Cheapest Covert (Red) Skins in CS2
Key takeaways
- The cheapest Covert skin in CS2 is the AK-47 | Aphrodite in Battle-Scarred: $12.30 on the Steam Market on 19 October 2026.
- Every other Covert skin starts at $26.98 or more. Even the 20th cheapest, the MP7 | Bloodsport, starts at only $35.02.
- Since October 2025, five Covert skins can go into a trade-up contract for a knife or gloves, so cheap red skins are bought as trade-up material too.
Table of contents
- What is a Covert skin?
- The 10 cheapest Covert skins in CS2
- Cheapest Covert skins 11 to 20
- Cheapest Covert skin for every weapon
- Why cheap Covert skins cost more than they used to
- Using cheap Covert skins in a knife trade-up
- Sell skins you don't use and put the money toward a red skin
- FAQ
- Sources
- Update history
The cheapest Covert (red) skin in CS2 is the AK-47 | Aphrodite: its Battle-Scarred version had a lowest Steam Market listing of $12.30 on 19 October 2026. No other Covert skin comes close. The next one, the M4A4 | Full Throttle, starts at $26.98, and the 20th cheapest, the MP7 | Bloodsport, at $35.02.
Prices below are the lowest Steam Community Market listing in USD, checked on 19 October 2026, for the normal version of each skin (no StatTrak, no Souvenir). Listings change by the hour, so treat them as a snapshot.
What is a Covert skin?
Covert is the highest rarity grade a regular weapon skin can have in CS2, and the game shows it in red. That is why players search for "red skins" and "Covert skins" interchangeably. Below it are Classified (pink), Restricted (purple) and Mil-Spec (blue). Knives also carry the Covert grade, but they are marked with a ★ and priced as a separate category; gloves are graded Extraordinary. This article covers weapon skins only. For knives see our guide to the cheapest knife in CS2, and for gloves the list of the cheapest CS2 gloves.
If you want the full picture of the grades, read CS2 skin rarity explained.
The 10 cheapest Covert skins in CS2
Each card shows the cheapest wear of that skin on the Steam Market. Prices checked on 19 October 2026 (Steam Community Market, lowest listing).
AK-47 | Aphrodite
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $12.30 (Battle-Scarred)
- Steam median price · Oct 2026
- $12.35 (Battle-Scarred)
- Collection
- Limited Edition Item
- Float range
- 0.00 to 1.00
By far the cheapest way to own a red skin. Battle-Scarred and Well-Worn are less than 50 cents apart ($12.30 and $12.79), Field-Tested starts at $17.21 and Minimal Wear at $29.69. It is not a case drop: the skin belongs to the Limited Edition Item collection.
M4A4 | Full Throttle
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $26.98 (Battle-Scarred)
- Found in
- Sealed Genesis Terminal
- Float range
- 0.00 to 1.00
The cheapest Covert M4A4. Battle-Scarred starts at $26.98 and Well-Worn at $29.99.
AWP | Chrome Cannon
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $28.66 (Well-Worn)
- Found in
- Kilowatt Case
- Float range
- 0.00 to 1.00
The cheapest Covert AWP. Well-Worn ($28.66) is slightly cheaper than Battle-Scarred ($29.58), and Field-Tested starts at $32.59.
M4A4 | Neo-Noir
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $29.41 (Battle-Scarred)
- Found in
- Clutch Case
- Float range
- 0.00 to 0.90
Battle-Scarred is the cheapest at $29.41, while Well-Worn and Field-Tested both start at about $33.
AK-47 | Head Shot
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $29.90 (Battle-Scarred)
- Found in
- Revolution Case
- Float range
- 0.00 to 1.00
The second-cheapest Covert AK-47 after the Aphrodite. Battle-Scarred starts at $29.90, Well-Worn at $32.20 and Field-Tested at $34.68.
M4A4 | Temukau
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $30.86 (Battle-Scarred)
- Found in
- Revolution Case
- Float range
- 0.00 to 0.80
Battle-Scarred starts at $30.86. Well-Worn ($33.32) and Field-Tested ($33.35) cost almost the same, so the better wear is barely more expensive here.
AWP | Chromatic Aberration
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $31.10 (Battle-Scarred)
- Found in
- Recoil Case
- Float range
- 0.00 to 0.70
Battle-Scarred starts at $31.10, Well-Worn at $33.76 and Field-Tested at $34.89.
M4A4 | In Living Color
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $31.21 (Battle-Scarred)
- Found in
- Snakebite Case
- Float range
- 0.00 to 0.79
Battle-Scarred starts at $31.21. The jump to Well-Worn ($35.74) and Field-Tested ($36.40) is bigger than for most skins on this list.
USP-S | The Traitor
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $31.63 (Battle-Scarred)
- Found in
- Snakebite Case
- Float range
- 0.00 to 1.00
The cheapest Covert pistol skin. Battle-Scarred starts at $31.63 and Well-Worn at $32.34.
AWP | Hyper Beast
- Lowest Steam price · Oct 2026
- $31.85 (Well-Worn)
- Found in
- Falchion Case
- Float range
- 0.00 to 1.00
One of the older Covert skins on this list. Well-Worn starts at $31.85 and Battle-Scarred at $32.20.
