There are hundreds of skins in Counter-Strike 2. But not all of them are unique. Some share their textures, yet they can look drastically different! Today, the CS.MONEY Blog will tell you about seven “families” of skins that share the same texture.
You can buy all these skins on our website, and our search filters and online viewing tools will help you find your perfect skin!
Case Hardened
Skins: MAC-10 Case Hardened, Five-SeveN Case Hardened, AK-47 Case Hardened
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Among the first skins that appeared in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, many share the same texture. The most famous example of such skins is the entire Case Hardened series, which includes skins for the AK-47, Five-SeveN, a bunch of knives, and gloves. All these skins use one square texture.
Other skin families that share textures include:
- Safari Mesh;
- Crimson Web;
- Fade;
- Stained;
- Blue Steel;
- Night;
- Forest DDPAT;
- And others
In collections released by Valve and early cases, you’ll often find skins that share the same texture.
Targets
Skins: USP-S Target Acquired, SSG 08 Threat Detected and AUG Surveillance
In The Control collection, released in December 2020, there are several groups of skins that share one texture. The most notable trio are USP-S Target Acquired, SSG 08 Threat Detected, and AUG Surveillance. The texture itself looks like a city map with marked points.
Despite sharing the same design, the skins look different. This is a great example of how Valve divides skins by rarity. For example, the USP-S Target Acquired is the rarest of the trio, and this is apparent. Its bright, saturated colors and sharp, contrasting design align with Valve’s guidelines for defining skin rarity.
Numbers
Skins: FAMAS Prime Conspiracy, P2000 Dispatch, and Dual Berettas Switch Board
Three more skins from The Control collection. Like the previous trio, these skins use one texture, but they differ in the brightness of the design. The FAMAS Prime Conspiracy is the brightest, while the Dual Berettas Switch Board looks much duller. The texture itself is a mess of hundreds of numbers layered on top of each other.
Inferno
Skins: AUG Sweeper, USP-S Check Engine, AK-47 Safety Net
The Inferno 2018 collection also has its own family of skins. These are AUG Sweeper, USP-S Check Engine, and AK-47 Safety Net. The entire trio uses a texture with a grid and colorful stripes in the background. However, they look drastically different! The AK-47 is clearly orange, while the USP-S is red. But if you take a closer look, everything falls into place. The grid is the same, and the stripes in the background are as well. The only difference is the color. Very clever from Valve, very clever.
Phoenix
Skins: Galil AR Phoenix Blacklight, R8 Revolver Phoenix Marker, Negev Phoenix Stencil, and Tec-9 Phoenix Chalk
In the The Havoc collection, four skins share one texture:
- Galil AR Phoenix Blacklight
- R8 Revolver Phoenix Marker
- Negev Phoenix Stencil
- Tec-9 Phoenix Chalk
The texture looks like graffiti with the word “Phoenix” in different styles. Additionally, one corner features a portrait of the fiery bird itself. The phoenix looks amazing— just compare the regular Galil AR Phoenix Blacklight with the same one but with pattern #729. The skin instantly looks three times cooler!
Ancient
Skins: USP-S Ancient Visions, G3SG1 Ancient Ritual, P90 Ancient Earth
The Ancient collection has skins that match the map’s atmosphere perfectly. These are USP-S Ancient Visions, G3SG1 Ancient Ritual, and P90 Ancient Earth. Their texture references the bas-reliefs and mosaics that decorate ancient temples in Central America. Interestingly, because of the large number of contrasting details, the similarity between the skins doesn’t immediately stand out.
Houndstooth
Skins: UMP-45 Houndstooth, Hand Wraps Desert Shamagh, Sport Gloves Scarlet Shamagh
Unlike the previous skins, it’s easy to recognize the identical pattern in this trio. It’s a simple angular design. It looks just as good on gloves as it does on guns. By the way, its origin comes from the Middle East, where such patterns are used to decorate clothing and headgear.
Reusing textures for different skins has been a practice in Counter-Strike for over ten years. Sometimes, the similarity is obvious, while other times, it’s surprising how much different skins can use the same image. By the way, skins like Asiimov, although similar, are each drawn separately by an artist. Be sure to check out our post about all the Asiimov skins and find out what they’re best combined with.
