Counter-Strike 2 has 20 knife models you can own, on top of the default knives every player carries. They all fight the same way. What changes from one model to the next is the shape, the animations, the finishes available and the price.
What a knife changes, and what it doesn't
Every cosmetic knife is a rare special item, marked with a ★. The Counter-Strike Wiki notes that all of them share the default knife's range, whatever the length of the blade, so there is no gameplay reason to pick one over another. Knives are not part of any collection. They come from cases as the gold-tier result, which Perfect World's published odds put at 0.256% per keyed case, shared with gloves. Since October 2025 they can also come from trade-up contracts using five Covert skins, as our trade-up guide explains. Knives can be StatTrak, with the kill count etched into the blade.
The part you notice in every round is the animation. Each model has its own draw and inspect, and several have rare variations that only play now and then. Hotspawn's rundown of every knife's animations is the source for the descriptions below.
Every model at a glance
| Arrived | Models | First case |
|---|---|---|
| August 2013 | Bayonet, Flip Knife, Gut Knife, Karambit, M9 Bayonet | CS:GO Weapon Case |
| May 2014 | Huntsman Knife | Huntsman Weapon Case |
| July 2014 | Butterfly Knife | Operation Breakout Weapon Case |
| May 2015 | Falchion Knife | Falchion Case |
| September 2015 | Shadow Daggers | Shadow Case |
| February 2016 | Bowie Knife | Operation Wildfire Case |
| August 2018 | Navaja, Stiletto, Talon and Ursus knives | Horizon Case |
| October 2019 | Classic Knife | CS20 Case |
| November 2019 | Nomad, Paracord, Skeleton and Survival knives | Shattered Web Case |
| February 2024 | Kukri Knife | Kilowatt Case |
Later cases brought new finishes to existing models rather than new knives. The Chroma finishes, including Doppler and Marble Fade, reached the original five in 2015, the 2014 to 2016 group through the Spectrum cases, the Horizon knives through the Prisma Case and the Shattered Web knives through the 2025 Fever Case. The Gamma finishes reached the original five in 2016 and the 2014 to 2016 group with Operation Riptide in 2021.
The original five (2013)
These arrived with the Arms Deal update, the same update that introduced weapon skins.
- Karambit. A curved blade with a finger ring. Its flicking draw and looping inspect are, in Hotspawn's words, "legendary", and they are a large part of its popularity.
- M9 Bayonet and Bayonet. The two share their animations, which are fairly standard, with a tweaked draw on the M9.
- Flip Knife. Mostly default animations with a distinctive draw.
- Gut Knife. Uses the default set; Hotspawn notes it has a certain heft but little flair.
The 2014 to 2016 additions
- Huntsman Knife. A tactical fixed blade that largely uses the default animations.
- Butterfly Knife. A balisong whose handles swing around the blade. Its draw and inspect are unique to it and among the most recognisable animations in the game.
- Falchion Knife. A thin curved blade with distinctive animations, including a rare inspect where the knife is balanced on the palm.
- Shadow Daggers. A pair of push daggers, one per hand. The shape is divisive, which often makes them one of the cheaper models, but the animations are unique.
- Bowie Knife. Its inspect is one of the most unusual in the game.
The Horizon knives (2018)
- Navaja Knife. A small folding knife with near-default animations apart from a weighty draw.
- Stiletto Knife. A slim switchblade with a light feel and an inspect that tosses it into the air.
- Talon Knife. A curved, ringed blade that shares much of the Karambit's animation set, plus an inspect that spins it around the finger.
- Ursus Knife. Hotspawn is not a fan of its looks, but its draw, which throws and catches the knife mid-air, wins praise.
Classic and Shattered Web (2019)
- Classic Knife. Based on the knife from the original Counter-Strike. It keeps the old idle animation of tapping the blade against the hand and has a rare inspect that throws it into the air.
- Nomad Knife. A folding hunting knife with a rare inspect that flicks the blade between the fingers.
- Paracord Knife. A fixed blade with a cord-wrapped handle and two inspects not shared with any other knife.
- Skeleton Knife. An open, cut-out frame with a regular inspect and a rare one that spins it around a finger.
- Survival Knife. Its animations make it feel heavy, though the draw is slick.
The Kukri (2024)
Valve introduced the Kukri Knife with the Kilowatt Case in February 2024, making it the first new knife model released for CS2. It came with original finishes such as Case Hardened, Fade, Crimson Web and Slaughter. Hotspawn describes its exaggerated draw and inspect animations in one word: flair. As of October 2026, no newer knife model has been added.
Choosing a model
Because every knife plays the same, the choice comes down to looks, animations and budget. A few things to check before buying:
- Finish availability. Not every finish exists on every model. The Classic and Kukri have no Doppler or Marble Fade, and Gamma finishes such as Lore and Autotronic are limited to the original five and the 2014 to 2016 group.
- Animations. If you inspect a lot, watch the draw and inspect for the exact model first. Two knives in the same finish can feel very different in hand.
- Same finish, different models. Prices for one finish vary widely between models, so compare a few before settling.
On CS2Sell, the weapon filter on Buy lets you pick a model and then narrow by finish, wear and pattern, which makes it easy to line up the same finish across several knives.