VALORANT CSGO skins
“Still the coolest thing VALO ever made…” – whether you agree with the hype or consider VALORANT’s Black.Market skin line to be a little too CS:GO-inspired, these skins have been popping up around every corner lately.
For those of you still in the dark, we’re here today to unpack this opinionated debate.
But first, a little backstory…
The story so far…
CS:GO (Counter Stike / Global Offensive) launched on August 21, 2012, and paved the way for tactical first-person shooters like VALORANT.
Though still one of the top-rated tac-FPS games around, it’s been a long time since CS:GO hit the scene, and a number of gamers have shifted over to newer games like VALORANT since its launch in 2020.
Much like CS:GO, gun skins are a huge part of VALORANT – they allow players to customize their gaming experience to their preferred style, and have become something of a status symbol, too. These kinds of in-game cosmetics are nothing new, of course, and while players don’t have to buy them, most do.
Since day one, there’s never been a shortage of oddly disgruntled gamers who label VALORANT as little more than a CSGO clone with an Overwatch-esque hero system thrown in.
We’d call that something of a dramatic oversimplification.
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Diehard CS:GO fan or not, it seems beyond bizarre not to want more of a good thing in your life, but hey – who are we to judge?
But back to the story…
In March 2023, Valve (the publisher of CS:GO) announced a sequel.
One month later, Riot (creators of VALORANT) announced a new skin bundle that caused many CS:GO fans’ eyes to bulge out of their heads… ?
The similarities were uncanny.
Under the lights of VALORANT’s design style, there sat what appeared to be none other than a few fan-favorite CS:GO weapons.
(and no, there has not been a collaboration between VALORANT and CS:GO, before you ask!)
? So, is this skin line a dig at CS:GO in advance of the sequel’s much-anticipated release?
? Or is it a heartfelt homage to the iconic tactical FPS that paved the way for VALORANT?
We like to think the latter, but we’ll let you decide…
CS:GO skins in VALORANT
Priced at 7100 VP, the Black.Market skin bundle should appeal to any CS:GO fan, if anything making them feel more at home than ever.
Launched on April 12, here’s VALORANT’s Black.Market skin line and its CS:GO equivalents:
- Black.Market Bulldog – CS:GO FAMAS
- Black.Market Vandal – CS:GO Ak47
- Black.Market Classic - CS:GO Glock 18
- Black.Market Marshal - CS:GO Scout
- Black.Market Butterfly Knife - CS:GO Butterfly Knife
Look closely, however, and you’ll spot there are subtle differences between these realistic real-world reflections and their Counter-Strike counterparts.
Black.Market gun skins vs CS:GO - a closer inspection
While there’s no doubting the similarities at play here, it’s likely due to comments from live-streaming legends like Tarik calling this “literally a CS skinset” that these skins have found themselves under such scrutiny.
Still, let’s take a closer look at the three most similar skins, and see what all the fuss is about…
Bulldog vs. FAMAS
Side-by-side, it’s easy to spot that these aren’t exactly the same. Still, it’s clear to see both skins have taken the same real-world inspiration.
Notable differences include:
- Stock
- Iron sights
- Barrel length
- Magazine block
- Handguard shape
- Reload mechanism
- Under-barrel design
Vandal vs. Ak47
Only minor differences between these two highly popular, practically identical twin rifles.
Differences include:
- Barrel designs
- Minor stock design change
Classic vs. Glock 18
Differences include:
- Slight variation in iron sights
- Different grip design
Switch sides, switch skins
It’s easy to see why these Black.Market skins are referred to as “CS skins”, but let’s not forget – they all have real-world reflections that they’re drawing from to create a specific experience for players.
Another way these VALORANT skins do bear striking resemblance to their CS:GO counterparts though is in a new feature they bring to the arena.
Agents using Black.Market skins will play with different cosmetics depending on whether they’re attackers or defenders.
CS:GO stans will probably be having flashbacks to the elder FPS and how Terrorists (attackers) and Counter-Terrorists (defenders) had unique weaponry, too.
From where we’re sitting, this limited-time feature more than hints that the Riot devs created the Black.Market skins as a loving tribute to the iconic fore-shooter Counterstrike.
That said, this is also a feature VALORANT fans have dreamed of for billions of years – yep, since before the game even existed! And, not to be a bubble-burster, but it looks unlikely that this feature will become a permanent thing as it risks ruining game performance and load times.
(hey, don’t frag the messenger!)
Skin trading
Unlike CS:GO’s Steam Market skin trading approach, the VALORANT skin market runs exclusively in-game and via the transfer of VALORANT points (VP). You can’t trade skins.