The Most Popular CS:GO Skins (May 2023)

The CS:GO skins market is an exciting one, and in an effort to gain a little more clarity in this complicated world, we’ve started listing the most popular skins of every month.

This month, we’ve seen the skins market calm down a little. Even though prices of many skins are still very high when compared to the pre-CS2 announcement days, the rocket-like upward trajectory of many popular skins has flattened out a little. Does this mean that now is the best time to invest? Well, maybe.

The last CS:GO Major ever has just concluded, and traditionally that means that Valve holds a sale on the sticker capsules for that Major. This normally happens at around the same time that they release the Champions capsule. This is an event that normally leads to slight price dips in the skins market (at the lower end, at least) since players sell off some of their inventory in order to invest in the capsules, but it has been quite some time since the Paris Major ended, and with Paris capsules already being sold at very low prices we might not even see a sale.

Of course all of this is just speculation: no one knows what Valve is planning, and the skins market is an unpredictable and volatile market even in its most stable times, so if you’re interested in getting into the skins game, always make sure to play with funds that you can miss.

The List

For our most popular skins lists, we combine trade and sales data from CS.Money. This is one of the most influential skin trading websites out there, so we feel like it’s a good source to use for these lists. People who are new to the world of CS:GO skins can always read our introductory article here.

1. AK-47 Slate (Field Tested)

Previous position: 2nd

The AK-47 Slate is a skin that can pretty much always be found in these lists. It’s a relatively affordable skin, and thanks to the sleek black finish it’s a really cool skin to craft on. Any sticker that you place on the AK Slate will look great without being drowned out by the skin artwork, and even if you’re not a fan of sticker crafts it’s a great looking skin for fans of the minimalist approach.

The fact that the Slate was used here and there at the Paris Major might influence its ranking a little bit, but of course most of its popularity comes from the fact that it’s one of the more affordable AK-47 skins in the game that’s not part of the ‘camo’ types of skins.

This is a great skin to go for if you’re a fan of personalizing your weapons

2. AK-47 Safari Mesh (Field Tested)

Previous position: 1st

The AK-47 Safari Mesh gives up its top spot in May, but it’s still one of the most popular skins in the entire game, and the reason for that is quite simple: it’s cheap and commonly available.

Of course, the Safari Mesh isn’t the only cheap AK-47 skin in CS:GO, but this weapon finish has gotten a bit more popular over the years due to its status as kind of a ‘meme’ finish. The Safari Mesh finish was deemed so undesirable and so ugly by the community for such a long time that it turned around and became (kind of) cool again.

If you’re looking for an AK-47 skin that’s basically a classic in its own right and you don’t want to spend a fortune or you’re a bit of a jokester, then the Safari Mesh is a great option to consider.

3. Dual Berettas Colony (Field Tested)

Previous position: unranked

If you’ve watched the Paris Major, you’ll no doubt have noticed that the Dual Berettas (commonly referred to as ‘dualies’) were used quite often by players on the CT side. Their virtually unlimited ammo reserve (in the pro scene, you’ll generally either have killed the entire enemy team or get killed by them long before you have to reload) makes them a potent weapon to stop rushes, and it seems like the audience has also noticed this.

The Dual Berettas Colony is pretty much the cheapest skin out there so that kind of explains this listing. It was probably bought by people who wanted to try out the dualies in their games and wanted a cheap skin for the weapons.

4. USP-S Cortex (Field Tested)

Previous position: unranked

The USP-S Cortex is one of the most affordable USP skins that features an intricate design with some great detailed artwork on it, so it’s no surprise that it shows up on this list.

When it comes to value for money, it’s quite simply one of the best USP-S skins in the game, and the fact that there are also pros who swear by this skin obviously also boosts its stock.

The Cortex is a Classified pistol, but if there wasn’t so much grey on this skin (Valve loves intricate designs and lots of colors for Covert weapons) we would’ve probably seen it in the Covert range. The fact that it’s not a Covert weapon means that it’s a lot less rare, leading to lower prices. That’s an absolute win for fans of detailed USP skins.

