About the Butterfly Knife
The Butterfly Knife is one of the most recognizable knives in Counter-Strike. It arrived in CS:GO in 2014 with the Operation Breakout Weapon Case, and it has stayed at or near the top of the knife market in CS2. Much of that comes down to how it moves: no other knife in the game has an animation as well known as the butterfly flip.
This page covers the standard Butterfly Knife, usually called the vanilla. It has no paint finish, only the bare steel knife. It is one of the more actively traded knives at its level, with listings on most marketplaces at any time.
If you are looking for a painted version such as a Fade, Doppler, or Gamma Doppler, each finish has its own page. The most popular are linked below, and you can browse all Butterfly Knife skins in one place.
Design
The Butterfly Knife is a balisong: a folding knife with two handles that swing around the blade and close over it. In CS2 that mechanism is the whole point. Drawing the knife flips it open, and the inspect animation runs through a longer sequence of spins and catches.
The vanilla version shows the knife with nothing added: plain grey steel from the blade to the handles. There is no pattern to check, so every vanilla Butterfly Knife looks the same.
How to Get a Butterfly Knife
There are three ways to get a Butterfly Knife in CS2.
- Buy it from a marketplace. This is the route most players take, because it is the only one with a certain result. The offers at the top of this page show every marketplace with a listing.
- Open a case. The Butterfly Knife first dropped from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case, where it is the only knife in the pool. It was later added to the Spectrum Case, Spectrum 2 Case, Operation Riptide Case, and Dreams & Nightmares Case, where it shares the pool with four other knives. Each group of cases carries its own set of finishes, and the vanilla comes from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case. Knife drops are rare, at around 0.26% per case.
- Trade up to it. Since October 2025, a trade-up contract using Covert skins can produce a knife from an eligible case.
Butterfly Knife Finishes
The vanilla is one of many Butterfly Knife skins. Finishes came in three waves, and each has its own page with live prices.
- Original finishes. The first set, from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case. Includes the Butterfly Knife | Fade, Slaughter, Case Hardened, and Crimson Web.
- Chroma finishes. Added with the Spectrum cases. Includes the Butterfly Knife | Doppler, with its Ruby, Sapphire, and Black Pearl phases, plus the Marble Fade and Tiger Tooth.
- Gamma finishes. Added with the Operation Riptide and Dreams & Nightmares cases. Includes the Gamma Doppler, with its Emerald phase, the Lore, Autotronic, and Black Laminate.
Vanilla, Wear, and StatTrak™
The vanilla Butterfly Knife is not sold by wear condition. There is no Factory New or Battle-Scarred version to choose between, which makes it simpler to buy than a painted knife: one item, one market price.
It comes in two versions, standard and StatTrak™. The StatTrak™ version counts your kills with the knife and is listed separately, so you can compare the two using the toggle above. There is no Souvenir Butterfly Knife.
What Drives the Price of a Butterfly Knife
- The knife itself. The Butterfly Knife is among the most wanted knife models in CS2, largely for its animations, so every version, the vanilla included, sits in the upper part of the knife market.
- Finish. Across the range, the finish matters more than anything else. Doppler and Gamma Doppler gem phases, Fades, and rare Case Hardened patterns sit well above the vanilla, while finishes such as Safari Mesh or Boreal Forest often sit below it.
- StatTrak™. The StatTrak™ vanilla is scarcer than the standard one and priced separately.
- Case supply. The vanilla comes from a single older case, so few new ones enter the market.
- The wider knife market. Because the vanilla has no float or pattern, its price moves with demand for knives in general. That makes its price history a useful read on the Butterfly Knife range as a whole.
The vanilla trades often, so prices between marketplaces stay closer together than they do on rare skins. It is still worth comparing the offers above, and setting a price alert if you are waiting for a level.
Similar Knives
- Karambit. The knife most often compared with the Butterfly Knife. A curved blade from the original CS:GO set, with its own spinning animations.
- M9 Bayonet. A large fixed blade for players who prefer a heavier, more traditional knife.
- Talon Knife and Skeleton Knife. Later releases with distinctive animations of their own.
- Huntsman Knife, Falchion Knife, Bowie Knife, and Shadow Daggers. The knives that share the later cases with the Butterfly Knife, and usually the lower-cost options from them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cases have the Butterfly Knife in CS2?
The Butterfly Knife drops from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case, Spectrum Case, Spectrum 2 Case, Operation Riptide Case, and Dreams & Nightmares Case. Each group of cases carries a different set of finishes. The vanilla comes from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case.
What is a vanilla Butterfly Knife?
It is the Butterfly Knife with no paint finish applied. In CS2 it is listed simply as ★ Butterfly Knife. It has a plain steel look and is not sold by wear condition.
When was the Butterfly Knife released?
In 2014, in CS:GO, with the Operation Breakout Weapon Case. It is still available in CS2.
What is the cheapest Butterfly Knife in CS2?
It changes with the market. The lowest-priced Butterfly Knives are usually the camo-style finishes, such as Safari Mesh, Boreal Forest, and Scorched, in worn conditions. Check the live prices on each finish page before you buy.
Does the Butterfly Knife come in StatTrak™?
Yes. A StatTrak™ Butterfly Knife exists and is listed separately on this page. There is no Souvenir version.
What are the best Butterfly Knife skins?
The Fade, Doppler, Gamma Doppler, Marble Fade, and Lore are among the most popular Butterfly Knife finishes. The vanilla has its own following among players who prefer a clean look.
Can you trade up to a Butterfly Knife?
Yes. Since October 2025, trade-up contracts using Covert skins can produce a knife from an eligible case.
Where can I buy a Butterfly Knife?
The offers at the top of this page list every marketplace with a Butterfly Knife for sale, starting with the lowest price.