Counter-Strike 2 AK-47 Skin Sells for Record-Breaking $1 Million

In a groundbreaking transaction within the Counter-Strike community, a Factory New StatTrak AK-47 Case Hardened skin has been sold for a staggering $1 million to an anonymous buyer. This sale marks one of the largest public transactions in the history of Counter-Strike, highlighting the ever-growing market for digital skins.

The purchase was facilitated by renowned CS2 skin collectors, Sam “roflm0nster” Alexander and Oliver “zipel” Behrensdorff, and took place on June 5. Initially, the skin was listed with a hard buyout price nearing $2 million when first advertised in January. However, the price gradually decreased after several potential buyers ceased negotiations. The final sale price, while undisclosed, is confirmed to be between $1 million and $1.5 million.

The skin’s exceptional value is due to its uncommon 661 pattern, which instead of the weapon’s topside being anodized gold or silver, has a striking metallic blue coating. Because of its extreme rarity and full blue appearance—also referred to as a “blue gem”—the skin is highly sought after by collectors.

Obtaining a skin of this caliber through traditional means, such as opening cases or utilizing CS2’s Trade Up Contract, is virtually impossible due to the extremely low probability of landing the right combination of pattern, wear, and StatTrak. One dedicated enthusiast reportedly spent over $100,000 attempting to create a similar version of the weapon.

The previous notable sale of a 661 Blue Gem AK-47 was zipeL’s own Minimal Wear version in 2023, which fetched $400,000. The current sale, involving the only known StatTrak Factory New version of the rare 661 pattern, surpasses that by a significant margin.

In January 2024, the first-ever pattern 661 AK-47 Case Hardened in StatTrak Factory New was confirmed to exist, with an estimated value of around $1.5 million. Speculation suggested it could potentially sell for up to $2 million, positioning it as the most expensive item in Counter-Strike history.

The sale was officially announced online by both roflm0nster and zipeL, who, however, kept the buyer’s identity and the exact transaction amount confidential. Roflm0nster noted that “$1 million offers were rejected multiple times,” indicating the final price exceeded this threshold, thus making it the most expensive gun skin ever sold.

Usually, the Steam Market does not carry such rare skins. Rather, intermediaries and trustworthy individuals in the CS2 trading community are usually engaged in bringing together buyers and sellers and settling on reasonable prices, frequently utilizing cryptocurrency in the process. Finding one of these skins in a Premier League match would be a unique and noteworthy occurrence.

It would officially top the list of most expensive items in Counter-Strike if the final sale price turns out to be more than $1.5 million, surpassing the record currently held by the Factory New Case Hardened Karambit with the 387 pattern. This blue gem knife was bought in 2016 for just over $100,000. In 2021, an offer of €1.2 million (roughly $1.5 million USD) was turned down.

The 661 pattern AK-47 Case Hardened has sold remarkably well, solidifying its place in Counter-Strike history almost half a year after it was first revealed.