Counter Strike: Global Offensive may be a free to play game, but at times it can still get really expensive. If you want to customize your guns with weapon skins the prices can get high at times. If you are a new player or you just don't plan on spending a lot, here is a guide to finding the best skins within a roughly five US dollar price range. For this I covered every equipped gun by default. So that means there is no: M4A1-S, USP-S, CZ-75, R8 and MP5-SD. I managed to find skins that equal exactly 5 dollars, but prices can vary.

The Steam Market is always on the move, with some prices fluctuating every minute. But when the skins do change, it usually is very minor, especially with cheaper skins. The only time there would be big changes is if Steam is having a huge sale or an operation is ending. Regularly, the cheaper skins usually vary in price by one or two cents each week. So by the time you are reading this, these prices may change, but not significantly. You may even save money.

Pistols:

Dual Berettas | Contractor MW - $0.04

P2000 | Urban Hazard FT- $0.09

Tec 9 | Cracked Opal MW - $0.11

Five Seven | Capillary MW - $0.12

Glock 18 | Off World FT - $0.12

P250 | Valence FT - $0.16

Desert Eagle | Oxide Blaze FT - $0.32

TOTAL: $1.02

The Pistol category can be quite important, since it is possible to beat rifles with only pistols if played correctly. On the least expensive end, I decided to pick the "Dual Berettas | Contractor" with minimal wear for $0.04. I went cheap with those because the Dual Berettas are very weak compared to the other pistols, so you will not be using them that much. On the most expensive side, I picked the "Desert Eagle | Oxide Blaze" field tested. It was difficult to find a decent looking skin for the Desert Eagle at an affordable price, so the Oxide Blaze was my best option to fit in the five dollar limit. Two very interesting skins I like on this list are the "Tec 9 | Cracked Opal" and the "P250 | Valence." Both of them have a blue glow running through them, which I find to be very cool.

SMG:

PP Bizon | Facility Sketch FN - $0.09

MP9 | Modest Threat MW - $0.12

MP7 | Cirrus FT - $0.13

MAC 10 | Oceanic MW - $0.15

P90 | Off World FT - $0.17

UMP 45 | Labyrinth FN - $0.19

TOTAL: $0.85

The SMG category is quite important like the pistols, because you may find yourself using one of these weapons when you cannot afford a rifle. Just like the Dual Berettas, I gave the PP Bizon the cheapest skin since it is not widely used in this category. It may have the largest magazine, but it just doesn't hold up compared to the other weapons. The UMP-45 on the other hand, is the cheapest SMG option in-game that is available to both sides (Mac-10 is only T side). It also happens to be the best option in this category to use due to its good damage and the fact that it handles like a rifle. So I went with the UMP-45 as the most expensive skin in this category. The nicest skin for the price though is the "MP7 | Cirrus'' field tested. It has a cool, robotic, blue and black look and it's only $0.13.

Heavy:

M249 | Contrast Spray FT - $0.08

Sawed Off | Zander FT - $0.09

Nova | Wood Fired MW - $0.11

Mag 7 | Popdog MW - $0.11

Negev | Bulkhead FT - $0.13

XM1014 | Quicksilver FT - $0.15

TOTAL: $0.67

Out of all the weapon categories, I picked Heavy to be the cheapest. Shotguns and LMGs do not see as much use compared to the other categories; they also can't keep up with all the rifles and snipers on the battlefield. Out of all the weapons, the M249 is definitely the worst and least used gun in the whole game, so I picked the cheapest market option for it. The "XM1014 | Quicksilver" field tested is the most expensive since it was hard to pick out a good-looking, affordable XM1014 skin. But the best skin for the price on this list goes to the "Nova | Wood Fired" minimal wear. The old-fashioned look mixed with the black flames makes it the best Heavy skin for only $0.11.

Snipers:

G3SG1 | Hunter FT - $0.08

SCAR 20 | Blueprint FT - $0.09

SSG08 | Abyss WW - $0.35

AWP | Safari Mesh MW- $0.46

TOTAL: $0.98

I understand the sniper rifles in this game are within the "Rifles'' category. But to avoid listing too many items in one category I split them into two, since snipers and regular rifles do have many differences. The automatic snipers actually have some pretty decent looking skins for only 8 and 9 cents. I also noticed AWP skins tend to have limited cheap options, so I had to go with the "AWP | Safari Mesh'' minimal wear for $0.46. The best skin for the price is the "SSG08 | Abyss'' well worn for $0.35. This skin has a unique, ice-like pattern that has many options you can choose from. If you get the battle-scarred version of it, the skin turns black and white instead of black and blue, making it one of the most diverse skins in the game.

Rifles:

Galil AR | Black sand FT - $0.12

Famas | Decommissioned FT - $0.12

AUG | Triqua MW - $0.16

SG553 | Danger Close MW - $0.19

M4A4 | Magnesium FT- $0.42

AK47 | Uncharted FT - $0.47

TOTAL: $1.48

The rifle category is where you find the best and most used weapons in the game, so I funded it the most. On the cheap end we have the Galil and Famas, since those are the cheapest rifle options. On the high end we have the M4A4 and the AK47, which are used more and are stronger than the cheap rifles. I didn't need to get expensive with the AUG and SG553 since they have a decent amount of nice-looking, affordable options, unlike the M4 and AK. Speaking of which, the AUG has the best deal for the price in this category. The "AUG | Triqua" is a vibrant skin with the perfect amount of patterns and detail swirling around it. It doesn't stand out too much or too little. You can get a minimal wear one for only $0.16.

Freedom of Choice

I have given you a good variety of options for an affordable price, but these are not the only skins to choose from. Counter Strike: Global Offensive is full of skins that you can spend hours looking at. Feel free to choose whatever skin suits you best, everyone has their own style. If you happen to use the Dual Berettas or PP-Bizon, then go ahead and get yourself a more expensive skin for it. You decide what kind of player you want to be! Good luck and have fun!