What are the best AWP skins in CS2?

BOOM! Just like that you’ve been shot in Counter Strike 2. You’ve died this round. It was a one shot kill and you barely even saw your killer. This is the AWP experience.

The AWP has the highest damage output of any gun in CS2, and you can really tell. Unless you hit your opponent in the leg, it is a guaranteed insta-kill. Along with the power that the AWP provides, it arguably has the most expensive and iconic weapon skins within any game on the internet.

This guide isn’t to help you buy the AWP skin for you. This guide is to show off the most iconic and the coolest AWP skins in CS2. The only problem is that with some of these really cool AWP skins, some of them can get really expensive. Don’t believe me? While there isn’t too much sale data on this skin in particular due to its rarity, there is one AWP skin that is worth an estimated $300,000.00 USD.

Yeah, you heard that right. A weapon skin in an online video game is estimated to be worth around three hundred thousand dollars. Unless you’re a millionaire this guide is just for fun, if you happen to have the budget though, why not check these out?

10. AWP | Sun in Leo

• Collection: The Gods and Monsters Collection
• Weapon Grade: Industrial Grade Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $14.40 - $30.17
• Steam Market Page

Fighting for the number 10 spot is the AWP | Sun in Leo. This skin is from the Gods and Monsters collection and is sporting some nice deep blue and if you look closely at the weapon itself, it has some zodiac signs spread around it. It is a very simple yet elegant skin. Since it is part of the Gods and Monsters collection, and since it is also a lower grade skin, it can be used in trade-up contracts for some really cool skins. The entire Gods and Monsters collection is really awesome and this AWP skin just proves it.

9. AWP | Duality

• Collection: The Revolution Collection
• Weapon Grade: Classified Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $3.19 - $55.77
• Steam Market Page

The AWP | Duality slithers into the number 9 spot, sporting a snake across the entire weapon with some very fancy and shiny designs. This skin came out with the most recent collection and funnily enough this wasn’t the original skin. The original AWP skin that came out with this collection was changed due to some copyright issues and this was the replacement. Regardless that this is the replacement, this skin is really cool. The snake makes you feel sneaky and powerful as you’re running around in the game trying to snipe your enemies. This is one of  the few AWP skins that doesn’t completely break the bank as well, so if you’re looking for something affordable, the AWP | Duality is the skin for you.

8. AWP | Pink DDPAT

• Collection: The Overpass Collection
• Weapon Grade: Restricted Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $26.29 - $149.00
• Steam Market Page

If you think back into the days of older CS:GO when there wasn’t too many skins released, the AWP | Pink DDPAT is an absolute classic. Pros used to use this skin in tournaments. Everyone wanted one at one point. The AWP | Pink DDPAT has always been a high tier but also affordable skin. It is simple, sporting a pink and black “Digital Disruptive Pattern”, otherwise known as DDPAT. This skin works really well with the previous skin in pink and red themed loadouts.

7. AWP | Neo Noir

• Collection: The Danger Zone Collection
• Weapon Grade: Covert Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $22.74 - $100.58
• Steam Market Page

Sneaky and sleek, the AWP | Neo Noir is locked in solidly at the number 7 spot. When this weapon came out it was really interesting and game changing. It was hyped because there are other weapon skins from the same creator. There is actually a Glock | Neo Noir, a USP-S | Neo Noir, and even an M4A4 | Neo Noir. If you want a matching loadout with your other weapons that you use in the game, the Neo Noir collection of skins is for you. They are sleek, and each one highlights a woman in the middle, doing some really cool actions nonetheless.

6. AWP | Hyper Beast

• Collection: The Falchion Collection
• Weapon Grade: Covert Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $21.81 - $413.42
• Steam Market Page

The AWP undoubtedly has some serious firepower. Nothing quite conveys that power like the AWP | Hyper Beast does. This skin is a classic from days past. Similarly to the Neo Noir collection, the Hyper Beast also has some other skins on different weapons. There is an M4A1-S | Hyper Beast, and a Five-Seven | Hyper Beast. This beast of a weapon skin takes the number 6 spot because of how scary it is, and you can get a matching set of skins without breaking the bank.

