Counter-Strike 2: Top 10 cheap CS2 knife skins that still look great

In the sea of cosmetics for Counter-Strike 2, one item category stands out: The knife. These coveted items have been known to reach astronomic prices due to their rarity and attractive looks—but cheap options do exist.

We’ve compiled a list of the 10 best cheap CS2 knives that are perfect for any inventory and won’t have you digging deep into the wallet to obtain.

Best cheap knife skins in CS2

A good knife in CS2 tends to cost a ton. The average price of a solid knife is around $200 USD, and the items are subject to volatile pricing—wait too long and supply will dry up, driving the price to the moon.

Nevertheless, we still found a selection of good-looking knife skins in CS2 that will fill the void in your heart and your inventory and allow you to show off a little flair and style in your collection.

10. Shadow Daggers | Black Laminate (Battle-Scarred)

The Shadow Daggers are one of the more unique knife skins in CS2. Instead of sporting a single blade, the player is given two oddly shaped daggers with unique animations and a lot of flair. As the item’s description says, “using a push dagger is as simple as throwing a punch or two,” and so is being flashy with them.

Naturally, these daggers are among the most expensive skins in the game—but also among the cheapest. The Black Laminate Battle-Scarred version does indeed look a bit rundown, but the unique wavy and trippy patterns are fantastic on them, and it’ll only cost you about $70 which is a steal for any knife, but especially the Shadow Daggers.

9. Navaja Knife | Rust Coat (Battle-Scarred)

The Navaja Knife is largely similar to the default knife or flip knife in CS2, particularly with inspect and withdraw animations, but that’s where the similarities end. With the Rust Coat applied, the Navaja Knife allows you to embrace your inner killer, sneak up on enemies, and stab them in the back with its rusty blade.

Its name and its rusted blade are also reminiscent of desert sands boiling under the sun (just like Dust 2, for example). For a Battle-Scarred rendition, the Navaja Knife Rust Coat looks awesome, and to hell with the recycled animations when it costs a meager $65.

8. Paracord Knife | Scorched (Battle-Scarred)

With the Paracord Knife, you feel like you’re the protagonist of Far Cry, or at the very least Lara Croft, who has got her hands on scrap metal and some rope and created a lethal weapon.

The rough shape of the Paracord Knife Scorched only adds to the knife’s feral flair, alongside its considerable size. Big knives have always been attractive options in CS2 and often fetch steep prices, but not this one— the Scorched Battle-Scarred edition can be obtained for about $75.

7. Survival Knife | Boreal Forest (Battle-Scarred)

The Boreal Forest knife renditions often go cheap, and I never understood why. The green, militaristic hue makes the weapons feel much more real than any of the other flashy, sometimes fantasy-level designs.

The Survival Knife is particularly fittingly paired with the Boreal Forest camouflage and breathes a wild, jungle aesthetic. Its appearance is perfect for maps like Ancient or Aztec (if Valve ever decides to revive the iconic map) with their swamps, rain, and vines all around. Its price is wild, too, going for about $80.

6. Shadow Daggers | Autotronic (Field-Tested)

All right, hear me out: this is probably the best sub-$100 dollar CS2 knife skin you can buy right now. For the low, low price of $95, you get a knife with all the flair of an extremely expensive skin, and people are bound to look at your profile and marvel at it.

Honestly, I can’t understand why the Autotronic version of the Shadow Daggers skin is priced so low. The matte red finish and the subtle reflections around the edges are so nice that it certainly deserves a higher price range. Nevertheless, it’s best if you grab it while you can since I don’t foresee its low pricing lasting long, especially if you’re going for a red color-coordinated loadout.

5. Bowie Knife | Freehand (Field-Tested)

The Bowie Knife has a good reputation in pop culture, going back decades to the good ol’ John Rambo. The Rambo movies established the Bowie as the key weapon of the big badass military action hero, and you can be one in CS2 by simply getting one. The Bowie Knives are usually pretty expensive, but they don’t have to be.

The Field-Tested Freehand rendition costs about $115 on a good day and it looks pretty damn impressive. The squiggly drawings and the purple coloring add a ton of character to the knife, and given its size, you get plenty of skin to show off. I think it’s one of the better deals you could get in the CS2 knife market.

4. Huntsman Knife | Black Laminate (Well-Worn)

The Huntsman Knife was originally considered the alternative to the Bowie Knife, though it’s a bit smaller than its counterpart. Smaller here means shorter, but the blade is no less thick than the Bowie, and it has a very imposing appearance when observed from the first-person perspective.

The Huntsman Knife Black Laminate Well-Worn edition has a beautiful handle and a coal-black blade and is a real shower. For its price, hovering about $130, there are seldom other knives that can compete, and I think it’s certainly up there next to the Autotronic Shadow Daggers in terms of value.

3. Classic Knife | Boreal Forest (Field-Tested)

Invoking feelings of the olden days, when Counter-Strike was but a novelty in the FPS genre, the Classic Knife is one of the game’s most iconic and best-looking knives. It looks militaristic and gritty and, above all, brings out a tear of nostalgia for a bygone age.

The Boreal Forest camo makes the Classic Knife look more like it did in CS 1.6, and though the Field-Tested version is a bit scuffed, it nonetheless retains the classic CS feel—and it’s only $110. I’d even say that the scuff adds character to the knife, and it’d make no sense for a melee combat weapon to be in pristine condition. This one, I’d like to think, was used in ancient 35hp arenas before being discovered by a CS2 agent. The headcannon is strong here.

2. Gut Knife | Autotronic (Battle-Scarred)

The Gut Knife has never enjoyed the same popularity or admiration from the player base as the other knives. It was often considered too expensive to be worth it when you could spend the same amount of money to get a better-looking knife—but that statement is far from the truth in reality.

The Gut Knife, though crude-looking and used for fishing, still emits dread and fear and is a pretty lethal weapon. It looks good, has a literal hook on its end, and some of its editions are awesome—such as the Autotronic.

The one we’re looking at here, the Battle-Scarred Gut Knife Autotronic, goes for about $138, and never mind its Battle-Scarred label. There is no scuff to be seen; the colors are striking, and the handle is master craftsmanship, so if you’re looking to invest in an affordable knife, this is one of the better options out there.

1. Bowie Knife | Lore (Battle-Scarred)

Take a good, long look at the image above. Take in the details, the runic markings, the flaming yellow mixed with spatters of rust and scuff from prolonged usage in a forgotten mythical battlefield. Now, imagine yourself owning it—and image owning it for $130.

That’s the Battle-Scarred Bowie Knife Lore that, in my opinion, looks superior to the Factory New edition. The wear and tear of the blade implies usage and adds more character to it, similar to the Classic knife, only here it also amplifies the looks with discoloration. The markings are completely intact and unaffected by the wear, which is a key feature here, and all of it combined creates an awe-inspiring weapon of war.