VALORANT skins tier list: Best to worst

While VALORANT skins are technically supposed only to play a visual role, players strongly believe they are more than just eye candy—and for good reason. But not all of them are built to impress, so we’ve prepared a VALORANT skins tier list to help you choose the best.

Phantom and Vandal may be the most popular VALORANT guns, but let’s not forget Riot’s generosity while designing the tac shooter’s weaponry. From unpredictable pistols to machine guns that are guaranteed to tilt your enemies if not kill them, the Buy Menu has it all. That said, the default skin on these weapons has little to no flair and doesn’t sound good either, which brings the need to slap on purchasable skins to make it an attractive experience. 

If you’re looking to build a great inventory full of popular skins, we’ve listed skins for every weapon in VALORANT, from best to worst, below. Feel free to pick what suits you, and like always, don’t be afraid to be bold with your choices.

VALORANT knife (melee) skins tier list

There are over 100 melee skins in VALORANT, all flaunting their own flair. Choosing which ones to purchase from such a huge collection can be confusing, but our tier list below should help.

S-tier	Reaver Karambit, Terminus A Quo, Kuronami no Yaiba, Onimaru Kunitsuna, RGX 11x Pro Blade, RGX 11x Pro Firefly, Waveform, Xenohunter Knife
A-tier	Aperture Stiletto, Evori’s Spellcaster, Forsaken Ritual Blade, Ignite Fan, Blades of Imperium, Ion Karambit, Mystbloom Kunai, Prime//2.0 Karambit, Radiant Crisis 001 Baseball Bat, Recon Balisong, Blade of the Ruined King, Eternal Sovereign, Prosperity & Demise, VALORANT GO! Vol. 1 Jett Kunai, VCT LOCK//IN Misericórdia, Powerfist, Ruyi Staff
B-tier	Celestial Fan, Champions 2022 Butterfly Knife, Champions 2024 Blade, Luna’s Descent, Luxe Knife, Overdrive Blade, Reaver Knife, RGX 11x Pro Karambit, Relic Stone Daggers, Singularity Butterfly Knife, Winterwunderland Candy Cane, Wonderstallion Hammer, XERØFANG Knife
C-tier	Black.Market Butterfly Knife, Champions 2021 Karambit, Equilibrium, Magepunk Sparkswitch, Neo Frontier Axe, Personal Administrative Melee Unit, Singularity Knife, Sovereign Sword, Yoru’s Stylish Butterfly Comb
D-tier	Blade of Aemondir, Araxys Bio Harvester, BlastX Knife, Doombringer Battleaxe, Gaia’s Fury, Gaia’s Wrath, Glitchpop Dagger, Glitchpop Axe, Ion Energy Sword, Nocturnum Scythe, Blade of Chaos, Blades of Primordia, Blade of Serket, Relic of the Sentinel, Hu Else, Titanmail Mace, Hack & Slash,
E-tier	Chromedek Gauntlet, Crimsonbeast Hammer, Cryostasis Impact Drill, Elderflame Dagger, Fortune’s Scepter, Gravitational Uranium Neuroblaster Baton, Magepunk Electroblade, Magepunk Shock Gauntlet, Neptune Anchor, Catrina, Oni Claw, Origin Crescent Blade, Prime Axe, Reverie Sword, Snowfall Wand, Soulstrife Scythe, Spline Dagger,
F-tier	Caeruleus, Altitude Knuckle Knife, Champions 2023 Kunai, Ego Knife, Daydreams Crowbar, Emberclad Hammer, MK.VII Liberty Combat Knife, Nebula Knife, Intergrade Blade, Kaimana, NO LIMITS Bat, Orion Sword, Prism Knife, Smite Knife, Switchback Ascender

Pick anything from the S-tier or A-tier and you should be good to go. If you’re in a mood to experiment, don’t be afraid to check the ones rated B and C; those melee skins ain’t bad, they are just quirky. Or, just check out our recommendations above. For a full list of VALORANT melee skins, check out our guide.

VALORANT Vandal skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are a total of 75 Vandal skins in VALORANT:

• 55 Store skins
• 20 battle pass skins

Here’s a tier list for all Vandal skins released in the Store.

