Gun Paint Planner·Updated September 28, 2026
Rattle Can Dark Matter: the Black Ops 3 Camo on a Real AR-15, AK-47 and Glock
Dark Matter is the Black Ops 3 camo for getting Diamond in every weapon class, purple and blue smoke over black. It's often called the hardest camo grind since 2015. Here it is painted with real spray can colors on 12 real guns. Pick yours to open it in the planner, then reroll the layout or paint over it by hand.
Quick answer
- The Dark Matter camo comes from Black Ops 3.
- It takes 4 spray cans: Black, Gloss Purple, Gloss Mambo Pink, Flat White.
- Spray it light to dark: Black first, Flat White last.
Cans and spray order from the Krylon and Rust-Oleum color charts, matched in GunPartPicker's paint planner.
The Dark Matter camo on 12 real guns
Where the Dark Matter camo comes from
Black Ops 3 came out in November 2015 with Dark Matter hidden at the top of the camo grind. You got Gold on a gun, Diamond on a class, then Dark Matter once every class was Diamond.
In practice that meant Gold on every multiplayer gun in the game. Weapons added later got Dark Matter once their own camos were done.
The name comes from astrophysics. The camo is animated purple and blue smoke with dark specks, and a lot of people searching for a galaxy camo mean this one.
Dark Matter came back in Black Ops 4, Cold War as Dark Matter Ultra, and Black Ops 6. People who did the grind still want it on a real gun.
- Game
- Black Ops 3 (2015)
- Unlock
- Diamond in every weapon class
- Look
- Animated purple and blue smoke over black
- Made by
- Treyarch
Spray cans for a Dark Matter paint job
In spray order, lightest first. Either brand works; do not mix them in one job.
Krylon
- 1Camouflage Black
- 2COLORmaxx Gloss Purple
- 3COLORmaxx Gloss Mambo Pink
- 4COLORmaxx Flat White
Rust-Oleum
- 1Camouflage Black
- 2Painter's Touch 2X Gloss Purple
- 3Painter's Touch 2X Gloss Berry Pink
- 4Painter's Touch 2X Flat White
Painting Dark Matter on a real gun
Black base. Mist Krylon Gloss Purple in soft clouds from far away, then smaller bursts of Gloss Mambo Pink inside them.
Finish with tiny Flat White specks: tap the nozzle lightly from two feet off so it spits instead of sprays. Practice on cardboard first.
We'd do Dark Matter on a pistol slide or a handguard first. It's a lot of misting, and you'll learn the clouds on a small part.
How to spray Dark Matter on a gun
1. Strip it down
On an AR pull the bolt carrier group and split the upper and lower. On an AK take off the dust cover and bolt carrier. On a Glock take the slide off. Remove the optic or plan to tape it.
2. Degrease everything
Wipe every outside surface with acetone or isopropyl alcohol. Paint will not hold over gun oil.
3. Mask what moves
Plug the chamber and muzzle, tape the ejection port, magazine well, trigger and safety, and cover the optic lenses.
4. Base coat in black
Two light coats over the whole gun, 8 to 12 inches away, 10 minutes apart.
5. Soft purple haze
Mist soft patches of purple from 12 to 18 inches, so the edges fade.
6. Soft mambo pink haze
Mist soft patches of mambo pink from 12 to 18 inches, so the edges fade.
7. White specks
Flick small specks of white: a short burst from a foot away, or a stiff brush dipped in paint.
8. Let it cure
Handle it after an hour but give it a full day before it goes in a case, and a few days before hard use.
More gun skins from games
- Red Tiger (Call of Duty)
- Blue Tiger (Call of Duty)
- Golden (Call of Duty 4)
- Arctic (Modern Warfare 2)
- Fall (Modern Warfare 2)
- Dragon (Black Ops 2)
- Damascus (Modern Warfare 2019)
- Diamond (Black Ops 2)
- Asiimov (CS2)
- Fade (CS2)
- Redline (CS2)
- Hyper Beast (CS2)
- Galaxy (Fortnite)
- Real camo patterns
- All gun skins
- Gun Paint Planner
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get Dark Matter camo in Black Ops 3?
Get Diamond in every weapon class. In practice that takes Gold on every base game multiplayer weapon.
Was Dark Matter in Black Ops 2?
No. Dark Matter first appeared in Black Ops 3 in 2015. Black Ops 2's top camo was Diamond.
What spray paint do you need for a Dark Matter paint job?
4 cans of Krylon, sprayed in this order: Black, Gloss Purple, Gloss Mambo Pink, Flat White. Rust-Oleum has a match for every color.
Can you paint the Dark Matter camo on a real gun?
Yes. Strip and degrease the gun, mask the bore, chamber and anything that moves, lay the lightest color first and build the look light to dark with tape and stencils. Plan on an afternoon plus a day to cure.
Cite this tool: GunPartPicker, “Rattle Can Dark Matter: the Black Ops 3 Camo on a Real AR-15, AK-47 and Glock”, https://gunpartpicker.net/gun-paint-planner/skins/dark-matter. Paint colors from the Krylon and Rust-Oleum color charts; gun photos credited on each gun's page. Free to cite with attribution.
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