Gun Paint Planner·Updated September 28, 2026
Rattle Can Fade: the CS2 Skin on a Real AR-15, AK-47 and Glock
Fade is the CS:GO finish that melts yellow into pink and purple, made famous by the Glock-18 Fade. Valve added it on 14 August 2013 in the Arms Deal update. 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 Fade skin comes from CS2.
- It takes 3 spray cans: Gloss Mambo Pink, Gloss Sun Yellow, Gloss Purple.
- Spray it light to dark: Gloss Mambo Pink first, Gloss Purple last.
Cans and spray order from the Krylon and Rust-Oleum color charts, matched in GunPartPicker's paint planner.
The Fade skin on 12 real guns
Where the Fade skin comes from
Fade came with the Arms Deal update on 14 August 2013, the update that added skins to CS:GO in the first place. Valve made it in house, unlike the Workshop skins.
Valve's description: transparent paints airbrushed so they fade together over chrome. The Glock-18 Fade dropped from the Assault Collection, and Fade knives came out of the first weapon case.
Fades only come in Factory New and Minimal Wear. Knife traders grade them by how much purple shows, and a full fade costs the most.
In October 2026 the cheapest Factory New Glock-18 Fade on the Steam Market was about $2,046. Real gun parts get the same look from anodizing and candy coats.
- Game
- CS:GO (2013), now CS2
- Made by
- Valve
- Released
- 14 August 2013, Arms Deal update
- Best known on
- Glock-18, knives, AWP
Spray cans for a Fade paint job
In spray order, lightest first. Either brand works; do not mix them in one job.
Krylon
- 1COLORmaxx Gloss Mambo Pink
- 2COLORmaxx Gloss Sun Yellow
- 3COLORmaxx Gloss Purple
Rust-Oleum
- 1Painter's Touch 2X Gloss Berry Pink
- 2Painter's Touch 2X Gloss Sun Yellow
- 3Painter's Touch 2X Gloss Purple
Painting a Fade on a real gun
A fade is three colors blended with no hard lines. Start with Krylon Gloss Mambo Pink all over, then mist Gloss Sun Yellow over one end and Gloss Purple over the other.
Spray from farther away where the colors meet, and keep the can moving. Several light passes blend. One heavy pass leaves a stripe. A gloss clear coat helps it look like the in game finish.
We'd do a fade on a pistol before a rifle. You'll keep the blend even more easily over a short slide than a long upper.
How to spray Fade 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 mambo pink
Two light coats over the whole gun, 8 to 12 inches away, 10 minutes apart.
5. Soft sun yellow haze
Mist soft patches of sun yellow from 12 to 18 inches, so the edges fade.
6. Soft purple haze
Mist soft patches of purple from 12 to 18 inches, so the edges fade.
7. 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)
- Dark Matter (Black Ops 3)
- Diamond (Black Ops 2)
- Asiimov (CS2)
- Redline (CS2)
- Hyper Beast (CS2)
- Galaxy (Fortnite)
- Real camo patterns
- All gun skins
- Gun Paint Planner
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Glock Fade come out?
On 14 August 2013, in CS:GO's Arms Deal update, as part of the Assault Collection.
How do you spray paint a fade on a gun?
Base coat the middle color, then mist the end colors from farther away so the edges blend. Several light passes beat one heavy coat.
What spray paint do you need for a Fade paint job?
3 cans of Krylon, sprayed in this order: Gloss Mambo Pink, Gloss Sun Yellow, Gloss Purple. Rust-Oleum has a match for every color.
Can you paint the Fade skin 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 Fade: the CS2 Skin on a Real AR-15, AK-47 and Glock”, https://gunpartpicker.net/gun-paint-planner/skins/fade. 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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