Image: Valve / Brett Moss
I've been playing video games pretty much nonstop ever since I got my first 360. I love arena shooters, MMOs, and MOBAs, but I'll pretty much try any kind of game.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
The AK-47 is one of the best and most popular weapons in Counter-Strike 2. It’s the go-to weapon for a huge percentage of the player-base, so it’s no surprise to see how much time Valve has put into making skins for it. If you’re looking for great skins, look no further than the AK-47. Here are my picks for the top 15 skins for the AK-47 in Counter-Strike 2!
Note: Prices are included for the highest and lowest quality version of each weapon that is available. Not every weapon has a factory new and battle-scarred option, so there will be some differences from weapon to weapon.
Below, I’ve ranked the skins from good to great.
#15 – Wasteland Rebel
Factory New: $250 | Battle-Scarred: $25
Wasteland Rebel is really simple, but not in a bad way. I love the wooden, beat-up look it has overall, made more visually interesting by the graffiti. This looks like a weapon pulled straight out of a war zone, which actually allows it to hold up better in lower qualities than some other weapons. If you’re looking for something with a specific vibe but which doesn’t feature anything too distracting, this is a great choice.
#14 – Neon Revolution
Factory New: $58 | Battle-Scarred: $13
From a rustic, classic look to something far more in-your-face, here we have the Neon Revolution skin. The color scheme here is the main reason I’ve included it, as the neon pink and green are perfect for those of us who like the more ridiculous skins. That all being said, though, I will say that I don’t love the “anarchy” on the side. It feels like someone made a cool skin and then tried to add something to make it edgier, but it still isn’t that big of a deal. The colors carry this skin, but they do so very well.
#13 – Head Shot
Factory New: $76 | Battle-Scarred: $8
For the second time on this list already, we’re back to another graffiti skin. This time, though, the graffiti is the star of the show. There isn’t all that much to comment on here other than the loud color scheme and chaotic design. If there’s ever been a design you could call “clustered”, it’s this one. But that’s definitely not a bad thing. This skin is fun to look at, as long as you don’t get a headache trying to read it.
#12 – Aquamarine Revenge
Factory New: $90 | Battle-Scarred: $17
Aquamarine Revenge makes this list thanks to the unique color palette and solid design. The design itself is sort of just there in the background to showcase a color scheme that I feel doesn’t get seen very often. A sort of teal green with light- and dark-orange waves is a really fun idea for a skin which doesn’t feel too obnoxiously bright or over-done.
#11 – Frontside Misty
Factory New: $62 | Battle-Scarred: $10
Frontside Misty is one of my favorite cheaper skins for the AK-47. The “arctic” colors referenced in the in-game description are really put to use perfectly here with a wavy pattern that almost resembles snow in the wind. It is kind of a chaotic skin, but that works to its advantage since the patterns still “flow” in a way that makes it all seem a bit more balanced. This is, simply put, a beautiful skin for a relatively low price.
#10 – Redline
Minimal Wear: $85 | Battle-Scarred: $13
If you’re looking for a great realistic skin, Redline is perfect. It features little more than a standard black metal background with red lining here and there, but that’s what makes it so great. Don’t overlook Redline, even though it is admittedly very low key.
#9 – Asiimov
Factory New: $240 | Battle-Scarred: $21
It’s hard to forget about the Asiimov skins on these kinds of lists. The white and orange aesthetic is truly amazing, and it’s not hard to see why this skin line has been so popular over the years. Asiimov skins are the pinnacle of simple skin design, so they’re always worth checking out.
#8 – The Empress
Factory New: $131 | Battle-Scarred: $26
This skin might be a little overly-detailed, but I can’t really blame them when it’s so well made. While there might be a lot going on, everything looks amazing and works with the overall weapon design. Plus it has a great color scheme featuring a really interesting blend of blue-green and warmer reds and oranges that I don’t feel like we see very often.
#7 – Vulcan
Factory New: $900 | Battle-Scarred: $88
Vulcan is probably the cleanest skin in all of Counter Strike 2. There’s not even much to say about it other than that it has a simple design and aesthetically pleasing colors. The classic black and white with light blue accents really can’t go wrong, and when used with this sort of simple but futuristic pattern, it’s hard to complain.
#6 – X-Ray
Factory New: $1600 | Battle-Scarred: $420
This skin is amazing for so many reasons. First off, it lives up its name by showing the internals of the weapon as a part of its skin design. This is such a cool idea, and it reminds me of those old Gameboys with the translucent shells for some reason (albeit a more painted-on version of them). And on top of the amazing design itself, the color scheme is unique and highlights the “internals” well.
#5 – Bloodsport
Factory New: $140 | Well-Worn: $103
This skin reminds me of a race car, with its red/black/silver color scheme, tons of logos, and a “motorsports” vibe that’s hard to explain. Luckily, that aesthetic translates surprisingly well to an AK-47. Red and silver always works well together on anything, so I can’t say I’m surprised.
#4 – Leet Museo
Factory New: $60 | Battle-Scarred: $16
Leet Museo might be my favorite AK-47 skin to look at purely for the design. As the description says, it features a form of art called “Cubism”, which primarily features abstract line-based designs and surreal concepts. I could look at this skin all day and still love it, so it’s really hard to pass on. The only real downside to this skin is that it can be kind of hard to tell what it all is during gameplay, but that’s the case for many skins.
#3 – Panthera onca
Factory New: $343 | Battle-Scarred: $192
Man, this skin really has it all–a kind of ugly wood pattern, camouflage, and a panther. Really, I can’t imagine what they were thinking with this skin, other than that a panther would look cool. Maybe they just had a boring camo skin and needed a way to make it look better, or maybe someone really thought panther+camo was the best idea they had, but either way I’m glad they went with it. For better and worse, this is easily the funniest AK-47 skin in Counter-Strike 2. I can’t imagine anything funnier than clutching a game and inspecting the panther for everyone to see, so it’s made it all the way to the top 3.
#2 – Inheritance
Factory New: $550 | Battle-Scarred: $125
Elegance and simplicity are the main traits of Inheritance, and they’re two of the best to have. It’s hard to find a better aesthetic than this white/blue/gold design, as it really accomplishes everything without even trying. It looks like some porcelain figurine you’d find in a classic antiques store, but it’s probably more expensive here.
#1 – Nightwish
Factory New: $70 | Battle-Scarred: $6
When it comes down to it, this skin is everything you could ever want from an AK-47 skin. It’s visually interesting, features a great color scheme, and just generally looks cool. If you like the more unrealistic skins, then Nightwish is easily the best AK-47 skin in Counter-Strike 2. The skin’s description refers to the imagery featured as a deer and dreamcatchers, and while the deer might look more like a dragon, the dreamcatchers’ inclusion is perfect. There’s nothing I can think of to say negatively about this skin, and it’s great that it’s even one of the cheaper options here.
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