5. Nova Polar Mesh (Field Tested)

Previous position: unranked

There’s not a lot to say about the Nova Polar Mesh, to be honest. It’s cheap, very common, and it’s in that tier of $0.04 skins that get sold and traded extremely often. If you’re looking for a very affordable Nova skin, this is one to look for, though there are way more intricate skins for this weapon out there that can be bought for a couple of dimes, so we recommend looking towards those if you’re interested in a Nova skin.

6. AK-47 Uncharted (Field Tested)

Previous position: unranked

In a world where a ton of CS:GO skins are going up in price, it’s nice to see some skins going down if you’re a budget-conscious gamer. The AK Uncharted has been going down in price since April, and perhaps that’s one of the reasons that it’s now proudly represented in this list.

If you’re a fan of more subtle, classic-looking skins then the Uncharted is a very underrated skin if you ask us. The intricate details in the woodwork combined with the tribal paint on the metallic parts of the gun make this a weapon that you could see being used by the leader of some ancient tribe, and if you look at the stock we even spot some Fire Serpent vibes in the artwork.

If you’re a fan of AK skins that are based in realism such as the Cartel then this is a great one to consider.

7. AWP Capillary (Field Tested)

Previous position: unranked

AWP skins can get horribly expensive, but luckily there’s an abundance of finishes to choose from in every price category. Classics such as the Dragon Lore will always be a distant dream for most people, but something like the Capillary is very affordable.

This weapon skin takes the veins in humans (or a ton of other organisms, really) as inspiration, creating a intricate web of lines in muted colors. If you’re a fan of skins that don’t scream ‘look at all these pretty saturated colors’ or you’re an AWPer and you fancy yourself to be the lifeblood of your team, then the Capillary might be a great option for you.

8. M4A1-S Night Terror (Field Tested)

Previous position: unranked

In the world of CS:GO skins, you don’t see very many designs that are based on horror. The style has been getting added to more and more skins in recent times (think of the Fever Dream skins and of course the Dreams and Nightmare Case) but the Night Terror is by far the creepiest looking skin in the game if you ask us.

If you don’t want your gameplay to be the only thing that unleashes terror in your enemies (or your teammates; we all have bad days) then the Night Terror is a great skin to consider. It also has a really interesting 3D effect above the trigger, so it’s a very impressive skin in more ways than one.

As an added bonus, the skin also has an interesting wear pattern. Factory New Night Terrors look rather brown/metallic, and the higher the float of your weapon, the more purple it’ll look. Extremely worn Night Terrors have a deep purple hue to them, giving the weapon an extra dimension.

9. G3SG1 Polar Camo (Field Tested)

Previous position: unranked

If you’re absolutely dominating your enemies, it’s usually time to pull out the ol’ autosniper to add salt to the wound, and if you’re someone who doesn’t want to spend too much money on a skin that you’ll rarely use (unless you’re smurfing or cheating you’re not supposed to be utterly dominating the enemy team) then the G3SG1 Polar Camo is a classic choice.

10. USP-S Ticket To Hell (Field Tested)

Previous position: unranked

It seems like horror-themed skins have been on the rise in May, as the Ticket to Hell rounds out the top 10 of the most used skins. This one gives off less of a ‘classic horror’ type of vibe and is more based on an SCP-style but if you really look at the skin it’s definitely a little creepy.

It’s a skin that has also seen some use at the Major so that might explain its surge in popularity, but it’s also quite simply a really cool design, and the black/white color scheme is rather rare with USP-S skins, so if that’s what you’re looking for then the Ticket To Hell is one to consider.

Conclusion – Most Popular CS:GO Skins in May

Aside from the top 2, all skins in this list are new entries. That perhaps makes sense: they’re mostly bottom tier (when it comes to their price, that is) skins and given the fact that there are tons of those being traded and sold at all times it’s only logical to see a lot of back-and-forth between these types of skins, but it’s still interesting to see what skins the community is going for.

Check back in June to see if there have been any big changes!

Lars

Reviews, Community, FPS

Former semi-pro gamer turned writer, product reviewer, and community manager.