The Best CS2 & CS:GO Cases to Open for Karambit

The Karambit was one of the original five knives introduced in CS2, and it quickly set the standard for what a premium knife should look and feel like.

Inspired by a traditional Southeast Asian blade designed to mimic a tiger's claw, the Karambit's curved design and signature spin animations made it an instant fan favorite. To this day, it remains the most desired knife in CS2 — the benchmark that every other knife is measured against.

But if you want one, you need to know where to look.

What CS2 Cases Have Karambits?

There are 16 cases that contain the Karambit as part of the Exceedingly Rare drops. 11 of them feature the original Karambit finishes, while the Chroma and Gamma series have their own unique finishes.

All 16 cases share the same knife pool: Karambit, M9 Bayonet, Bayonet, Flip Knife, and Gut Knife. That means if you hit gold, there's a 20% chance it's a Karambit.

Original Finish Karambit Cases

The original Karambit finishes are:

• Slaughter
• Case Hardened
• Crimson Web
• Forest DDPAT
• Boreal Forest
• Urban Masked
• Safari Mesh
• Night
• Scorched
• Blue Steel
• Fade
• Stained

These can be found in the following 11 cases:

Revolver Case

• Price: $2.56

If you're hunting for a Karambit in one of the original finishes, the Revolver Case is one of the cheapest options available. It also has two nice Covert skins—M4A4 | Royal Paladin and R8 Revolver | Fade — which makes it a solid trade-up option as well.

Operation Phoenix Weapon Case

• Price: $3.53

Home to the AWP | Asiimov, one of the most popular AWP skins in Counter-Strike history. Same knife pool as the other original finish cases, same 20% Karambit chance on gold.

Operation Vanguard Weapon Case

• Price: $5.14

A budget-friendly alternative with the same knife finishes as the Revolver Case. The M4A4 | Griffin is the standout skin here, featuring a large Griffin on both sides of the weapon.

Operation Bravo Case

• Price: $56.5

One of the most iconic cases in CS history. Besides the Karambit, this case contains the AK-47 | Fire Serpent, one of the most expensive and sought-after AK skins ever. A must-open for collectors.

Winter Offensive Weapon Case

• Price: $9.5

One of the earliest cases that shaped the CS market. Back then, players weren't aware of Blue Gems or patterns; they just wanted Crimson Web knives with perfect web placement. The AWP | Redline drops from this case and remains a fan favorite.

CS:GO Weapon Case 3

• Price: $11.7

Released alongside the infamous CZ75-Auto update in 2014, this case brought the first CZ skin to the game — Victoria.

A solid mid-tier option if you're chasing original Karambit finishes.

eSports 2014 Summer Case

Price: $12.8

Released to fund tournaments, this case features the famous AK-47 | Jaguar. Same Karambit pool as the other original finish cases.

eSports 2013 Winter Case

• Price: $16.8

One of the first cases ever added to the game, the eSports 2013 Winter Case was also created to support the growing esports scene.

Contains classic skins like AK-47 | Blue Laminate and Desert Eagle | Cobalt Disruption.

CS:GO Weapon Case 2 

• Price: $21.5

Same finishes as the original Weapon Case, but at a fraction of the price. The SSG 08 | Blood in the Water is the highlight here.

eSports 2013 Case

• Price: $48.9

This is where it all started. On August 14, 2013, Valve dropped the first-ever cases in CS:GO, and the eSports 2013 Case was one of them. Alongside the CS:GO Weapon Case, these were the first cases where you could unbox a Karambit — sparking the entire unboxing culture that still dominates Counter-Strike today.

CS:GO Weapon Case

• Price: $110

This is the most expensive case in CS2, and for good reason.

Released alongside the eSports 2013 Case, it contains both the AK-47 | Case Hardened and the Karambit | Case Hardened, meaning this is the only case where you can potentially hit the legendary Blue Gem pattern on both.

Back in 2013, nobody knew what a Blue Gem was. Now, the #387 Karambit Blue Gem is worth over $1.5 million.

Chroma & Gamma Karambit Cases

These 5 cases feature newer, more vibrant Karambit finishes exclusive to their respective collections.

Chroma Case

• Price: $4.34
• Karambit Finishes: Tiger Tooth, Rust Coat, Ultraviolet, Marble Fade, Damascus Steel, Doppler

Released in 2015, the Chroma Case introduced the Doppler finish to Counter-Strike, and it quickly became one of the most expensive finishes in the game.

Sapphire, Ruby, and Black Pearl variants reach the highest prices. The AK-47 | Cartel is the standout weapon skin, featuring a metallic body with engravings and wooden panels.

Chroma 2 Case

• Price: $3.25
• Karambit Finishes: Tiger Tooth, Rust Coat, Ultraviolet, Marble Fade, Damascus Steel, Doppler

Same knife finishes as Chroma, but with different weapon skins. The M4A1-S | Hyper Beast drops from this case and remains one of the most popular M4 skins in the game.

Chroma 3 Case

• Price: $2.8
• Karambit Finishes: Tiger Tooth, Rust Coat, Ultraviolet, Marble Fade, Damascus Steel, Doppler

The third and final Chroma case. Same knife pool, different weapon skins. A solid budget option if you're chasing Doppler Karambits.

Gamma Case

• Price: $2.7
• Karambit Finishes: Autotronic, Black Laminate, Lore, Freehand, Gamma Doppler, Bright Water

Released in mid-2016, the Gamma Case was the first to feature the Gamma Doppler finish-known for its green and blue color blends across different phases.

The ultra-rare Emerald phase can reach $20,000 or more. The M4A4 | Desolate Space is the standout weapon skin, featuring an astronaut with a skeleton helmet.

Gamma 2 Case

• Price: $2.6
• Karambit Finishes: Autotronic, Black Laminate, Lore, Freehand, Gamma Doppler, Bright Water

Same knife finishes as the Gamma Case, with different weapon skins. The AK-47 | Neon Revolution drops here — a vibrant pink and green Covert skin.

Are Karambit Knives Expensive?

Yes, the Karambit is up there as one of the priciest knife skins you can get in the game.

It's popular because of its cool animations and how much players want it, which drives up the value.

• High Value ($1,000+): Vanilla, Marble Fade, Fade, Doppler (all phases), Gamma Doppler (all phases), Doppler Sapphire, Doppler Ruby, Doppler Black Pearl, Gamma Doppler Emerald, Case Hardened Blue Gem, Case Hardened Gold Gem
• Mid Value ($500–$1,000): Lore, Crimson Web, Damascus Steel, Black Laminate, Case Hardened, Blue Steel, Autotronic, Slaughter, Tiger Tooth
• Budget Friendly ($300–$500): Boreal Forest, Safari Mesh, Forest DDPAT, Urban Masked, Scorched, Ultraviolet, Rust Coat, Bright Water, Night, Freehand, Stained

Are Karambit Skins Worth Owning?

If you're into collecting, trading, or want to show off your stuff in the game with one of the best skins you can get, then yes, the Karambit is a good choice. It looks great, is valuable, and always makes an impression.

Still, if you just want a cool knife and don't want to spend a lot of money, there are other good options that are also cheap.