CSGO AK-47 skin sells for $160,000 in one of the biggest skin sales ever

A coveted CS:GO weapon skin for the AK-47 has sold online for around $160,000, marking one of the biggest public sales in the game’s history.

There are many CS:GO skins valued in the tens of thousands. These items are purely cosmetic, and provide no gameplay advantages, but are so coveted due to their appearance and rarity.

Since skins were added to CS:GO in 2013, there has been constant inflation in prices, with even some rare stickers from 2014 now valued at over $50,000.

On March 13, an AK-47 Wild Lotus skin was bought by a Chinese collector for €149,000, or roughly $160,000 USD. It’s not the most expensive skin, but it is likely now in the top 10.

AK-47 skin sells for $160,000 in CS:GO

The skin in question is called the ‘Wild Lotus’, a rare AK-47 skin added in 2019. In total, there are less than 3,000 of this skin in existence, and even fewer in ‘Factory New’ condition.

However, a Factory New Wild Lotus will only cost around $10,000. The reason this particular skin sold for over $150,000 is due to the stickers applied.

This is one of the most expensive CS:GO skins in existence – but it’s not number one.

It has four Reason Holo stickers from the Katowice 2014 CS:GO Major applied, each costing around $40,000 today. Because this skin was released in 2019, the stickers were applied when they were already very expensive, so the buyer is expected to play close to the full value of the stickers.

The stickers are a great color match to the weapon, but due to the scarcity of these items, there are only two other AK-47 Wild Lotus skins with these stickers applied. Each one would be valued at around the same price.

The buyer is a Chinese collector, as is typical for most ‘high-tier’ items in CS:GO. However, this skin is likely to be on show at future Major events, as the owners will often lend these items to professional players to use at the biggest tournaments.

In fact, this very AK-47 was used by FaZe Clan player Russel ‘Twistzz’ Van Dulken in 2022, borrowing it from the previous owner.

On March 13, that owner sold the item on Buff, the biggest China-based marketplace for CS:GO trading, with a final sale price of €148,937.73 ($159,653.80 USD). Many expensive items are traded in private sales, so it’s often hard to know the exact transaction value, but this public sale is a glimpse into the exorbitant prices some items can cost.

However, the most expensive AK-47 skin is still up for sale. A Case Hardened 661 pattern, with four Titan Holo stickers from Katowice 2014, is currently fielding offers of over $400,000 – although it is yet to find a buyer.

The most expensive item overall in CS:GO is a Case Hardened Karambit knife, with an estimated price of over $1.5 million. For more of the most expensive skins in CS:GO, check out our full list here.