Top 5 rarest CSGO knife patterns, plus the rarest CS2 knives

CS2 knives are already the rarest thing to open, but these patterns take the concept to its logical extreme.

When it comes to knives in Counter-Strike 2, the fewer there are, the higher the price. While there are some exceptions, the complex nature of skins and cases has resulted in some truly unlikely scenarios regarding certain skins. While black pearls are always going to be rarer than standard dopplers, the intricacies go far deeper, as individual pattern indexes mean that some knives truly are unique. While not always the most desirable, certain skins can wind up being incredibly rare entirely by chance.

These are the five rarest knife patterns in all of CS2, which range from mind-boggling expensive to shockingly unremarkable.

What are the rarest knives in CS2?

The rarest knives in CS2 can be judged by how many have been opened and recorded in public databases. There’s always a chance someone is hiding an one-of-a-kind knife in a secret inventory, but excluding theoreticals, these five can rank as the rarest unique knives in the game in no particular order.

Classic Knife | Scorched pattern 791

Despite being a relatively disliked skin on a polarizing knife, the Classic Knife | Scorched pattern 791 is one of the rarest knife patterns in CS2 by sheer coincidence. The Classic is only available from the CS20 case with no other way to open one. The Scorched isn’t a particularly special pattern, but by sheer probability, there are incredibly few available in the game. There are only 11 in existence according to FloatDB, and at least two are on banned accounts. As for the knife itself, it really isn’t anything special. Considering that players have the same odds of opening this as a sparkling blue gem Classic, it’s probably for the best that these are so rare.

Karambit | Doppler black pearl “Fade” pattern 386

Black pearls are in a weird spot when it comes to rarities. The highest tier of the seven-in-one Doppler skin, any given black pearl has a solid chance of having a completely unique pattern. While fake Phase 3s and glaciers are well known, the pattern 386 “Fade” is in a class of its own. The knife isn’t even registered on CSFloat, but at least one is confirmed to exist thanks to public trades. This unique knife has a beautiful color gradient that resembles a Fade, but in a completely different color palette. The owner claimed it was originally traded by a souvenir Dragon Lore. It’s possible that a second one exists somewhere, but if so, its owner has never revealed it.

Bowie Knife | Crimson Web factory new pattern 729

This is another one of the rarest CS2 knife patterns that players can only chalk up to sheer chance. Despite being available from the fairly popular Operation Wildfire case, there are only 19 confirmed factory new Bowie Knife | Crimson Web in existence. This is due to the unusually low float cap on Crimson Webs, which means even the cleanest examples have a float value above .06. Of these 19, several are on banned accounts. However, one with the pattern 729 is owned by legendary trader caseapia, who is considered one of the most prolific traders in the community. It features a perfectly centered web pattern with a StatTrak™ counter, making it the rarest example among already extremely rare CS2 knives.

Bayonet | Slaughter double diamond and heart pattern 116

Any CS2 players who remember the early days of trading can’t help but reminisce when it comes to rare Slaughter patterns. However, the 116 actually does have a ton of extra value compared to the clown faces and Mike Tyson tattoos. The 116 features not one, but two visible diamonds on the playside along with a part of the highly-desirable heart pattern. The diamonds are toward the handle and tip with the heart taking center stage. The thin blade doesn’t quite showcase the entirety of any of the three symbols, but it shows enough to get investors interested. There are only five Bayonet | Slaughter 116s in the world, and two of them are factory new.

Survival Knife | Case-Hardened blue gem pattern 403

Blue gems are always expensive, but even among that elite class of knife, the Survival 403 stands out. There are only six in existence, which makes it the absolute rarest top-tier blue gem of any knife. For reference, the legendary Karambit | Case-Hardened 387 has nine copies in existence with one in factory new. Despite having six bites at the apple, there isn’t a single Survival blue gem in factory new. There are quite a few similarly rare blue gems, but the fact that the absolute best pattern remains so rare on the Survival Knife is a real shame. A shame for everyone besides the six lucky owners, anyway.