S-tier	Champions 2021, Prime, Forsaken, Gaia’s Vengeance, Kuronami, Reaver, Araxys, RGX 11z Pro
A-tier	Overdrive, Neptune, Champions 2023, ChronoVoid, Evori Dreamwings, Imperium, Valiant Hero
B-tier	XERØFANG, Sentinels of Light, Prelude to Chaos, Aemondir, Glitchpop
C-tier	Cryostasis, Ion, Elderflame, Singularity, Magepunk, Oni, Origin, Primordium
D-tier	Luna, Black.Market, Crimsonbeast, Ego, Holumoku, Horizon, Sakura, Tethered Realms
E-tier	Altitude, NO LIMITS, Sarmad, Team Ace, Titanmail, VALORANT GO! Vol. 2, Wonderstallion
F-tier	Avalanche, Aristocrat, Endeavour, Luxe, MK.VII Liberty, Nunca Olvidados, Orion, Prism II, Sensation, Silvanus, Wasteland, Winterwunderland

Best expensive Vandal skins in VALORANT

Check out this list of Vandal skins if you don’t have a budget restriction:

1. Kuronami
2. Araxys
3. Imperium
4. RGX 11z Pro
5. Overdrive
6. Prelude to Chaos
7. Evori Dreamwings

Best cheap Vandal skins in VALORANT

These are the best Vandal skins priced at 1,775 VP or below:

1. Reaver
2. Forsaken
3. Gaia’s Vengeance
4. Prime
5. Valiant Hero
6. Neptune
7. Luna

VALORANT Phantom skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are a total of 76 Phantom skins in VALORANT:

• 56 Store skins
• 20 battle pass skins

Here’s a tier list for all Phantom skins released in the Store.

S-tier	Oni, Recon, Ion, Champions 2024, Reaver, Sovereign, Neo Frontier
A-tier	Radiant Entertainment System, Spectrum, Mystbloom, BlastX, Champions 2022, ChronoVoid, Doombringer, Protocol 781-A
B-tier	Gaia’s Vengeance, Singularity, Ruination, Glitchpop, Prime//2.0, Radiant Crisis 001
C-tier	Magepunk, Nocturnum, Primordium, RGX 11z Pro, Sentinels of Light
D-tier	Kohaku & Matsuba, Soulstrife, Xenohunter
E-tier	Celestial, Daydreams, Doodle Buds, Minima, Reverie, Sarmad, Spline, Switchback, VALORANT GO! Vol. 1, Abyssal
F-tier	Aperture, Avalanche, Chromedek, Emberclad, Fortune’s Hand, Galleria, Nebula, Orion, Prism, Rush, Silvanus, Smite, Snowfall, Team Ace, Tigris, Undercity, Winterwunderland

Best expensive Phantom skins in VALORANT

If you don’t mind spending some extra cash, check out these Phantom skins:

1. Radiant Entertainment System
2. Spectrum
3. Neo Frontier
4. Protocol 781-A
5. Doombringer
6. Mystbloom
7. Singularity

Best cheap Phantom skins in VALORANT

Don’t miss out on these Phantom skins priced 1,775 VP or below:

1. Recon
2. Ion
3. Oni
4. Sovereign
5. Reaver
6. Kohaku & Matsuba
7. Radiant Crisis 001

VALORANT Guardian skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are a total of 47 Guardian skins in VALORANT:

• 24 Store skins
• 23 battle pass skins

Find a tier list for all Guardian skins released in Store, below.

S-tier	Reaver, Gaia’s Vengeance, Spectrum
A-tier	Sovereign, Neptune, Prime
B-tier	Ruination, Recon, Oni, Magepunk, RGX 11z Pro
C-tier	Soulstrife, Ego,
D-tier	Abyssal, Intergrade, Reverie, Tethered Realms, VALORANT GO! Vol. 1, Wonderstallion
E-tier	Galleria, Infantry, MK.VII Liberty, Fortune’s Hand

Best Guardian skins, cheap and expensive, in VALORANT

There aren’t many Guardian skins in VALORANT, so we’ve compiled the best ones in a single list and marked the ones priced above 1,775 VP. Choose according to your budget. 

