Battling it out on the same map month after month using a set loadout can get boring. That's where in-game skins and cosmetics come into the picture, and they go a long way in making a game feel fresh and new. Some cosmetics are even tied to specific events, allowing players to showcase their triumphs and mastery in a certain game. Some, on the other hand, can help players stand out in a lobby and express their individuality.

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Despite these items being virtual, they've fetched a pretty real-life penny.

Unsurprisingly, players tend to pay a lot of money to obtain exclusive cosmetic items. Some may even cost a fortune and set players back thousands of dollars. And the proof is in the pudding. Here are some of the most expensive in-game skins for different games.

10 Diorama Hull Plate | Subnautica

Price - $260

• Hull Plates can only be placed inside a Seabase of the Cyclops submarine
• Given to prominent YouTubers or early-adopters of the game

Subnautica is a massive open-world exploratory game set on an Alien planet. Players are tasked with fending off unknown aquatic life by gathering materials and building a base. Naturally, players can decorate the bases to their liking. One way to do this is by equipping the seabase with custom hull plates.

Hull plates are tradable commodities available on the Steam Marketplace. They were originally given to early game adopters as a token of appreciation. The Diorama Hull Plate, in particular, was given to a user for recreating a pint-sized seabase inside a glass sculpture. A Steam user purchased the hull plate for $260 on July 31st.

9 The Judge Shotgun Anarcho - Mint Condition | PayDay 2

Price - $299

• Regarded as one of the best shotguns in the game
• Can be outfitted with a silencer

PayDay 2 had a topsy-turvy run. The game amassed a massive player base, although it was ridiculed for introducing microtransactions during the Crimefest event. Notably, the game introduced a slew of skins that didn't just enhance a gun's overall look and feel but also added a stat boost.

The Bronco .44 Revolver with Extra Vaganza skin in Mint Condition, for instance, added +3 Concealment stats. Needless to say, these skins sold for a good chunk of change on the Steam Marketplace, with the Judge Shotgun Anarcho in Mint Condition fetching a generous $299.

8 Phased Tigris Skin | Warframe

Price - $438

• Can be unlocked from the game's Market for 150 Platinum
• Upgrades like Ammo Stock can increase the capacity to three-four rounds

Tigris is a double-barrel, two-round magazine shotgun that deals massive damage in Warframe. It has a unique firing mechanism, and players can hold the fire button to shoot one shell and release the button to shoot another. Players can also quickly tap the firing button to fire both shells.

What's more unique, though, is the Phased Tigris skin, which adds a bluish, animated effect to the gun. The skin is quite sought-after and has many sold listings on the Steam Marketplace, with its price peaking at $438. Funnily enough, the skin may not be visible in high-octane gun fights as the game is a third-person shooter.

7 Samsung Galaxy Skin | Fortnite

Price - $1,250

• Part of the Galaxy set, the skin was introduced in Season 5
• The skin was based on Hawk's character model

Launched almost a decade ago, Fortnite remains one of the most popular Battle Royale games. This popularity can be attributed, at least in part, to Epic Games' excellent collaborations with brands to create unique in-game cosmetics. The Galaxy Skin, for instance, was made in collaboration with Samsung to promote the Galaxy Note9 smartphone and the Tab S4 tablet.

The only way to get the skin was to play three games of the mobile version of Fortnite on a Galaxy Note9 or a Tab S4 device. This made the skin quite rare and expensive, as the Galaxy Note9 retailed for an eye-watering $1,250 at the time. It's impossible to get the skin now, although Samsung did tweet at Epic Games to bring the iconic skin back. Thankfully, Fortnite is no stranger to good-looking skins, and players can equip their character with hundreds of eye-catching cosmetics.

6 Specialized Killstreak Kit Fabricator | Team Fortress 2

Price - $1,802

• Requires a Unique-quality Killstreak weapon, 24 battle-worn robot parts, and 5 reinforced robot parts
• Killstreak fabricators are limited use items

Killstreak fabricators are used to customize weapons in Team Fortress 2. A basic Killstreak kit adds no visual elements to the weapon and only lets players track their kill streak with a particular gun. However, when paired with Robot parts, players can craft a Specialized or Professional Killstreak Kit Fabricator, which, when applied to a gun, adds a sheen or particle effect to the weapon.

