CS2 Skins You Didn't Know Existed

CS2 skins over the years have piqued the average player’s interest and become an essential part of the game. Skins have contributed massively to popularizing the game, putting it off to a flying start after the Arms Deal update back in 2013.

Some skins stand out a mile more than others due to their history, design, and even price tag.

With over a thousand skins released by Valve, it’s almost impossible to remember every skin by heart. For that, we decided to look at some of the skins you might not know existed, as there are some unique designs and stories behind them.

Remember, cheap doesn't mean bad, and unpopular doesn't mean ugly. Among many unpopular skins, you can certainly find something to upgrade your inventory.

Pistols

CZ75-Auto | Syndicate

This skin was added to the game during the Operation Riptide update on September 21, 2021, for The 2021 Train Collection.

However, it found itself taking a backseat, slipping into the shadows, as its larger counterpart, the M4A4 | The Coalition, took the spotlight as a covert skin from the same collection.

With the same interlocking triangles and blue highlights design, the CZ75-Auto Sunk is like a lead balloon primarily due to the degrading number of players using the weapon.

Dual Berettas | Elite 1.6

From the creator of UMP-45 | Gold Bismuth and Metal Flowers; G-99Factory’s Dual Berettas were added during the CS20 Case Skins update on October 18, 2019.

As the name suggests, “ELITE” has been stamped on the side of the weapon as a tribute to the Dual Berettas from Counter-Strike 1.6.

Since the CS20 case is a celebration of the franchise’s history, the SCAR-20 | Assault is yet another skin from the creator that made it to the game within the same case.

P250 | Exchanger

Inspecting the skin in-game would show nothing but an average blue (Mil-Spec) skin. But, scanning the texture pattern reveals the pipes which signify the map “Nuke”, set in a warehouse containing nuclear materials or a nuclear power plant, as well as the collection it was introduced in 2018.

SMGs

PP-Bizon | Irradiated Alert

The original Nuke Collection dates back to 2013 when Valve first released the Arms Deal Update. A spray-painted with radiological warning hazard patterns design was applied on all of the collection skins with a variation of color schemes for different weapons.

Unfortunately, the weapon is one of the least popular among players and it became a meme gun over the years. With better skins available in the game, in addition to the M4A4 | Radiation Hazard becoming a fan favorite from the collection, the PP-Bizon | Irradiated Alert never saw the light of day within the community.

Fun Fact: This skin is featured on the Arms Deal Update cover.

P90 | Astral Jörmungandr

You’re probably familiar with CS2’s hardest skin name to pronounce; “Jörmungandr” which means “Great Monster”, one of the oldest entities in Norse mythology.

The Norse Collection costs an arm and a leg with an example of design finesse perfectly portraying the mythical beast. With skins like AWP | Gungnir, Desert Eagle | Emerald Jörmungandr, it’s almost impossible to bat an eye on the other weapons in the collection like the P90.

The Astral Jörmungandr is one of the most expensive P90s in the game due to trade-up opportunities, and an extra reason for not being common among players.

Rifles

SG 553 | Hypnotic

Introduced during Operation Broken Fang back in 2020, the SG 553 | Hypnotic is overshadowed by the Desert Eagle and MP9, two old skins dating back to 2013 as part of the Arms Deal and Arms Deal 2 collections.

Though the weapon was meta in 2019 and ultimately gave a buff to its skins, Valve nerfed the weapon and SG 553 | Hypnotic was irrelevant to be noticed.

G3SG1 | Orange Kimono

The Kimono family including; P250 | Crimson and Minit Kimonos, Five-SeveN | Neon Kimono, and G3SG1 | Orange Kimono was first introduced back in 2015 within The Rising Sun Collection.

Despite being the cheapest and arguably the best-looking skin among the Kimonos, the skin was unnoticed by many, especially the newer players.

Heavy

MAG-7 | Popdog

The MAG-7 | Popdog is another tribute skin that takes us back to the old 1.6 and CS:S days when there was “a dog that refreshes”. A painted illustration of a dog in the old de_train map.

Found in the CS20 case, the skin features the same dog illustration as the map which is a nostalgic touch for the OG players.

Negev | Man-o'-war

The Negev | Man-o'-war is the sibling of the AWP and has been part of the game since 2015. The Man-o'-war skins were designed by Arbitron, who had only 16 total skins submitted from the same year.

Inspired by American Civil War era embellishments & color, the AWP took the spotlight, and the Negev was left to be mentioned on this list.