Counter-Strike 2 / Practical guide
CS2 Knife Types 2026: All 20 Knives With Release Dates, Every Case That Drops Them and Their Finishes
There are 20 knife types in CS2. This guide lists when each one arrived according to Valve's own posts, every case that can hold it, which finish families it comes in, and why no new knife has shipped in 2026.
ALVIRAN Editorial · Reviewed 2026-10-23
In this guide
CS2 accounts with a knife already in the inventory
Every listing names its knife, skins and medals before checkout, so you know exactly which blade you get.
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CS2 knife types: all 20 knives and when they came out
Dates are the day Valve released the first case that contained the knife. Each source link goes to Valve's post. The knife names are the in-game names from Valve's game file items_game.txt, which defines exactly 20 knives with the "melee_unusual" prefab.
| Knife | Released | First case | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayonet | 14 Aug 2013 | CS:GO Weapon Case, eSports 2013 Case | Arms Deal notes |
| Flip Knife | 14 Aug 2013 | CS:GO Weapon Case, eSports 2013 Case | Arms Deal notes |
| Gut Knife | 14 Aug 2013 | CS:GO Weapon Case, eSports 2013 Case | Arms Deal notes |
| Karambit | 14 Aug 2013 | CS:GO Weapon Case, eSports 2013 Case | Arms Deal notes |
| M9 Bayonet | 14 Aug 2013 | CS:GO Weapon Case, eSports 2013 Case | Arms Deal notes |
| Huntsman Knife | 1 May 2014 | Huntsman Weapon Case | Valve |
| Butterfly Knife | 1 Jul 2014 | Operation Breakout Weapon Case | Valve |
| Falchion Knife | 26 May 2015 | Falchion Case | Valve |
| Shadow Daggers | 17 Sep 2015 | Shadow Case | Valve |
| Bowie Knife | 17 Feb 2016 | Operation Wildfire Case | Valve |
| Navaja Knife | 1 Aug 2018 | Horizon Case | Valve |
| Stiletto Knife | 1 Aug 2018 | Horizon Case | Valve |
| Talon Knife | 1 Aug 2018 | Horizon Case | Valve |
| Ursus Knife | 1 Aug 2018 | Horizon Case | Valve |
| Classic Knife | 18 Oct 2019 | CS20 Case | Valve |
| Paracord Knife | 18 Nov 2019 | Shattered Web Case | Valve |
| Survival Knife | 18 Nov 2019 | Shattered Web Case | Valve |
| Nomad Knife | 18 Nov 2019 | Shattered Web Case | Valve |
| Skeleton Knife | 18 Nov 2019 | Shattered Web Case | Valve |
| Kukri Knife | 6 Feb 2024 | Kilowatt Case | Valve |
Two details Valve's text leaves open. The Arms Deal notes of 14 August 2013 say the new cases "have a chance to contain new knives" without naming them; the five original names come from the game file. The Horizon post announces "four all-new knives" and shows them only in images; the names Navaja, Stiletto, Talon and Ursus again come from the game file. The 1 May 2014 notes only say "Added the Huntsman Case"; the knife carries the case's name. Valve's posts name the Butterfly, Falchion, Shadow Daggers, Bowie, Classic, the four Shattered Web knives and the Kukri directly.
Which CS2 cases have each knife
Valve reuses knife pools across cases, and its game file shows which cases share a rare-item list. Valve's own wording names the groups: "the second generation of knives in Chroma finishes" for Spectrum, "the Gamma Knives from the Operation Riptide case" for Dreams & Nightmares, "the Horizon Knives in Chroma finishes" for Prisma and Prisma 2, and "Shattered Web knives in Chroma finishes" for Fever. Our CS2 cases list has the release date of every case named here.
