We've come a long way from $4,000 hats in RuneScape. Recently, an extraordinarily ugly weapon skin for Counter-Strike 2 sold for over $1 million, marking the biggest public trade in the popular FPS game since skins were introduced in 2013.
The one-of-a-kind AK-47 weapon skin, known as the “StatTrak Factory New AK-47 in Blue Gem pattern 661,” was originally listed for $2 million. Although the final sale price hasn't been disclosed, it is claimed to be between $1 million and $1.5 million.
Since 2013, multiple versions of this skin have sold for extraordinarily high amounts, but they always had some level of wear. A "minimal wear" version of this skin sold in 2022 for $400,000.
Blue Gem skins, known for their metallic oil-spill designs, are among the most popular and sought-after skins in the game, despite their unappealing appearance. According to AFK Gaming, an owner of a Blue Gem knife skin turned down a trade offer of $1.41 million in 2021, which would have been the biggest trade in the game's history at that time.
It's absolutely mind-blowing to see any virtual game skin sell for such a large sum of money. In our opinion, the StatTrak Factory New AK-47 in Blue Gem pattern 661 doesn't even look good. Honestly, it’s basic, and the oil-slick sheen of the weapon’s bare metal might be cool for $5, but not 300,000 times that amount.
The Counter-Strike skins market rivals physical trading card games for bonkers-level valuations. While the most expensive Magic: The Gathering cards manage to crack even higher levels of money wasting, with a Black Lotus card selling for $3 million, Counter-Strike’s pricey skins are still mind-blowing.
Counter-Strike 2 is available to play for free on PC via Steam.