The best M4A4 skins in CSGO to buy before the buffs

William Davis Published 14/06/2022

Make your CT side stylish with the five best M4A4 skins in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

In the current CSGO metagame, the M4A1-S reigns supreme. The buffs from Operation Riptide have made it superior to the M4A4 and, overpowered according to pros. That may be bad news for M4A4 enjoyers, but it also means that skins for the gun are cheaper than they’ve been for a very, very long time. Now is the best time to pick up a fancy M4A4 skin, and these five are the best options at every price point.

The best M4A4 skins in all of CSGO

The M4A4 is currently the less-popular CT rifle, but with the M4A1-S in such an overpowered state, it’s only a matter of time before Valve nerfs it. With everyone using the M4A1-S, many M4A4 cosmetics have massively dropped in price. This applies to cheap skins as well as the very best M4A4 wraps. Here are five awesome options at every price point.

5. Converter ($1)

The best cheap M4A4 skin in CSGO is the Converter. A blue from the Inferno collection, the black background is segmented by a honeycomb pattern and red splotches that resemble blood stains. Factory New Converters are available for just a dollar on the Steam Market. Before Operation Riptide, this skin used to sell for nearly double the price.

4. Griffin ($4)

If you want something more than just a simple pattern, the Griffin is the cheapest graffiti-style M4A4 skin in CSGO. The image of a screeching griffin resonates with a lot of players, but the price is still fairly low at just $4 for Factory New. The Vanguard collection is one of the oldest operation cases in CSGO, so the price of the Griffin could soar considering the relatively low supply.

3. 龍王 (Dragon King) ($21)

Speaking of retro skins, the Dragon King is another great pull from a fan-favorite case. The Chroma collection introduced a ton of new knife skins including the ultra-rare Black Pearl, but it also added a very handsome M4A4 skin. The 龍王, which literally translates to Dragon King, combines very cool art of a traditional Chinese dragon with an eye-catching color pallette. The skin used to cost around $31 at Factory New, but now a clean one is just $21.

2. Royal Paladin ($79)

Players who are really committed to the M4A4 can pick up a Factory New Royal Paladin for its all-time low price of $79. The Revolver case is pretty unpopular to open nowadays since it has mediocre knife skins and the R8 Revolver | Fade is infamously cheap at just $5.34. The Royal Paladin sports an ornate gilded pattern with intricate patterns on every surface. It pairs well with other regal skins like the AWP | The Prince.

1. Poseidon ($1,514)

A Factory New Poseidon sells for an insane price tag, but there’s a very good reason why. The Poseidon hails from the Gods and Monsters collection from Operation Bloodhound. As the only pink skin in the collection, this is the only option for guaranteed AWP | Medusa tradeups. Before the M4A1-S buffs, clean Poseidons sold on the Steam Market for around $1,800. That makes the current market price of $1,514 look like a steal.

The Howl is the most expensive M4A4 skin in CSGO

As for the most expensive M4A4 skin in CSGO, the M4A4 | Howl ranks among the most expensive gun skins in the entire game. Factory New examples are so expensive that they are almost never sold through the Steam Market. A StatTrak Factory New Howl is currently for sale on a third-party trading website for $30,000.

The Howl’s incredible price is due to its unique yellow Contraband rarity. The skin was introduced in the Huntsman collection but was removed when Valve discovered that the artwork was stolen.

Valve removed it from the case, but existing Howls were replaced with an altered version. The incident cut off the supply of Howls at approximately just 7,347. A Valve blunder coupled with extreme rarity makes the Howl a favorite of CSGO collectors with expensive tastes.

Read Also

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Playoffs Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs? Owen Harsono The IEM Cologne Major is the biggest tournament of the year, and after two stages of play, it’s finally time to unleash the big boys. Stage 3 will feature the 16 best teams in the world, but only eight can advance to the Playoffs and play on the big stage. Here’s our IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview. Before we got to Stage 3, a lot of things happened in ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...

Counter-Strike

BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...

Counter-Strike

Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...

Counter-Strike

The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...