| Knife | Cases | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Bayonet, Flip, Gut, Karambit, M9 Bayonet | Weapon Case 1, 2, 3, eSports 2013, eSports 2013 Winter, eSports 2014 Summer, Bravo, Winter Offensive, Phoenix, Vanguard, Revolver, Chroma 1, 2, 3, Gamma 1, 2 | 16 |
| Huntsman Knife | Huntsman, Spectrum, Spectrum 2, Operation Riptide, Dreams & Nightmares | 5 |
| Butterfly Knife | Operation Breakout, Spectrum, Spectrum 2, Operation Riptide, Dreams & Nightmares | 5 |
| Falchion Knife | Falchion, Spectrum, Spectrum 2, Operation Riptide, Dreams & Nightmares | 5 |
| Shadow Daggers | Shadow, Spectrum, Spectrum 2, Operation Riptide, Dreams & Nightmares | 5 |
| Bowie Knife | Operation Wildfire, Spectrum, Spectrum 2, Operation Riptide, Dreams & Nightmares | 5 |
| Navaja, Stiletto, Talon, Ursus | Horizon, Danger Zone, Prisma, Prisma 2 | 4 |
| Classic Knife | CS20 | 1 |
| Paracord, Survival, Nomad, Skeleton | Shattered Web, Fracture, Fever | 3 |
| Kukri Knife | Kilowatt, Gallery | 2 |
The "second generation" is the five knives released after the originals and before Spectrum: Huntsman, Butterfly, Falchion, Shadow Daggers and Bowie. The Steam Community Market, which only lists items that exist, shows second-generation knives in Chroma finishes (for example the Huntsman Knife in Doppler) and in Gamma finishes (Butterfly Knife in Lore and Freehand), which only those shared pools can produce. The Gallery Case points to the same rare-item list as the Kilowatt Case in the game file.
CS2 knife finishes: original, Chroma and Gamma
Knife finishes come in three families. Which families a knife gets depends on the cases it is in, not on the knife itself.
| Family | Finishes | Knives that have it |
|---|---|---|
| Original (plus vanilla) | Blue Steel, Boreal Forest, Case Hardened, Crimson Web, Fade, Forest DDPAT, Night (Night Stripe on newer knives), Safari Mesh, Scorched, Slaughter, Stained, Urban Masked | All 20 |
| Chroma | Doppler, Marble Fade, Tiger Tooth, Damascus Steel, Rust Coat, Ultraviolet | Original five, second generation, Horizon and Shattered Web knives |
| Gamma | Gamma Doppler, Lore, Black Laminate, Autotronic, Bright Water, Freehand | Original five and second generation only |
That is why a Talon Knife can be a Doppler (Prisma) but never a Lore, and why the Classic and Kukri come only in the original set. We checked the combinations on the Steam Community Market on 23 October 2026: Talon Knife Doppler and Ursus Knife Doppler are listed, Nomad Knife Doppler is listed (from the Fever Case), while Talon Knife Lore, Navaja Knife Lore, Classic Knife Doppler and Kukri Knife Doppler return no results.
Skip the case odds
A knife is the rarest drop in any case; an account with one is already past that roll.
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How many finishes each CS2 knife has
Add up the families a knife's cases give it and you get its finish count. Vanilla, the knife with no finish, counts as one. Doppler and Gamma Doppler phases share one item name, so phases are not counted separately.
| Knife group | Finishes | Made of | Checked on the Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayonet, Flip, Gut, Karambit, M9 Bayonet | 25 each | Vanilla + 12 original + 6 Chroma + 6 Gamma | All 25 names for the Flip Knife |
| Huntsman, Butterfly, Falchion, Shadow Daggers, Bowie | 25 each | Vanilla + 12 original + 6 Chroma + 6 Gamma | All 25 names for the Huntsman Knife |
| Navaja, Stiletto, Talon, Ursus | 19 each | Vanilla + 12 original + 6 Chroma | All 19 names for the Talon Knife |
| Paracord, Survival, Nomad, Skeleton | 19 each | Vanilla + 12 original + 6 Chroma | All 19 names for the Nomad Knife |
| Classic Knife | 13 | Vanilla + 12 original | All 13 names |
| Kukri Knife | 13 | Vanilla + 12 original | All 13 names |
In total that is 428 knife and finish combinations across the 20 knives. We pulled every listing name for the checked knives from the Steam Community Market on 23 October 2026, ignoring wear and StatTrak. One naming detail: the older knives use "Night", while the Horizon, Shattered Web, Classic and Kukri knives use "Night Stripe". A finish with no active listing on a given day can be missing from a market search (on 23 October the Karambit Fade and Gamma Doppler had none), so the count comes from the pools, and the market only confirms the names. We print no prices.