The effects get more noticeable the more kills a player gets in a game. Understandably, Specialized Killstreak Kit Fabricators fetch a good margin, with one selling for a whopping $1,802 on the Steam Marketplace.

5 Alien Relic SMG | Rust

Price - $1,809

• The Alien Relic skin is one of the rarest in the game
• To equip the skin, players must have the base SMG, which requires 8 high-quality metal, a metal spring, and an SMG body to craft

Rust is a popular survival shooter with a lot of pay-to-win skins. Notably, the game's cosmetics elevate a weapon's design and can even outfit it with a better iron sight for more advantageous interactions. The Alien Relic SMG is one of the most sought-after weapons in the game.

Designed by prominent Rust YouTuber Rcham, the skin features neon hieroglyphs that glow in the dark. Understandably, the skin costs a pretty penny and routinely sells for over $1,000 on the Steam Marketplace. Its price peaked at $1,809, making it one of the rarest and most expensive cosmetics in the game.

4 Legacy Enduring War Dog | Dota 2

Price - $1,827

• Couriers can fly at higher levels, making them more difficult to kill
• A courier delivers items put last in its inventory first

Enduring War Dog is a courier unit in Dota 2. Couriers transport items to heroes during battles. Originally, couriers were limited to one per team. Now, every player is assigned their own personal courier. While couriers don't have any offensive traits, they can gain speed boosts and shields as they level up.

Legacy Enduring War Dog is one of the mythical courier skins in Dota 2. The same sold for a staggering $1,827 on the Steam Market Place on 14th December. Thanks to its passionate fan base, Dota 2 sees its fair share of high-priced in-game items being sold on the Steam Marketplace and other third-party stores. The Legacy Stumpy courier, for instance, was also sold for $1,694 on the marketplace. It's also reported that an Ethereal Flame Pink War Dog was sold for a life-changing $38,000 in an auction on the Dota2 subreddit in 2013.

3 Reaper Mask | PUBG

Price - $1,949

• The PGI 2018 had a combined prize pool of $1,000,000
• 20 teams competed in the event, including big eSports organizations like Team Liquid

Despite being launched over seven years ago, PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG, receives frequent updates and remains among Steam's top three most-played games. During its first major tournament, namely the PGI or PUBG Global Invitational in 2018, the company announced a bespoke Wasteland customization set for fans who attended the event in Berlin, Germany.

The Wasteland Set included a Doomsday Hoodie, Survivalists Slacks, and a Reaper Mask. The items could be traded on the Steam Marketplace, too, and the Reaper Mask fetched a handsome fee of over $1,500. Notably, the cosmetic was sold for $1,949 on the 5th of April.

2 Souvenir AWP Desert Hydra Battle-Scarred Condition | Counter-Strike 2

Price - $1949

• Counter-Strike skins are available in different levels of quality, including Battle Scarred, Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field Tested, and Well Worn
• Factory New quality skins generally cost the most

In Counter-Strike, Souvenir skins are in-game cosmetics that can only be applied to firearms. Additionally, these skins are quite coveted, as they are tied to Majors sponsored by Valve. A Souvenir skin, therefore, features a unique decal with information about the map and the team that played in a particular major. The Souvenir AWP Desert Hydra skin in Battle-Scarred condition commemorates the 2022 PGL Antwerp CS:GO Championship. It was sold for $1,949 in March, making it one of the most expensive CS2 skins on the Steam Marketplace.

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It's important to highlight that the Steam Marketplace cap for tradable items is $2,000, and many Counter-Strike skins have reportedly been sold for tens of thousands of dollars in third-party marketplaces. For instance, the Case Hardened AK skin with pattern 661 is valued at $60,000. Similarly, the Karambit Case Hardened knife with pattern 387 was valued at over $1.5 million.

1 Blue Party Hat | RuneScape

Price - $4,000

• The Blue Party Hat can cost anywhere from 75-100B in in-game currency
• Party Hats are considered a symbol of wealth among the player base owing to their exorbitant pricing

The Blue Party Hat is a tradable cosmetic that skyrocketed in value. The item was originally given to players participating in a Christmas holiday event decades ago. Since then, it has not appeared in any event and, as such, has become a scarce and extravagant commodity within the RuneScape community.

So much so that one of these will earn sellers well over $4,000. Additionally, the hat has become so expensive that it exceeds the game's maximum gold cap. Consequently, prospective buyers will have to source the same from the game's forums.

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