The 15 Best Cheap VALORANT Knife Skins

Introduction

---

In VALORANT, knife skins are the most sought-after cosmetics. As a result, they are also the most expensive. Shelling out big bucks for a knife skin isn’t most gamers’ cup of tea though, especially if it’s your first skin. Luckily, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a cool knife in VALORANT.

Sure, expensive skins have cooler animations, more color variants, and unique designs, but you can also find these in budget skins if you look hard enough. 

VALORANT’s library is filled with skins that look premium without the premium price tag. This article lists some of the best cheap and budget-friendly knife skins that you can get in VALORANT.

What is a Cheap VALORANT Knife Skin

---

All VALORANT knife skins are under $100, which seems like a bargain when compared to games like CS2. That’s because VALORANT does not have a trading system or things like rare patterns or skin conditions that could bump up a skin’s price. Skins also don’t have to be unboxed, making them less rare than their CS2 counterparts. All of this drastically reduces the price of VALORANT knife skins.

However, $100 or even $50 can be expensive for many people, especially if you consider that you’re buying a digital cosmetic that you can’t sell again after your purchase. Thankfully, VALORANT offers different price tiers for skins, and there are many stunning skins available in the $10-30 range.

For this list, we will stick to a budget of under $40 and list skins within that range. This list will be ranked in terms of price (low to high).

Battle Pass Knife (1,000 VP)

---

If you want the absolute best bang for your buck, there is nothing better than getting the Battle Pass. For about $10, you not only get a knife skin but also skins for other weapons, including the Vandal and the Phantom.  

You don’t get VP in VALORANT Battle Passes, so it’s not like other games, where if you buy the Battle Pass once and keep renewing it every season. But, if all you want is a knife skin, then getting the Battle Pass is the best value. Just make sure you’ve got enough time set aside to play until you get the knife.

Luxe Knife (1,750 VP)

---

The Luxe Knife is a pretty simplistic skin that looks clean and elegant. Despite the fact that it is a reskin of the default knife, it still looks good in your hand. It’s a shame that we don’t get a cool equip or inspect animation on it, but it still looks pretty decent for the price.

Reverie Sword (1,750 VP)

---

The Reverie Sword is a budget sword knife skin that’s often called the budget Sovereign. Much like other skins in this price range, it does not have any cool sound or visual effects, nor a finisher. However, the design is pretty decent, and the blue primary color with yellow accents looks unique. If there were animations and sound effects, this would easily be a top-tier skin. 

If you like sword skins, then this is worth a shot.

Fortune’s Scepter (1,750 VP)

---

The Fortune Scepter was released as part of Fortune’s Hand bundle. The player cards were the highlight of this bundle, and the knife wasn’t received that well. However, in the 1750 price tier, this is one of the best scepters you can get. 

The gold and black color scheme has a luxurious and aristocratic vibe to it. However, it does look more like a magic wand than a knife, which is why it received a lot of criticism on release. It’s not the best skin in the game according to many, but if you are looking for a scepter on a budget, you can check this one out.

Storm Maw Axe (1,750 VP)

---

We saved the best skin in this price tier for last. You rarely get a skin like this in the 1750 VP tier. The Storm Maw Axe is the best budget Axe skin you can get. The skin is dark and broody with a blood-red color scheme. The skin also has visual effects as well as an inspect animation. 

Axes in VALORANT are quite large and bulky, which might not be to everyone’s taste. But if you prefer axes, then this is one of the best you can get in this price tier.

No Limits Bat (2,550 VP)

---

This is the start of the 2550 VP price tier. There is a lot of variety in this tier, and the bump in price means that more skins come with animations and cool effects. However, due to the vast amount of options, it can be difficult to see the forest for the trees. As such, we’ll list a couple of drastically different knife skins.

The No Limits bat has a bold design with a bright red and black color scheme. It has stylized text that glows, which adds to the aesthetics. 

The equip animation features metallic sound as well as a metallic “whoosh” sound when you swing the bat. The sound effects add to the skin, and it feels like you are holding a professional-grade baseball bat in your hand.

Winterwunderland Candy Cane (2,550 VP)

---

The Winterwunderland Candy Cane is on the goofy side of VALORANT knife skin spectrum. It’s perfect if you are feeling the Christmas spirit, or if you don’t like the menacing and brooding vibes that most knife skins put out.

