Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a hugely popular first-person shooter game title by Valve Corporation. Despite being more than ten years old, it still manages to dominate the competitive FPS scene. Like many other shooter games on the market, CSGO also features in-game cosmetics called “weapon skins.” However, CSGO stands out from the rest as the skins you can get in the game can be resold. This creates one of the biggest virtual community markets in existence.
Since Global Offensive’s original launch, Valve has kept the game up to date by adding new maps, firearms, gameplay modes, and adjustments to the weapon balancing. The “Arms Deal” upgrade was one of the game’s first significant updates after its release. The update, which was made available on August 13, 2013, gave the game aesthetic weapon finishes, or skins. These things can be acquired through a loot box system, in which players get cases that can be opened with virtual keys acquired via in-game micro-transactions.
Skins in Counter Strike Global Offensive
CS:GO weapon skins currently come in a wide price range with numerous customization possibilities. CS:GO skins range in price from a few dollars to thousands! Each one appeals to various CS:GO audiences and is unique in its beauty and value. Global Offensive has more than 953 distinct skins available, ranging from realistic to ludicrous weapon finishes.
Many of them have tactically advantageous finishes; for example, the Aztec skins have camouflage that would assist the weapons blend in with a forest setting. The Akihabara Accept skin, for example, is a real assault rifle with the picture of an anime magazine emblazoned on its side. There are also many other amazing and bizarre skins in the world of CS:GO.
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Wear Affects the Value of Skins in CSGO
Among the many features that make the gears of CS: GO’s skin economy keep turning, wear level stands out to us. Wear level simulates how our real-life possessions wear down as we use them. It is expressed with a float value, which goes from 0.0, meaning factory-new, to 1.0, meaning worn out.
The wear level has a direct influence on the look of the skin. Usually, the higher the float value, the less vibrant and crisp the skin appears. Talk about planned obsolescence! The possibility of decay adds another layer of complexity to how skins are valued and traded in the virtual economy.
One of the most significant moves Valve made regarding the skin trade was to give artists a lot of wiggle room when it came to making additions to the skin series. Some series have an almost identical design that covers many types of weapons. Other series follow specific design guidelines to make the included skins unique from each other but still part of a thematic whole.
For example, the Asiimov collection is a skin line with a single design available for several weapons. No matter the weapon, the Asiimov skin is a fairly simple overlay of grey, vermillion, and black. Meanwhile, the guns in the “Tarot Card” skin series look quite different from each other. Each gun is coated with a design inspired by a unique Tarot card, such as The Empress or The Emperor, but each is conveyed in a similar style and matching jewel-toned color palette.
The Hyper Beast Skins
Among all of these skin lines, series, and standalone skins available in CSGO, there is a unique skin line that has been in the game for some time that has managed to gain an infamous and legendary status among the CS:GO player base. This widely popular skin line is none other than the Hyper Beast skin collection.
The Hyper Beast skins are some of the most well-liked weapon skins in the entirety of CS: GO because even after their long history in the game, they are still gorgeous. The Hyper Beast finish has been applied to the weapons in the series in a “Custom Paint Job” manner. With this technique, you may create highly personalized looks in a variety of hues.
The Hyper Beast has an illustration of a monster with cunning teeth in the middle of the weapon skin and is colored in orange, red, blue, and green. This gives a player’s firearm an aggressive vibe. The Hyper Beast skin pattern index impacts how it looks like many other weapon skins in the game. And currently, the hyper beast skin line has only been released on four CSGO weapons: M4A1-S, AWP, Nova, and Five-Seven.
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History of Hyper Beast Skins
The first Hyper Beast skin concepts were designed by community designer Brock “frontaLOBE” Hofer and were submitted to the Steam Community Workshop in 2013. Valve recognized these skin concepts for their worth and decided to add them to the game.
The first Hyper Beast was introduced to CS: GO on April 15th, 2015. Valve chose to release the first Hyper Beast skin for the silenced Counter-Terrorist rifle, M4A1-S. This skin gained popularity and recognition right after its release because of the unique aggressive design aesthetics it brought to the mix.
Following the release of the M4A1-S Hyper Beast skin in CSGO, Valve released another skin of the same skin line back-to-back. This time it was the AWP Hyper Beast. Since already the AWP was a well-established, powerful, and popular weapon within CS: GO, the AWP’s edition of the Hyper Beast attracted a considerable fan base towards the skin line. Specifically, on May 26, 2015, the AWP Hyper Beast was initially introduced to CS: GO.
