The Maschinenpistole 5, or Machine Pistol 5 shortened as MP5, is a submachine gun developed by the German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH. It was developed in the 1960’s and originally introduced to German police and military units—where it saw little to modest use.
However, the gun gained worldwide recognition when it was used by many members of the British Special Air Service during the Iranian Embassy Siege. Many photos were taken of SAS members holding the MP5, and when these photos were published the gun became a global icon for counter-terrorism.
Since then the MP5 has been adopted by militaries and police forces around the globe and has become one of the most popular and well-recognized guns ever made.
This was to the point where the UMP—another submachine gun developed by Heckler & Koch and intended to succeed the MP5—was pretty much ignored in favor of the MP5. In CS2, the MP5 variant used is the MP5-SD, which is an integrally suppressed variant of the MP5, chambered in 9mm.
How Meta is this gun?
The MP5-SD (and the MP7) sees moderate usage in CS2, but typically it gets overshadowed by other mid-tier options, including the MP9 and MAC-10. It is nearly identical to the MP7, with the only difference being 2 less damage per shot, but it has a suppressor.
This two damage difference might not seem like much, but is noticeable though, as it creates a one bullet kill difference at medium range compared to the MP7. Since the MP5-SD is equippable by both Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, this makes it the only suppressed gun in the game that Terrorists can buy.
The reason why the MP5-SD (and the MP7) get overshadowed is due to being the second most expensive SMGs in the game—priced at $1500 dollars. On the other hand, the MAC-10 costs $1050 and the MP9 costs $1250. The MP5-SD has very similar killtimes to the two cheaper options, and has better accuracy, making it better at range.
However, both the MP5-SD and MP7 have slower walking speeds and very long reloads. Additionally, we are talking about SMGs here, which should be used at close range anyways, so the accuracy improvements aren’t too important.
Due to these factors, the MP5-SD isn’t worth the $1500 it costs. This is less of the MP5-SD being an underpowered gun, but rather the MAC-10 and MP9 providing way too much for their respective price points (the MP9 especially)—a sentiment shared by others in the community.
So, the primary appeal for buying this weapon over other SMGs is the suppressor. This makes it a good option at spraying through smokes, as you do not leave bullet tracers which could reveal your position. Though besides that, the usefulness of a suppressor on a SMG in CS2 isn’t as useful as the other suppressed weapons.
The other two suppressed guns are the USP-S and M4A1-S; both are very effective at long range, and using them at such a range causes the shots to be practically inaudible.
The MP5-SD isn’t as useful at this range, and at the range you should be using it, the shots are quieter, but are still definitely audible and will allow your opponent to react. All in all, the MP5-SD sits in an awkward position and gameplay wise it's basically a worse MAC-10 and MP9 for a higher price point.
Keep in mind though that choosing the “best” guns in CS2 only really matters at the highest competitive level and the professional scene.
Besides that, aim and gamesense trump all else—and if you’re just someone who just wants to use the MP5-SD because of its iconic status, 100% go for it, you will still be getting kills with it left and right. And if you want to give this famous weapon some glamor, here are the top 15 MP5-SD skins in CS2.
What are the best MP5-SD skins in CS2? (All prices shown are in Factory-New condition)
15. Co-Processor ($.59)
Co-Processor in action:
The Co-Processor is a pretty simple skin. It paints the body of the gun with a blue circuit board design. The light blue accents look very clean, and the pattern has a nice look to it. I do wish the skin covered more of the gun though.
This is the only MP5-SD skin that only covers the body of the gun, which is unfortunate, but at least this skin looks better than the Dirt Drop…
14. Bamboo Garden ($4.74)
Bamboo Garden in action:
The Bamboo Garden covers most of the gun in a pale green color that isn’t seen too often on skins, and stamps on silhouettes of bamboo shoots and leaves throughout. The grip is covered in a dark green, and the sliding stock gets painted an olive shade.
The color and pattern come together nicely, and this skin has the bonus of maintaining almost all of its detail even while being Field-Tested. Even though this is a white-tier skin, it comes from the St. Marc Collection which is only available during certain operations.
So be prepared to pay a ludicrous price for such a basic low-tiered skin.
13. Acid Wash ($1.35)
Acid Wash in action:
The Acid Wash covers the body and silencer of the gun in a blue steel paint, and splotches of it have been removed to give it an “acid wash” appearance. This doesn’t look great though, and the skin would have greatly benefitted if these sections were just solid blue or gray.
It would have also benefited if this portion was a bit more reflective from the metallic paint, which would have provided some contrast with everything else.
However, the rest of the skin looks great, as it has a black, gray, and copper color scheme.
12. Lab Rats ($.17)
Lab Rats in action:
The Lab Rats paints the gun with a large amount of rats, while the grip is painted black and the stock is painted red. The rats have blue glowing eyes, and some of them have their fur and claws stained with blood.
Overall, this skin has a pretty creepy tone to it. The Lab Rats was released with the Danger Zone update, where it was given for free to any player who played enough Danger Zone matches.
It’s a bit symbolic as the players of the battle royale mode were essentially test subjects.
11. Necro Jr ($.25)
Necro Jr in action:
The Necro Jr paints various parts of the gun with small and cute depictions of Eldritch-Horror type creatures, which is a bit of an odd combination. The most prominent feature is the chicken head on the silencer, which alone makes this skin a worthwhile purchase.
This was part of the Dreams and Nightmares case, which is filled with all sorts of designs incorporating supernatural entities.
