Rare VALORANT skins
You don’t need to be a regular ace player to know that weapon skins are a kinda huge part of Riot Games’ fiercely popular tactical FPS. VALORANT players have been scooping up new skins to personalize their favorites since the game’s initial launch, and some of those skins are undoubtedly rarer than gold.
But which highly sought-after skins are worth your own weight in VP?
Which limited-edition skins are so rare that they practically scream VALORANT royalty, earning their owners instant respect in every match?
Which rare skins have gone down in VALORANT history as truly legendary designs?
The rarest skins in VALORANT are generally reserved for the most committed of players – those who’ve stood the test of time, competed at the highest levels, and showed up daily to snag the best skins from the store, skin bundles, and the Night Market.
This post is here to equip you with insights into these ultra-rare skins, so you can spot them a mile off and add them to your own collection if you’re ever lucky enough to have the opportunity.
So, without further ado, let’s take a tour of the most coveted VALORANT skins since the dawn of time (yes, that’s dramatic exaggeration there)...
Why are some VALORANT skins rare?
Rare skins in VALORANT are not always expensive. Price is not a factor in rarity. The typical reasons a skin is considered rare are:
- The skin rarely appears in the store.
- It was only available when VALORANT was first released.
- It featured during a limited-time event and will never return to the store.
- Only tournament participants had access to the skin.
- Only players involved in the closed beta had access to them.
This tells you a few things about skin rarity in VALORANT:
- A player having a rare skin doesn’t mean they achieved gamer level Godmode.
- Owning rare skins is often more about timing than skill.
- Rarity strictly relates to how likely you are to lay your hands on a skin.
Disclaimer: We’re not saying there’s no skill involved in the Rare Skin Owner’s Club. You sure don’t get into Champions tournaments without talent. And some of the oldest of these rare skins took a helluva lot of experience to win – trust us, that was not an easy feat in the early VALORANT days!
The 10 rarest skins in VALORANT
We’re not going to lie to you, agent… the chances of you getting your hands on any of these incredibly rare VALORANT skins is slim to none. But we don’t like the word “never” here.
So here’s our advice - if you ever do spot one of these exclusive skins up for grabs, scream “Shut up and take my money!” and click that buy button as fast as you can!
Scroll this list and you’ll spot another trend: the rarest skins today are the Battle Pass skins from VALORANT’s early days. The lesson here is simple – buy Battle Passes for every new Episode and Act, earn XP, and unlock every skin you can.
Do that, and one day you too will have the rarest skins in your collection.
Now, let’s kick things off, starting with the most rare skin of them all…
1. Arcane Sheriff
A unique Sheriff skin released in collaboration with the release of Arcane, Riot Games’ hit Netflix show based on League of Legends.
The Arcane Sheriff is considered far and wide to be the rarest skin in VALORANT. Here’s the skinny on this rare skin:
- Released: November 2021
- Rarity rating: Unparalleled
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Special crossover promotional event
- Price: 2377 VP
- Key facts: The gun is a replica of Jinx’s in the show and offers a full redesign of the Sheriff’s visuals and animations.
2. Wayfinder Shorty
The first Prime Gaming skin VALORANT players received, Wayfinder Shorty was gifted to qualifying players under very specific circumstances for a very limited time.
- Released: January 2022
- Rarity rating: Exceptional
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Exclusive award for Prime Gaming subscribers
- Price: Having Amazon Prime linked to your Twitch account in January/February 2022
- Key facts: Honors its name with a complementary uniquely contoured design that resembles map cartography
3. Champions 2022 and 2021
The VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) is a gruelling contest of champions, fought regionally and internationally. From this tournament come the highly coveted Champions Collections.
Half the profits from sales of these collections go to charity, the other half is split among the competing teams (we’re talking millions of dollars in total).
Champions 2021
- Released: November 2021
- Rarity rating: Exceptional
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Celebrating the first VALORANT World Championship
- Price: 6263 VP
- Key facts: The 2021 collection includes a Vandal rifle and Karambit knife skin, both adorned with a glowing Champions logo/text
Champions 2022
- Released: November 2022
- Rarity rating: Exceptional
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Celebrating the second VALORANT World Championship
- Price: 6167 VP
- Key facts: The majestically designed 2022 collection includes a Phantom and Butterfly Knife
4. Ruin skins
A long-standing favorite among diehard VALORANT players, the Ruin Collection has been a feature in many collections since the earliest days of the game.