1. Gaia’s Vengeance
2. Sovereign
3. Spectrum (2,675 VP)
4. Reaver
5. Prime

VALORANT Bulldog skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are 46 Bulldog skins in VALORANT:

• 22 Store skins
• 24 battle pass skins

Below is the tier list featuring all Bulldog skins released in Store.

S-tier	Glitchpop, Radiant Entertainment System, Protocol 781-A, Spectrum
A-tier	Oni, Cryostasis, Araxys, Aemondir, Nocturnum
B-tier	Black.Market
C-tier	Aperture, Aristocrat, Emberclad, Holomoku, Horizon, NO LIMITS
D-tier	Rush, Undercity, Nunca Olvidados, Endeavour, Convex, Chromedek

With just 22 Bulldog Store skins in hand, we’ve compiled a list of the best you can get and marked the ones priced over 1,775 VP to help with your budget:

1. Glitchpop (2,175 VP)
2. Radiant Entertainment System (2,975 VP)
3. Protocol 781-A (2,475 VP)
4. Spectrum (2,675 VP)
5. Oni

VALORANT Operator skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are a total of 48 Operator skins in VALORANT:

• 33 Store skins
• 15 battle pass skins

Below is a tier list for all Operator skins released in the Store so far.

S-tier	Forsaken, Reaver, Araxys, Ion, Mystbloom, Imperium
A-tier	Gravitational Uranium Nueroblaster, Elderflame, Prelude to Chaos, Radiant Entertainment System, Sentinels of Light
B-tier	RGX 11z Pro, Valiant Hero, Kohaku & Matsuba, Cryostasis, Glitchpop, Origin
C-tier	Convex, Daydreams, Minima, Spline, Tethered Realms, VALORANT GO! Vol. 2
D-tier	Endeavour, Infantry, Intergrade, Luxe, MK.VII Liberty, Prism, Silvanus, Team Ace, Tigris

Best expensive Operator skins in VALORANT

Go for these Operator skins if you want expensive: 

1. Araxys
2. Mystbloom
3. Radiant Entertainment System
4. Elderflame
5. Imperium

Best cheap Operator skins in VALORANT

If you don’t want to spend much or are looking for a minimalistic Operator skin, these are the best options:

1. Ion
2. Gravitational Uranium Neuroblaster
3. Kohaku & Matsuba
4. Spline
5. Reaver

VALORANT Marshal skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are a total of 37 Marshal skins in VALORANT:

• 17 Store skins
• 20 battle pass skins

Here’s a tier list of all Marshal skins released in Store that you can refer to:

S-tier	Sovereign, Neo Frontier
A-tier	Gaia’s Vengeance, Kuronami, Nocturnum
B-tier	Magepunk
C-tier	Luna, Reverie, Doodle Buds, Black.Market, Crimsonbeast, Switchback
D-tier	Avalanche, Chromedek, Galleria, Wasteland, Winterwunderland

What Marshal skins to pick in VALORANT

If you’re looking to add a Marshal skin to your inventory, we recommend choosing from these options first before going on to others: 

1. Neo Frontier
2. Sovereign
3. Gaia’s Vengeance

VALORANT Outlaw skins tier list

Unlike other weapons in VALORANT, Outlaw was added to the weaponry in Episode Eight, Act One. Naturally, there are only a handful of skins available for the double-barreled sniper rifle as of Episode Nine, Act Three, eight to be precise:

1. Five Store skins
2. Three battle pass skins

Here’s a tier list to help you make the choice for Outlaw: 

S-tier	RGX 11z Pro
A-tier	Ego, Aperture
“Don’t pick these” tier	Prism//Reloaded, Holomoku

Riot will add more skins for the Outlaw with time, so we’ll expand the tier list accordingly. The skins currently available for the sniper rifle may not be worth spending your money on, especially if you have a tight budget. We recommend sticking to the default or a battle pass skin while waiting for Riot to add better options to the collection. 