People don’t buy this skin because of the animations or visual effects, but for the pure entertainment of smacking someone with a Candy Cane. It does have a cool easter egg effect, where if you keep hitting the wall, the cane part of the knife breaks, and it turns into a smaller stabbing knife. This effect adds a bit of realism to the skin, as Candy Canes aren’t supposed to be very durable.

Equilibrium (2,550 VP)

---

Fan skins in VALORANT are usually in the higher price tier, which is why Equilibrium is a great bang-for-the-buck skin. The animations and sound effects of Equilibrium are pretty solid. It’s a vanilla fan skin, so there are no cool visual effects or a finisher, but you do get to run around with a fan like you’re some old-timey noble.

To put it simply, if you are looking for a fan skin on a budget, Equilibrium is a great choice. There is also a black and red color variant, which is equally good-looking.

Orion Sword (2,550 VP)

---

The Orion Sword is on this list for one specific reason—the cell-shaded art style. This art style has been around for a long time, but it popularized by the Borderlands franchise. VALORANT has other skins with the cell-shaded art style, like the Radiant Crisis bundle, but those are usually expensive. In this price tier, if you want something similar, the Orion Sword is a great option.

Apart from the cell-shaded design, there is nothing special about the Orion Sword. It’s a standard sword skin with no special effects or animations, which is why a lot of people avoid it. But, it’s still worth mentioning for the art style.

Catrina (2,550 VP)

---

You can never go wrong with a dagger-type knife in VALORANT. Some examples of daggers include the Ruin Dagger and Luna’s Descent. The attractive part about these knives is the equip and inspect animations. 

For Catarina, the design is heavily inspired by Mexican folk art. The handle has flowers and other details, and the blade is covered with beautiful markings. There are no added visual effects, which is a downside, but apart from that, this is a good budget dagger skin that looks beautiful.

Wonderstallion Hammer (3,550 VP)

---

The final price tier is the 3,550 VP price tier. These knife skins are often more intricate than the ones at lower tiers, and have more unique themes or animations to them.

The Wonderstallion Hammer is a bold, flashy, and colorful hammer skin that definitely catches the eye. The unicorn-shaped hammer, along with the rainbow color scheme, is quite comical.

This is one of those skins that you buy for a laugh and a giggle. But it’s also one of the most unique skins in the game. There aren’t a lot of skins with bold and flashy color schemes like the Wonderstallion Hammer, so if that’s your taste, consider checking this one out.

Prime Axe (3,550 VP)

---

The Prime Bundle is one of the most popular bundles in the game. All the skins out of this bundle have become fan favorites. Think of the Prime Vandal, Prime Phantom, and even the Prime Karambit. 

The Prime Axe has stood the test of time in this game. Despite there being various Axe skin releases, this skin is still the top pick for most players. The main reason lies in its simplicity and the effects. The sound effects in the Prime series have always been well-received, so the SFX on this skin is equally great. 

In short, the Prime Axe is one of the best axes in the game, and it’s definitely worth having in your inventory.

Xenohunter Knife (3,550 VP)

---

VALORANT knives usually have bold color schemes and flashy designs, but not every player likes that. Some prefer simplicity and realism in their skins. The Xenohunter is a solid choice for those people. It’s a minimalistic and simplistic combat knife, but what makes it so good is the flipping animations. 

The Xenohunter knife looks more like a CS2 knife than a VALORANT one, and many players like that. If you prefer a minimalist-looking blade with good animations, then Xenohunter is the way to go.

Recon Balisong (3,550 VP)

---

Everybody loves the butterfly knife. The animations on it are so satisfying that you keep flipping it in your hand. The Recon Balisong is one of the best butterfly knives you can get in this price range. It’s got everything you need: a simplistic design, awesome flipping animations, and different color variants.

Soulstrife Scythe (3,550 VP)

---

If you like the over-the-top skins VALORANT has to offer, then the Soulstrife Scythe might be worth checking out. 

The skin has a dark and edgy theme to it, and the glow equip animation makes it stand out. Apart from that, the left and right clicks, as well as the inspect animation, are the same as the axe. If you have liked the dark and moody skins in VALORANT before, like the Reaver or Ruin bundle, then you will like this.