Best Skins with Holographic Effect
A few years ago, Valve introduced a new feature for skin creators: they could now create even more expressive designs by adding textures that change appearance depending on lighting. This shimmering effect resembles holographic stickers, although real stickers tend to look brighter.
Skin makers can choose the degree to which this effect appears: at zero value, the skin looks completely ordinary, while at maximum, the entire surface shimmers with rainbow colors. Currently, there are over a dozen such weapon designs in CS2, though the color shift isn't strongly noticeable on all of them.
- MP9 Stained Glass
- M4A1-S Printstream
- AK-47 Nightwish
- MAC-10 Disco Tech
- AUG Midnight Lily
MP9 Stained Glass
One of the first skins to receive this effect was MP9 Stained Glass. Its surface is colored in various shades of blue and cyan, resembling a mosaic made from glass pieces. The stock and magazine remain metallic, while several dark-red fragments complete the image. For this 'glass-like' surface, the shine effect works particularly well.
M4A1-S Printstream
The shimmering effect has been added to all skins in the Printstream series, which is another reason for their popularity. For example, most of the M4A1-S Printstream body remains white, but in-game, under changing lighting, it slightly tints with different colors. Moreover, this isn't the only advantage of the skin: its creator is known for attention to fine details and meticulous texture work, and this piece is no exception.
AK-47 Nightwish
AK-47 Nightwish looks vibrant even without effects: the weapon body is covered in psychedelic patterns on a black background. Amidst the chaos of blue, yellow, and red-purple lines, you can spot the head of a predatory beast with glowing eyes, occupying the center of the rifle. As the skin's creator, Nextgenz, explains, the pearlescent effect further emphasizes the surreal nature of the artwork and creates an illusion of shifting colors.
MAC-10 Disco Tech
This effect works well on minimalist designs, and MAC-10 Disco Tech is a prime example. Flat side surfaces of the body are covered with a simple geometric pattern, but thanks to the holographic effect, its color changes depending on the weapon's viewing angle. At one moment, the skin may appear purple-green, and at another, orange-pink. And if you obtain a version of the skin in good condition, the color shifts will look especially impressive.
AUG Midnight Lily
Another skin where the holographic effect is clearly visible is AUG Midnight Lily. The weapon body is colored gray and covered with a lily pattern, whose placement depends on the pattern index. However, in-game it looks noticeably brighter than in many screenshots, as flower colors shift depending on lighting conditions.