Cheapest Covert skins 11 to 20
Prices checked on 19 October 2026 (Steam Community Market, lowest listing).
| # | Skin | Cheapest wear | Lowest Steam price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Glock-18 | Gold Toof | Battle-Scarred | $32.29 |
| 12 | AK-47 | Aquamarine Revenge | Battle-Scarred | $33.13 |
| 13 | AK-47 | The Oligarch | Battle-Scarred | $33.20 |
| 14 | Glock-18 | Neo-Noir | Battle-Scarred | $33.50 |
| 15 | Desert Eagle | Printstream | Field-Tested | $33.50 |
| 16 | FAMAS | Commemoration | Field-Tested | $34.33 |
| 17 | M4A4 | The Battlestar | Field-Tested | $34.40 |
| 18 | M4A4 | Desert-Strike | Field-Tested | $34.68 |
| 19 | AK-47 | Inheritance | Battle-Scarred | $34.85 |
| 20 | MP7 | Bloodsport | Battle-Scarred | $35.02 |
Cheapest Covert skin for every weapon
Not every gun has a cheap red skin. On 22 weapons that have at least one Covert skin, the cheapest one ranges from $12.30 on the AK-47 to almost $139 on the Galil AR. Prices checked on 19 October 2026 (Steam Community Market, lowest listing).
| Weapon | Cheapest Covert skin | Wear | Lowest Steam price |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK-47 | Aphrodite | Battle-Scarred | $12.30 |
| M4A4 | Full Throttle | Battle-Scarred | $26.98 |
| AWP | Chrome Cannon | Well-Worn | $28.66 |
| USP-S | The Traitor | Battle-Scarred | $31.63 |
| Glock-18 | Gold Toof | Battle-Scarred | $32.29 |
| Desert Eagle | Printstream | Field-Tested | $33.50 |
| FAMAS | Commemoration | Field-Tested | $34.33 |
| MP7 | Bloodsport | Battle-Scarred | $35.02 |
| M4A1-S | Vaporwave | Battle-Scarred | $43.83 |
| MAC-10 | Stalker | Battle-Scarred | $46.08 |
| Five-SeveN | Angry Mob | Battle-Scarred | $63.25 |
| MP9 | Starlight Protector | Well-Worn | $73.60 |
| AUG | Chameleon | Battle-Scarred | $89.73 |
| P2000 | Fire Elemental | Field-Tested | $97.75 |
| Sawed-Off | The Kraken | Field-Tested | $98.00 |
| CZ75-Auto | Victoria | Battle-Scarred | $100.00 |
| SSG 08 | Blood in the Water | Minimal Wear | $100.10 |
| P90 | Death by Kitty | Field-Tested | $104.35 |
| R8 Revolver | Fade | Minimal Wear | $107.71 |
| P250 | See Ya Later | Field-Tested | $118.00 |
| PP-Bizon | Judgement of Anubis | Field-Tested | $138.00 |
| Galil AR | Chatterbox | Battle-Scarred | $138.77 |
Some of these have very few listings. The CZ75-Auto | Victoria in Battle-Scarred had five, so one sale can move its price a lot.
Why cheap Covert skins cost more than they used to
The CS2 update of 22 October 2025 extended the trade-up contract to Covert skins. Five regular Covert skins can now be exchanged for one regular knife or pair of gloves, and five StatTrak Covert skins for one StatTrak knife, from the collection of one of the skins you put in. Since May 2026, Souvenir skins can go into a contract too, with their Souvenir attributes removed.
That gave every Covert skin a second use: even a red skin few people want to equip is now trade-up material. On 19 October 2026 only one Covert skin, the AK-47 | Aphrodite, could be bought for less than $26.
Using cheap Covert skins in a knife trade-up
If you are buying cheap red skins for a trade-up contract, keep three things in mind:
- The collection decides the result. The knife or gloves come from the collection of one of the five skins. Check in the game which knives a collection can give before you buy, and whether the skin can go into a contract at all. The AK-47 | Aphrodite, for example, is a Limited Edition Item, not a case skin.
- The result is random. You do not choose the knife, its finish or its wear, and the trade-up destroys the five skins you put in.
- Five cheap Covert skins can cost more than a cheap knife. On 19 October 2026, five AWP | Chrome Cannon (Well-Worn) at $28.66 each came to $143.30, while the cheapest knife on the Steam Market, a ★ Shadow Daggers | Black Laminate (Field-Tested), was listed at $42.50.
Sell skins you don't use and put the money toward a red skin
Most inventories have a few skins nobody equips. Sell your skins to SkinCashier and use the money for the Covert skin you actually want. You see the price for each item in seconds and the fees are shown before you sell. Payouts go to PayPal or crypto (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin); the current fees and limits are listed on the sell page. For CS2 items the payout is released after Steam's 7-day trade protection ends.
Looking for something cheaper than red? Our list of cheap CS2 skins has skins that cost cents, not dollars.
FAQ
What is the cheapest Covert skin in CS2?
The AK-47 | Aphrodite. Its Battle-Scarred version had a lowest Steam Market listing of $12.30 on 19 October 2026, with a median sale price of $12.35.
Are red skins and Covert skins the same thing?
Yes. Covert is the rarity grade shown in red, the highest grade a regular weapon skin can have. Knives also carry the Covert grade but are marked with a star and priced separately. Gloves are graded Extraordinary.
How many Covert skins do you need to trade up for a knife?
Five. Five regular Covert skins give one regular knife or pair of gloves, and five StatTrak Covert skins give one StatTrak knife, from the collection of one of the skins you put in.
Can I sell Covert skins I don't use?
Yes. SkinCashier buys CS2 skins, including Covert ones, and shows the price before you sell. For CS2 items the payout is released after Steam's 7-day trade protection ends.
Sources
- Steam Community Market: Covert CS2 skins sorted by price (checked 19 October 2026)
- Counter-Strike 2 update notes, 22 October 2025 (Covert trade-up for knives and gloves)
- Counter-Strike 2 update notes, 22 May 2026 (Souvenir items in trade-up contracts)
- CSGO-API by ByMykel: skin rarity, cases, collections and float ranges
Update history
- First published with Steam Market prices checked on 19 October 2026.
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