Chroma 2, and Chroma 3 cases.
Previously, our top spot belonged to a Karambit | Doppler Ruby in Factory New with a float of 0.0689828. At the time of writing it cost $5,300; today the same knife costs about $7,350.
If you want to explore other models, an overview of every knife with price ranges is in our guide to all CS2 knives. On a tighter budget, start with our list of the cheapest knives in CS2: the most affordable knives cost around $35.
Interesting Facts About the Most Expensive Knives
First. One of the best-known early deals was the sale of an M9 Bayonet | Crimson Web in Factory New. According to the community, on April 23, 2014, the knife sold for $23,850, at a time when knives usually cost a few hundred dollars. Today a Factory New M9 Bayonet | Crimson Web costs about $4,500 on LIS-SKINS, while more worn copies with this finish start at about $400.
Second. Vanilla knives with no finish in CS2 often cost more than their real-world counterparts. A vanilla Karambit costs about $950 on LIS-SKINS and a vanilla M9 Bayonet about $720, while real knives of the same shape usually cost several times less.
Third. Since October 2025, knives can be obtained not only from cases but also through a trade-up contract: 5 Covert skins (all normal or all StatTrak) give a random knife or gloves from those skins' collections. How it works is explained in our complete guide to crafting knives and gloves in CS2. It does not bring record patterns like #387 any closer, though: the pattern and float are still random.
FAQ
What is the most expensive knife in CS2?
The most expensive is considered to be a Factory New Karambit | Case Hardened with pattern 387: it drew a $1.2 million offer in 2021. Among knives openly for sale on LIS-SKINS, the priciest is the StatTrak Karambit | Doppler Black Pearl at around $17,000.
How much does the most expensive knife in CS2 cost?
The Karambit #387 has no exact price: it has not changed hands since 2016, and the owner rejected a $1.2 million offer. The most expensive knives you can buy on the market cost about $7,000 to $17,000.
What is the cheapest knife in CS2?
The most affordable options, such as Shadow Daggers and the Navaja Knife with simple finishes in worn conditions, cost around $35 on LIS-SKINS.
Why does the Karambit cost more than other knives?
The Karambit combines a recognizable shape, a reverse grip, and striking animations, so demand for it stays consistently higher. With the same finish and wear, it usually costs more than most other models, and only the Butterfly Knife can compete with it on price.