VALORANT Spectre skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are a total of 58 Spectre skins in VALORANT:

• 37 Store skins
• 21 battle pass skins

For those looking to get a Spectre skin from the Store, here’s a tier list to help make your pick:

S-tier	Prime, Reaver, Evori Dreamwings, Kuronami, Protocol 781-A
A-tier	BlastX, Singularity, Ruination, Forsaken, Gravitational Uranium Neuroblaster, Recon, RGX 11z Pro
B-tier	Sentinels of Light, Magepunk, Neptune, Primordium, Radiant Crisis 001, Ion
C-tier	Luna, Horizon, Soulstrife, Sarmad, Spline, VALORANT GO! Vol. 1
D-tier	Abyssal, Avalanche, Convex, Emberclad, Infantry, Intergrade, Luxe, Minima, NO LIMITS, Prism, Tigris, Wasteland, Wonderstallion

Best expensive Spectre skins in VALORANT

Pick from these if you can spare more than 2,000 VP:

1. Evori Dreamwings
2. Protocol 781-A
3. Singularity
4. Kuronami
5. BlastX

Best cheap Spectre skins in VALORANT

These are the “1,775 VP and under” hits:

1. Prime
2. Reaver
3. Forsaken
4. Recon
5. Radiant Crisis 011

VALORANT Stinger skins tier list

There are a total of 34 Stinger skins in VALORANT as of Episode Nine, Act Three:

• 12 Store skins
• 22 battle pass skins

Here’s a tier list for the Stinger skins you can get from the Store.

S-tier	Overdrive, Prelude to Chaos
A-tier	Sovereign, RGX 11z Pro
B-tier	Doodle Buds, Ego, Switchback, Sakura
C-tier	Aristocrat, Silvanus, Prism II, Sensation

Like the tier list says, these are the best Stinger skins you can get up until now:

1. Overdrive
2. Prelude to Chaos
3. Sovereign

VALORANT Bucky skins tier list

There are a total of 34 skins for the Bucky as of VALORANT’s Episode Nine, Act Three.

• 16 Store skins
• 18 battle pass skins

Here’s a tier list for the 16 Bucky skins released in Store. 

S-tier	Ion, Prime//2.0, Overdrive
A-tier	Gaia’s Vengeance, Gravitational Uranium Nueroblaster, Oni, Origin, Aemondir
B-tier	Magepunk, Radiant Crisis 001, Xenohunter
C-tier	Altitude, Horizon
D-tier	Galleria, Prism II, Titanmail

All Bucky skins released so far cost 1,775 VP or less. Just pick from the S or A tiers and you should be fine. 

VALORANT Judge skins tier list

There are a total of 42 Judge skins in VALORANT as of Episode Nine, Act Three:

• 20 Store skins
• 22 battle pass skins

Here’s a tier list for the Judge skins released in Store over the past Acts:

S-tier	Mystbloom, Sovereign, Glitchpop
A-tier	Elderflame, ChronoVoid, Imperium
B-tier	Doombringer
C-tier	Celestial, Crimsonbeast, Kohaku & Matsuba, Daydreams
D-tier	Convex, Luxe, MK.VII Liberty, Rush, Sensation, Smite, Snowfall, Team Ace, Undercity

Best expensive Judge skins in VALORANT

• Elderflame
• Mystbloom
• Glitchpop

Best cheap Judge skins in VALORANT

• Sovereign
• Kohaku & Matsuba
• Daydreams

VALORANT Ares skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are a total of 36 skins for Ares in VALORANT:

• 21 Store skins
• 15 battle pass skins

Below is a tier list for all Ares skins released in the Store so far. 

S-tier	Ion, Gaia’s Vengeance, Magepunk
A-tier	Sentinels of Light, Singularity
B-tier	Valiant Hero, Oni
C-tier	Celestial, Doodle Buds, Sakura, VALORANT GO! Vol. 2
D-tier	Aristocrat, Endeavour, Infantry, Minima, Nebula, Nunca Olvidados, Prism, Rush, Snowfall, Titanmail

If you’re looking to get your first Ares skin, we recommend picking from the following options:

1. Ion
2. Singularity
3. Gaia’s Vengeance

VALORANT Odin skins tier list

As of Episode Nine, Act Three, there are a total of 29 skins for Odin in VALORANT:

• 15 Store skins
• 14 battle pass skins

Below is a tier list for all Odin skins released in the Store so far.