5. AWP | Redline

• Collection: The Winter Offensive Collection
• Weapon Grade: Classified Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $39.11 - $162.77
• Steam Market Page

When the AWP | Redline came out in December 2013, it really changed the game. This simple black skin with a red line down the middle (I know, very creative name) has become one of the most traded and sold weapon skins within the game. The reason? The redline collection of skins has become a sort of “gold standard” within the Counter Strike skins market. If you need to sell your skins for cash, the Redline skins are the most liquid skins in the game. Meaning, the price on the steam market is the closest to cash value that you can get. For this, the AWP | Redline steals out the number 5 spot.

4. AWP | Fade

• Collection: The Control Collection
• Weapon Grade: Covert Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $1,150.00 - $1,606.11
• Steam Market Page

There are 25 Fade skins within CS2. Yes. There are 25 Fade skins in CS2 and they are the biggest collection of skins within the game. Even as I mentioned earlier with the Neo Noir collection and how it had 4 skins within the collection, that is actually a lot. So to have 25 similar skins, the Fade skins have to be the most iconic pattern in the game. Every single knife within the game has a Fade skin with it, so why not the AWP too? At this point in the top 10 the skins are about to get very expensive as they are extremely rare and coveted. The AWP | Fade comes in at number 4 and is no exception to this rule. This skin is really cool to see in game, but unless you have $1,000 USD sitting around to purchase one, it can just be a dream for now.

3. AWP | Gungnir

• Collection: The Norse Collection
• Weapon Grade: Covert Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $9,050.00 - $12,500.00
• Steam Market Page

From this point on, the skins in the list are going to be nothing less than legendary. The AWP | Gungnir literally takes this sentiment and turns it into a skin. This skin is based off of old Norse Gods and I have to say, it is absolutely epic. To take the number 3 spot isn’t easy, but this skin is absolutely deserved of it. With its intricate and shiny patterns, to see one of these in a game, and furthermore use it is always a treat. This skin also uses some 3-D modeling up by the scope of the weapon to give it some rugged feel. If you happen to see one of these on the Steam market, buy it IMMEDIATELY. The Steam market only allows selling things up to a certain price, and since the lowest quality version of this skin is selling for around $9,000 USD if you see one on the Steam market it is an absolute steal.

2. AWP | Desert Hydra

• Collection: The 2021 Mirage Collection
• Weapon Grade: Covert Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $1,2490.00 - $3,080.00
• Steam Market Page

The AWP | Desert Hydra easily takes the number 2 spot for so many reasons. Firstly, the skin itself is actually one of the coolest things I’ve seen. The skin design is some snakes coming from the back striking with the barrel of the gun. What is really interesting about this skin in particular though, is the creator used a different style for the mouths of the snakes that actually makes them iridescent under lighting. Alongside that, it is one of the most recent “high tier” AWP skins to come out, and it’s from a map collection of one of the most popular maps too. All of these things combined turns the AWP | Desert Hydra into what might be the coolest “new age” skin to come out recently.

1. AWP | Dragon Lore

• Collection: The Cobblestone Collection
• Weapon Grade: Covert Sniper Rifle
• Recent Price Range: $4,100.00 - $300,000.00

The AWP | Dragon Lore needs no introduction. This is hands down the most well renowned skin in all of Counter Strike. No questions asked. There is no reason why it shouldn’t be the number 1 spot. The history of the Dragon Lore deserves its own wikipedia page; it is just that expansive. Purely because of the massive impact this skin has had on the game it deserves the number 1 spot, but just look at it. The golden dragon spewing fire onto your enemies. As if the allure of its extreme rarity wasn’t enough, this absolute demon of a skin lives up to the hype.
The creator of this skin should be hailed as a DaVinci or a Michelangelo because this is an absolute work of art. Even if you objectively don’t like it, the fact that you can pay $300,000.00 real USD to own one is bonkers. So, what do you think?

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