Is there a new CS2 knife in 2026?
No new knife type has shipped as of 23 October 2026. We read every 2026 post in Valve's news feed for app 730. Knives appear only in animation fixes, such as the 28 April 2026 note that Talon and Karambit knives are now held correctly while defusing. The new rare special items of 2026 are gloves: The Dead Hand on 11 March 2026 added 22 all-new gloves through the Dead Hand Terminal.
Last new knife type
Kukri Knife, Kilowatt Case, 6 February 2024.
Last new knife finishes
Shattered Web knives in Chroma finishes, Fever Case, 31 March 2025.
2025 terminal
Genesis Uplink Terminal, 16 September 2025, with no rare special item list.
2026 terminal
Dead Hand Terminal, 11 March 2026, with 22 gloves.
The gaps between new knife types so far, rounded to months: 9 (originals to Huntsman), 2 (Butterfly), 10 (Falchion), 4 (Shadow Daggers), 5 (Bowie), 30 (Horizon knives), 14 (Classic), 1 (Shattered Web knives) and 51 (Kukri). As of October 2026 it has been 32 months since the Kukri, still shorter than the 51-month wait before it. That is our arithmetic, not a forecast; Valve has announced nothing.
Knives on a CS2 account
- A knife comes as a rare special item from a case, or from another player. Valve's 12 September 2013 notes say knives are not part of collections, and a Trade Up Contract only returns items from the collections you put in.
- Knives can carry StatTrak, which Valve introduced with the same Arms Deal update in August 2013: the notes say cases "have a chance to contain new knives and StatTrak weapons".
- Knives you trade for or buy on the Community Market carry Valve's re-trade restriction; our trade protection guide explains the current rules.
- Old operation cases, like the Breakout and Wildfire cases that introduced the Butterfly and Bowie, are listed with dates in our CS:GO operations list.
If you are after one blade type, the account route skips the case odds entirely. The weekly care package can give cases but no knives; see our care package guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many knife types are in CS2?
20, from the five Arms Deal knives of 2013 to the Kukri Knife of 2024. Valve's game file defines exactly 20 knife items.
What is the newest knife in CS2?
The Kukri Knife, released in the Kilowatt Case on 6 February 2024. No new knife type has shipped since, as of 23 October 2026.
Which cases have the Butterfly Knife?
Operation Breakout, Spectrum, Spectrum 2, Operation Riptide and Dreams & Nightmares.
Which cases have the Karambit?
Sixteen: the eleven early cases with the original pool (Weapon Case 1 to 3, the three eSports cases, Bravo, Winter Offensive, Phoenix, Vanguard, Revolver), plus Chroma 1 to 3 and Gamma 1 and 2.
Which cases have Doppler knives?
Chroma 1 to 3 for the original five, Spectrum 1 and 2 for the second generation, Prisma 1 and 2 for the Horizon knives, and Fever for the Shattered Web knives.
Which cases have the Talon Knife?
Horizon, Danger Zone, Prisma and Prisma 2.
Can the Classic Knife be a Doppler?
No. The Classic Knife only exists in the CS20 Case, which has original finishes only.
Will CS2 get a new knife in 2026?
Valve has announced none. The 2026 Dead Hand Terminal added gloves, not knives.
Knife, gloves or both on one CS2 account
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Sources and editorial scope
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Release dates and pool wording: Valve's notes for 14 August 2013, the CS:GO blog posts linked in the tables, Spectrum notes, The Dreams & Nightmares Case, Prisma notes, Spring Forward (Fever), notes for 6 February 2024 (Kukri) and the Steam news API for app 730 for 2026. Knife list, shared rare-item lists and the Gallery Case link to the Kilowatt list: Valve's items_game.txt as mirrored by SteamDatabase on 30 September 2026. Finish counts: distinct item names on the Steam Community Market on 23 October 2026, ALVIRAN's own count.
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