I think this skin did a decent job, as it gives a feeling that feels “off.”
10. Autumn Twilly ($8.02)
Autumn Twilly in action:
The Autumn Twilly has a very intricate set of patterns in red and brown. A twilly is a ribbon that’s typically used as a woman’s scarf, and they usually have random patterns on them. This skin fits the name pretty well, as it looks like something that would translate nicely into a scarf.
Some people might not like the randomness of this skin, or they don’t like the color choice. Personally I think it looks decent, and if you do as well, make sure to get it in a higher wear, as the skin scratches pretty easily.
Though, this skin is pretty expensive compared to other choices on this list.
9. Nitro ($8.47)
Nitro in action:
The MP5-SD Nitro is a simple skin, just like the rest of the Nitro lineup. The grip and stock of the gun gets painted orange, while the rest gets painted a semi-gloss black.
Although minimalistic, this color combination is very clean and similar to something on a sports car, which is what the whole Nitro lineup is trying to mimic.
Given that the black is paint, it will wear away like the rest of the skin, so try to get at least a Minimal Wear condition Nitro if you want one.
The reason why the Factory New is so much more expensive is due to the float ranges for this skin, making a Factory New variant very rare. It’s not worth it though, as all Factory New Nitros look like a Minimal Wear one anyways.
8. Liquidation ($.32)
Liquidation in action:
The Liquidation covers the body of the gun in a dark cobalt blue. Then, bright blue and red accents are painted on specific parts of the dark blue coat to give it the illusion of being under neon lights.
I think it pulls off this trick extremely well, and it causes this skin to pop.
For a bonus, additional details have been added to the grip to make it appear more textured, and ventilation holes have been added to the silencer.
7. Kitbash ($1.51)
Kitbash in action:
The Kitbash’s design feels random, which is the intent. A “Kitbash” typically refers to a practice in model kit hobbying where different parts of different models are combined to make something custom. Typically Kitbashes have custom paint jobs and other detailing done to it to truly make it one of a kind.
As a person who does model kit hobbying, it’s awesome seeing this concept captured in a skin, and the MP5-SD is a good fit for it.
Given all the variants of the MP5, and the fact that it's an extremely popular firearm, if any gun would have a kitbash, it'd be this one.
6. Desert Strike ($.28)
Desert Strike in action:
The Desert Strike paints the gun in a black and tan color scheme. There’s added details throughout the gun that look militaristic, and overall this gun has a tactical feel to it. The Desert Strike has been applied to the M4A4 and Negev prior to the MP5-SD.
This variant has as much extra detailing as the M4A4, with the benefit of being a blue tier skin instead of red tier. This makes this a very nice looking skin that you can get for dirt cheap.
However, get this in Factory New, as all Desert Strikes seem to love excessive scratching. Some Factory News still have a decent amount of scratches on them, so get a higher float value—this skin is really cheap regardless.
5. Condition Zero ($1.05)
Condition Zero in action:
The Condition Zero paints the MP5-SD in a blue and yellow design. There also seems to be a grainy texture that’s been applied all over the gun. This skin pays homage to Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, which came out in 2004. The blue and yellow chosen pay homage to the cover art of the game.
And this might be a stretch, but perhaps the grainy texture is supposed to resemble the look of CRT monitors, which were all the rage in the era Condition Zero came out.
Fun fact: the MP5 (unsilenced) appeared in every Counter-Strike game from 1.6 to Source, but it was replaced with the MP7 in CS:GO.
4. Gauss ($1.40)
Gauss in action:
The Gauss covers different parts of the gun in different metallic designs. There’s a steampunk theme to it. This skin takes full advantage of the new CS2 material and lighting system, and it looks like a completely different object in-game.
This is one of few guns in the game where the gun doesn’t look straight up worse as it wears.
The Factory New looks a bit artificial, but the paint slightly rusts at the edges of the gun as it wears. It also gets a bit darker and this combined gives the gun a more 3-D and realistic look to it.
3. Oxide Oasis ($36.74)
Oxide Oasis in action:
The Oxide Oasis paints the body of the gun in a bright orange camo. Within it, there are splotches of eye-catching teal added, which is supposed to look like copper oxide. The rest of the gun has a dark gray camo, and there’s even gold accents added to some of the smaller bits.
While this skin does look great, it’s a pink tier, and only comes from the 2021 Mirage collection. That collection only drops during certain operations, and because of that, be prepared to pay a hefty price for it.
Is the skin worth it? Not in my opinion, but it still looks really good.
2. Phosphor ($10.41)
Phosphor in action:
The Phosphor covers everything but the magazine in a dark blue undercoat. Then, it’s given the appearance of paint that dripped on top of the gun. This skin looks surprisingly realistic, as splotches of green and pink have been added to the grip.
The best parts of the skin are where two of the colors come together, as a very nice looking blue-green and green-pink gradient are visible.
This skin also looks a lot more vibrant in CS2, giving it a more artistic aesthetic.
1. Agent ($3.16)
Agent in action:
The Agent is easily the best MP5-SD skin in CS2, in my opinion. What’s the best way to decorate a gun that’s an icon for counter-terrorism?
Paint it with a counter-terrorist theme. The metallic blue and bright, bold yellow font make for a fantastic combination, and the counter-terrorist logo underneath the FBI really drives the skin home.
The extra detailing is nice too, as it feels as if this is an actual custom made MP5-SD designed for field use. This skin isn’t all that expensive either (perks of using an underutilized weapon), and you should 100% consider running this skin if you decide to pick up the MP5-SD.