S-tier	BlastX, Prime//2.0, Evori Dreamwings
A-tier	Doombringer, Sovereign, Glitchpop, Neo Frontier, Reaver
B-tier	Sentinels of Light
C-tier	Xenohunter, Sensation
D-tier	Altitude, Fortune’s Hand, Smite, Orion

Pick from these options if you’re planning on maining Odin in your VALORANT games:

1. Prime//2.0
2. Evori Dreamwings
3. BlastX
4. Neo Frontier
5. Sovereign

VALORANT pistol skins tier list

There are five pistols in VALORANT, namely the Classic, Shorty, Ghost, Frenzy, and Sheriff. Unlike other weapons, besides purchasable Store skins, you can get free skins for pistols by completing agent contracts. Check out the tier lists below, featuring Store and agent contract skins for each one to help you decide. 

Classic skins tier list

S-tier	VCT 2024 team skins, Spectrum, Prime, Glitchpop, RGX 11z Pro, Steel Resolve (Vyse agent gear), Pistolinha (Raze agent gear)
A-tier	Radiant Crisis 001, Cryostasis, Forsaken, Gravitational Uranium Neuroblaster, Nocturnum, Final Chamber (Sage agent gear), Finesse (Chamber agent gear)
B-tier	Kohaku & Matsuba, Reverie, VALORANT GO! Vol. 2
C-tier	Daydreams, Sakura, Spline, Switchback, Undercity, FIRE/arm (KAY/O agent gear), Resolution (Deadlock agent gear)
D-tier	Avalanche, Black.Market, Galleria, Intergrade, Smite, Snowfall

Shorty skins tier list

S-tier	Araxys, Prelude to Chaos, Snakebite (Viper agent gear)
A-tier	Gaia’s Vengeance, Oni, Karabasan (Fade agent gear), Sidekick (Gekko agent gear)
B-tier	Neptune, Primordium, Sentinels of Light
C-tier	Doodle Buds, Chromedek, Wunderkind (Killjoy agent gear)
D-tier	Prism II, Tigris, Wasteland

Frenzy skins tier list

S-tier	Elderflame, Glitchpop, Live Wire (Neon agent gear), Spitfire (Phoenix agent gear)
A-tier	Prime//2.0, Ion, BlastX, Sovereign, Oni, Swooping (Skye agent gear)
B-tier	Origin, RGX 11z Pro, Xenohunter, RagnaRocker (Breach agent gear)
C-tier	Celestial, Horizon, Sarmad
D-tier	Emberclad, Holomoku, Nunca Olvidados, Orion, Rush, Sensation, Team Ace, Titanmail, Wonderstallion

Ghost skins tier list

S-tier	Sovereign, Radiant Entertainment System, Reaver, Gaia’s Vengeance
A-tier	Recon, Evori Dreamwings, Ruination, Singularity, XERØFANG
B-tier	Magepunk, Soulstrife, Valiant Hero
C-tier	Ego, Luna, NO LIMITS, Tethered Realms, VALORANT GO! Vol. 1
D-tier	Aperture, Fortune’s Hand, Endeavour, Infantry, Luxe, Prism, Winterwunderland

Sheriff skins tier list

S-tier	Neo Frontier, Ion, Kuronami, Arcane, Mythmaker (Iso agent gear), Deathwish (Yoru agent gear)
A-tier	ChronoVoid, Doombringer, Imperium, Mystbloom, Overdrive, Reaver, Protocol 781-A, Singularity
B-tier	Aemondir, Magepunk, RGX 11z Pro, Sentinels of Light
C-tier	Crimsonbeast, Nebula, Game Over (Jett agent gear), Peacekeeper (Brimstone agent gear), Protektor (Sova agent gear), Wayfarer (Harbor agent gear)
D-tier	Wasteland, Abyssal, Altitude, Aristocrat, Convex, Minima, Sakura, Silvanus

---