As if the regal design wasn’t eye-catching enough, the red sections of each skin glitter with an awe-inspiring crystalline glimmer, making this collection one of VALORANT’s most popular.
- Released: October 2020
- Rarity rating: High
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Ignition (Ep 1) Act 3
- Price: 1000 VP Battle Pass (reach level 50 to earn all skins)
- Key facts: This rare skin bundle includes a Shorty, Guardian, Vandal, Marshal, and the highly coveted Ruin Dagger – arguably one of VALORANT’s most iconic melee skins
5. Kingdom skins
An exercise in the beauty of simplicity, The Kingdom Collection won’t appeal to every agent. Still, as some of the oldest skins to officially count as “rare”, these skins are a sign of a committed long-standing player with a genuine, irreplaceable piece of VALORANT history.
- Released: June 2020
- Rarity rating: High
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Ignition (Ep 1) Act 1
- Price: 1000 VP Battle Pass (reach level 50 to earn all skins)
- Key facts: This collection was the first Battle Pass to feature a knife
6. .EXE skins
Hot on the heels of the Kingdom skins, we have the .EXE Collection. Released as part of the Ignition Act 1 Battle Pass right alongside Kingdom, the .EXE skins resemble a similar, inverted kind of design that gives off major Tron-like vibes.
Are these “rarer” than the Kingdom skins? Not really. These two entries could have featured either way around in this list of VALORANT’s rare skins.
- Released: June 2020
- Rarity rating: High
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Ignition (Ep 1) Act 1
- Price: 1000 VP Battle Pass (reach level 50 to earn all skins)
- Key facts: This collection featured skins for the Ghost, Judge, Vandal, and Odin
7. Hivemind skins
Fans with a fondness for all things alien can hardly be expected to do anything but ogle at these exotic-looking weapon skins and imagine what kind of world these metallic mutations might have been plucked from the depths of.
- Released: August 2020
- Rarity rating: High
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Ignition (Ep 1) Act 2
- Price: 1000 VP Battle Pass (reach level 50 to earn all skins)
- Key facts: This collection featured skins for the Shorty, Spectre, Vandal, Ares, and melee (one fierce-looking scimitar of a skin)
8. Couture skins
For those who like their skins as stylish as the fashion world and elegantly simple, VALORANT’s minimalist Couture Collection is a must-grab rare skin of the highest caliber.
- Released: June 2020
- Rarity rating: High
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Ignition (Ep 1) Act 1
- Price: 1000 VP Battle Pass (reach level 50 to earn all skins)
- Key facts: This collection featured skins for the Stinger, Marshal, Frenzy, and Bulldog
9. Polyfox skins
Did someone say geometrically styled origami fox designs? This one’s for the animal lovers among you!
- Released: August 2020
- Rarity rating: High
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Ignition (Ep 1) Act 2
- Price: 1000 VP Battle Pass (reach level 50 to earn all skins)
- Key facts: This collection featured skins for the Judge, Bulldog, Sheriff, and Guardian
10. Aerosol skins
What if Banksy did VALORANT skins? The expressively artistic Aerosol Collection might just be the closest we’re likely to get to an answer to that, my friend.
Unlike other skin packs, each weapon in the Aerosol skin line features an entirely different, rebellious design from the rest.
- Released: January 2021
- Rarity rating: High
- Chances of being available again: Almost none
- Circumstances: Formation (Ep 2) Act 1
- Price: 1000 VP Battle Pass (reach level 50 to earn all skins)
- Key facts: This collection featured skins for the Bucky, Shorty, Operator, and Odin
Rarest rifle skins
So, got a thing for rifles, do ya? Fancy laying your hands on the rarest rifle skins in all the land?
Who wouldn’t! We’ll keep this nice and short to close this post out – if you get a chance to grab any of these skins for your Vandal, Phantom, or Guardian, don’t hesitate.
Prime Vandal
Elderflame Vandal
Singularity Phantom
Sovereign Guardian
Prism Phantom