Recent Hyper Beast Skin Additions to Counter-Strike: GO
Then within the two following years, Valve decided to treat the CS: GO community with two more Hyper Beast skins for the shotgun, Nova, and for the Counter-Terrorist exclusive pistol, Five-Seven. The Nova Hyper Beast was first introduced to CS: GO 6 years ago, on February 17th, 2016. It was released as part of the “Operation Wildfire” update and was included and obtainable through the Operation Wildfire Case.
The Five-Seven Hyper Beast was first introduced to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 5 years ago, on May 23rd, 2017. It was released as part of the “Operation Hydra” update and as included and obtainable through the Operation Hydra Case since then.
Even though the player base appreciated the continuous release of the Hyper Beast skins in CSGO, the latter released items did not receive the same popularity as the previous two releases because the weapons Valve chose to release them on were not weapons that many players tend to use during their matches.
Related Guide: How to Change Your Field of View (FoV) in CSGO
Hyper Beast Skins Ranked
The skins are all exceptionally designed, but some Hyper Beast skins stand out. Following is a ranking of all the available Hyper Beast skins, taking into account the design aspects and the usefulness of the skinned weapon. You can also find pricing for different skin floats (wear levels).
1. M4A1-S Hyper Beast
The M4A1-S Hyper Beast skin is part of the Chroma 2 Collection and can be obtained by opening the Chroma 2 Case container. The M4A1-S skin in CSGO is also generatable through Chroma 2 trade-ups. The skin features a vibrant look for the rifle.
A standard M4A1-S Hyper Beast ranges from $14.18 – $127.05 on the Steam market, while the StatTrack editions of the same skin range from $38.33 – $402.50. This item isn’t available in Souvenir editions.
- Factory New – $86.54 (StatTrack – $248.63)
- Minimal Wear – $35.14 (StatTrack – $79.21)
- Field-Tested – $10.02 (StatTrack – $40.54)
- Well-Worn – $12.46 (StatTrack – $26.60)
- Battle-Scarred – $10.42 (StatTrack – $26.09)
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2. AWP Hyper Beast CSGO Skin
The AWP Hyper Beast skin is also part of the Falchion Collection and can be obtained by opening the Falchion Case container. This AWP skin is also generatable through Falchion Collection trade-ups.
A standard AWP Hyper Beast ranges from $21.78 – $95.35 on the Steam market at the moment, while the StatTrack editions of the same skin range from $51.65 – $274.77. This item isn’t available in Souvenir editions.
- Factory New – $65.22 (StatTrack – $175.00)
- Minimal Wear – $40.17 (StatTrack – $90.00)
- Field-Tested – $23.47 (StatTrack – $51.26)
- Well-Worn – $19.01 (StatTrack – $40.14)
- Battle-Scarred – $16.11 (StatTrack – $38.39)
If you’re a big fan of the AWP sniper rifle, check out our list of the 10 best AWP skins in CSGO to find other great alternatives.
3. Nova Hyper Beast
The Nova Hyper Beast skin is part of the Operation Wildfire Collection and can be obtained by opening the Operation Wildfire Case container. The Nova is also generatable through Falchion Collection trade-ups.
A standard Nova Hyper Beast CSGO skin ranges from $7.99 – $20.47 on the Steam market at the moment, while the StatTrack editions of the same skin range from $18.70 – $52.26. This item isn’t available in Souvenir editions.
- Factory New – $14.20 (StatTrack – $37.99)
- Minimal Wear – $9.21 (StatTrack – $27.09)
- Field-Tested – $7.55 (StatTrack – $14.66)
- Well-Worn – $6.65 (StatTrack – $20.49)
- Battle-Scarred – $5.62 (StatTrack – $12.41)
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4. Five-Seven Hyper Beast
The Five-Seven Hyper Beast skin is also part of the Operation Hydra Collection in CSGO. It can be obtained by opening the Operation Hydra Case container. The Five-Seven is also generatable through Falchion Collection trade-ups.
A standard Five-Seven Hyper Beast ranges from $13.42 – $76.55 on the Steam Market at the moment, while the StatTrack editions of the same skin range from $38.75 – $311.00. This item isn’t available in Souvenir editions.
- Factory New – $14.20 (StatTrack – $183.36)
- Minimal Wear – $9.21 (StatTrack – $72.86)
- Field-Tested – $7.55 (StatTrack – $44.00)
- Well-Worn – $6.65 (StatTrack – $34.68)
- Battle-Scarred – $5.62 (StatTrack – $25.03)
Final Thoughts on the Best Hyberpeast Skins in CSGO
If you’re looking for a new look in CSGO, consider trying out one of the hyper beast skins. They are some of the most vibrant and interesting skins in the game, and they’re sure to turn heads when you use them in-game.
What are your favorite Hyper Beast skins in CSGO? Let us know in the comments below!
For another great look, check out our review of the best weapon skins in CSGO.
