The term Glock refers to a series of handguns designed and produced by the Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. In 1980, the Austrian Armed Forces looked to replace their in-service handgun, and a competition was held to see what company could produce a viable substitute. The first-generation Glock 17 won this competition—while beating other big name gun manufacturers—and its adoption in Austria soon spread to other nations. Today, Glock pistols have been supplied to armed forces and/or police personnel in over 48 countries.
Since their inception in 1982, over 20 million Glock handguns have been produced. Other than the original Glock 17, many other variants have been created. All Glock models follow a similar formula and they range from the Glock 17 to Glock 46. Funnily enough, a higher number variant typically correlates with a smaller-sized model. To date, the most popular Glock model is the Glock 19. In CS2, the Glock 18 is the starting pistol for the Terrorists. This model is identical in shape and size to a Glock 17, with the major difference being the 18 has fully-automatic capability.
How good is the Glock?
While Glock handguns are extremely powerful and deadly in real life, being a starting pistol, the CS2 Glock 18 is one of the weakest weapons in the game.
Although real Glock 18’s can be fully-automatic, the Glock 18 in CS2 is limited to being semi-automatic, alongside a gimmicky and situationally useful 3 round burst. Additionally, The Glock 18 has one of the lowest damage and armor penetration values of all the pistols in CS2. In the pistol round, however, no one is able to purchase a helmet, and this is where the Glock becomes useful.
The CS2 Glock has a pretty good running accuracy, and its 20 round magazine encourages a more spammy playstyle. The primary drawback of the Glock 18 is its inability to one-shot-headshot past a certain range—even against unhelmeted opponents. This is in stark contrast to the Counter-Terrorists’ P2000/USP-S, which can one-shot-headshot at any range, while also having an accuracy advantage. This limits the Glock 18’s usefulness to close range, so make sure to close the gap when engaging an enemy.
After the pistol round the Glock 18 loses a lot of its usability. Against armored opponents it takes 8 shots to the chest or 2 shots to the head at point-blank range to kill. For $500 you can purchase a Tec-9, which kills in 4 shots to the chest and 1 to the head, while also being better at range and having better accuracy. The Glock is serviceable as a sidearm when you run out of primary ammo and need something to finish off your opponent, but you might as well be using a water gun if you’re trying to kill a fully armored opponent at full health.
Despite its weak stats, the Glock 18 has its place in the game and fairs well in pistol rounds. The pistol round is one of the most important rounds in a game of CS2, so at least it gets some time in the spotlight. So with that in mind, if you’re going to win your pistol rounds you might as well win with style. Here are 15 Glock 18 skins I think look awesome.
What are the best Glock skins in CS2? (All prices for Factory New condition)
15. Death Rattle ($.11)
Death Rattle in action:
The Death Rattle is a pretty simple skin. It covers the Glock with a snakeskin pattern. The skin itself may be a bit basic, but what really makes it neat is that it's thematic. When toggling the Glock between its semi-automatic and burst fire modes, it makes a distinct “click.” While holding down the toggle button, repeated clicks can be heard, which mimic the “rattle” of a rattlesnake. This is the cheapest skin on the list, so if you’re on a tight budget but still want something that looks great, this might be the choice for you.
14. Winterized ($.30)
Winterized in action:
The Winterized finish gives the Glock an arctic camo color scheme, while also adding details to the slide. This gives the gun a very tactical feel and looks like something army personnel would carry. I think this is one of the more underrated skins for the Glock 18, as I barely ever see anyone using it. That could probably be because military-themed skins aren’t used by many people in general… but if that’s your style then consider picking this one up.
13. Gamma Doppler ($69)
Phase 4 Gamma Dopper in action:
The Gamma Doppler covers the slide of the glock with a mixture of dark and bright green to give off an otherworldly and outer space feel. Like other Doppler finishes, there are 4 common phases that change what combination of colors are present and a rare Emerald phase that covers the slide in a solid vibrant green. All Doppler skins got a very substantial upgrade from CSGO to CS2, as the new material lighting system allows them to have an amazing luster. And also like other Dopplers… this skin is quite expensive, so keep that in mind.
12. Off World ($.70, $.09 for BS)
Off World in action:
The Off World finish may seem a bit basic at first glance, since all it is a blue painted skin with some scratch details. However, what really makes this skin unique is the fact that this is one of few skins in CS2 where a higher wear adds to the look of the skin.
Typically, a higher wear value causes the skin to be scratched up or appear washed out. But with the Off World, the wear causes more details to be scratched into the blue paint. In a battle-scarred condition, a menacing skull with a crown can be seen, which gives the skin a rebellious feel to it.
11. Moon Rise ($1.52)
Moon Rise in action:
The Moon Rise covers the slide of the Glock in with a serene view of a city skyline. The choice of purple as the main color looks great and makes this skin stand out from other choices. This combined with the pinkish haziness helps give the skin a cyberpunk aesthetic to it. And the full moon that overshadows the silhouette of the bridge really ties the art together.
The skin has varying patterns that shift the skyline left and right. There’s even a rare “star” pattern where a white star can be seen near the slide stop.
