Counter-Strike 2 knife Tier List: All CS2 knives, ranked

The culture around collecting knives in Counter-Strike 2 is fascinating. Players can unbox them from CS2 cases, albeit with an extremely low chance of doing so, or they can buy them directly from the Steam Marketplace.

The kicker is that these knives cost hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of dollars. There are even several skins for each type of Counter-Strike 2 knife, giving them a unique appearance. It’s almost a subsection of the game’s community at this point, with many players searching for the perfect pattern or wear rating before settling on their perfect knife.

Counter-Strike 2 Knife Tier List

In Counter-Strike 2, knives are purely cosmetic. There’s no gameplay benefit to owning a knife, no matter how much you spend, but you will get plenty of compliments if you’re rocking something particularly flashy. In such a finely-tuned tactical shooter, it’s good that Valve has resisted the urge to adopt pay-to-win mechanics like this.

Instead, each knife has its own distinct look, as well as unique animations that separate one another. In the absence of any gameplay advantages, we’re going to be ranking our Counter-Strike 2 knife tier list by aesthetics. Let’s be real – these knives are as rare as each other, but there’s a reason some are worth far more on the market.

The S Tier CS2 knives are the cream of the crop. Iconic designs that you’ll see the esports professionals flaunting on the server. A Tier are the knives still well worth buying, especially if you can find one with an awesome skin. The B Tier options are great starter knives, especially if you’ve never had one before. For the C Tier Counter-Strike 2 knives, we’d suggest you save your money for something a little cooler, but your own personal taste might lead you to disagree.

S Tier

• Butterfly Knife
• Karambit
• M9 Bayonet

A Tier

• Bayonet
• Huntsman Knife
• Kukri Knife
• Skeleton Knife
• Stiletto Knife
• Talon Knife

B Tier

• Bowie Knife
• Falchion Knife
• Flip Knife
• Nomad Knife
• Paracord Knife
• Shadow Daggers
• Survival Knife

C Tier

• Classic Knife
• Default Knife (CT)
• Default Knife (T)
• Gut Knife
• Navaja Knife
• Ursus Knife

Since the release of Counter-Strike 2, the price of many S Tier knives has shot up with the game’s rise in interest. The likes of the Butterfly Knife and Karambit were always fan-favorites back in CS:GO, and now they are even more so.

The A Tier includes the newly-released Kukri Knife, which launched as part of the “A Call To Arms” update. Joining classics like the Skeleton and Talon Knives, it shows that even new additions can be popular in the community.

Some of the CS2 knives in the B Tier actually have the most unique visuals, but their animations aren’t quite as impressive as those above them. The Shadow Daggers stand out in this regard, as does the Bowie Knife.

Coming down to C Tier is where you’ll find the worst of the Counter-Strike 2 knives. Not particularly visually interesting or unique, the likes of the Gut and Navaja Knives will be passed over by most players. At least they’re affordable.