10. Fade ($2750)
Fade in action:
The Fade finish is one of the most iconic skin finishes in Counter Strike, and having it on the Glock 18 is no exception. There’s just something about a simple and bright color gradient that’s a lot more beautiful than it sounds. However, this skin is part of the Assault collection, which has been out of drop circulation for a very long time. Due to this, the Glock 18 Fade is the most expensive Glock skin in the game. So your wallet will be feeling a lot lighter if you buy this skin, but using this tells everyone else in the server that you are a Glock fanatic.
9. Ramses Reach ($17.20)
Ramses Reach in action:
The Ramses Reach has a whole plethora of Egyptian themed art. The top of the slide features a nice view of the Nile River while the sun is setting. The grip of the gun has an intricate eye design, and below that is a depiction of pharaoh Ramesses I, who was known for establishing one of the most powerful dynasties in Ancient Egyptian history.
The artwork has the properties of an oil painted style, which makes it feel like something that was created through traditional means instead of digitally. This skin pairs very well with the AK-47 Legion of Anubis, which features a similar art style. So if you’re big into Egyptian history or culture, this would be a perfect combination of skins to pick up.
8. Block-18 ($5.15)
Block 18 in action:
The Block-18 was the first Glock skin added to CS2, as part of the Kilowatt case. As one can imagine, the name is a play-on-words, and the gun appears to be built of building block toys such as LEGO or MEGA BLOK.
Being the first skin in CS2, this was designed to utilize new skinmaking features. The Block-18 has block studs on the skin, and they look to really be a part of the gun. This alone makes the skin different from other Glock skins.
7. Vogue ($9.44)
Vogue in action:
The Glock 18 Vogue would be if the aesthetic of the Fade would be applied to the entirety of the gun. The yellow-red-blue gradient gives the gun a retro feel, particularly to the art styles present in the 1950s (such as Andy Warhol).
The presence of the eyes might be hit-or-miss to some people, but personally I think it adds to the look of the skin. As a neat bonus, this is one of the only Glock skins that change the color of the barrel—and the Vogue makes it a bright fuschia. This is a pretty small detail you won’t really notice while using it, but it’s cool that it's there.
6. Sacrifice ($1.08)
Sacrifice in action:
The Glock 18 Sacrifice covers the gun with a depiction of a Counter-Terrorist with angel wings defusing a bomb while being engulfed in flames. While this design already looks amazing, what makes it even better is the fact that it pays homage to one of CSGO’s most memorable plays.
In the Cologne 2014 Championship, all-star Fnatic player Olofmeister made a play where he started defusing the bomb, and continued to do so even after a molotov was thrown on top of him. He finished defusing right as he died to the flames, and this act of courage was even memorialized with a graffiti on the map this happened—Overpass. You can watch the clip here:
5. Wasteland Rebel ($6.10)
Wasteland Rebel in action:
The Wasteland Rebel was the first Covert-Tier Glock to be added to the game, to the dismay of others. It is a bit lacking in terms of a Covert skin (and many others would agree), and its bigger brother AK-47 version looks better. Nonetheless, it's still a great looking skin and underrated for how cheap it is.
The all caps font stands boldly compared to the dark background. A neat easter egg of this skin is that the graffiti scratches away to reveal a number of messages within it. If you own a Wasteland Rebel AK-47, odds are you are already rocking this skin. If you don’t, it’s a combination you should look into if you’re thinking about using this.
4. Umbral Rabbit ($1.90)
Umbral Rabbit in action:
The Umbral Rabbit converts the gun into a stunning piece of artwork. The skin depicts a rabbit jumping over a full moon in an artwork reminiscent of older East Asian art styles. This skin was released in 2023, which was the Lunar Year of the Rabbit. Everything painted in this skin just has so much intricate detail, and this will definitely be a skin you’ll inspect frequently and appreciate.
3. Bullet Queen ($48)
Bullet Queen in action:
What’s not to love about the Bullet Queen? As the second Covert-Tier Glock added it has the quality that’s expected of this tier. The bright yellow and black contrast nicely to make the skin have a punk style. The artwork of the named Queen looks straight out of a comic book, alongside all of the stylized bullets throughout the skin. The bullet with the light blue tongue looks especially good, which is nice as it's what will be seen most of the time while using this.
2. Water Elemental ($12.35)
Water Elemental in action:
The Water Elemental covers the Glock in a dark ruby base coat and paints a bright blue water creature onto the gun. This was the first high-rarity Glock skin to be added to CS GO, and it has stood the test of time as being one of the best Glock skins out there. The water creature really pops and compliments the surrounding red really well. That helps this skin be one of the most colorful Glock skins in the game, and it should be no surprise that it's also one of the most popular Glock skins.
1. Neo Noir ($60)
Neo-Noir in action:
The Neo-Noir is the best looking Glock skin in CS2, in my opinion. It is the fourth in the line of Neo-Noirs to be added to the game, and all of them look absolutely phenomenal. The primary colorbase is a textured white background and the dark silhouette of a woman. The red-blue gradient looks especially great, as it’s primarily composed of a purple shade. This selection of palette has a luxurious and futuristic aura. This is also one of the most popular Glock skins in the game, though this comes with a higher price tag. If you can afford one, you’ll definitely be getting “oohs” and “ahhs” while people spectate you headshotting Counter-Terrorists.
