M4A1-S | Stratosphere

Origin Story

The M4A1-S Stratosphere, released on April 1, 2025, as part of the Spring Forward update, belongs to The Ascent Collection. This custom-painted rifle features spacefaring ships orbiting a distant planet, evoking a sense of cosmic exploration. Its design is directly inspired by the in-game description, "It has been custom painted with spacefaring ships circling a planet in outer space," complemented by the flavor text, "One day in the not too distant future..." The skin's Classified rarity positions it among the more distinguished rifle finishes.

Drop Chance

M4A1-S | Stratosphere is Classified, a Pink-tier skin, rare with strong collector demand. It can drop as an end-of-match reward from active competitive play on the Ascent Collection item pool. Map drops follow a weighted rarity system that heavily favors common grades, so Classified drops are uncommon and Valve doesn't publish per-skin odds. It is the only Classified skin in the collection. Most copies enter the market through trade-up contracts or direct purchase at a listed seller's price.

Skin Condition

Float range 0 to 0.8. Exteriors: Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, Battle-Scarred. StatTrak is not available for this skin.

• Factory New ($71.00): The custom paint job is pristine, showcasing the spacefaring ships and planet with full vibrancy and no visible scratches.
• Minimal Wear ($19.75): Minor nicks may appear on sharp edges like the handguard and magwell, but the overall artwork remains largely intact and bright.
• Field-Tested ($5.70): More noticeable edge wear and scattered scratches begin to affect the artwork, particularly on high-contact areas of the receiver and barrel shroud.
• Well-Worn ($6.30): Extensive paint loss becomes apparent on edges and flats, leading to a more used appearance where some fine details of the space and ship motifs are eroded.
• Battle-Scarred ($3.36): Significant paint loss and heavy scratching disrupt large sections of the artwork, revealing the underlying metal and giving the skin a heavily worn, rugged look.

Model

Stratosphere uses the current M4A1-S model, added with Spring Forward on April 1, 2025.

How to Obtain

The M4A1-S | Stratosphere is part of The Ascent Collection. It can also be obtained through trade-up contracts using ten lower-rarity skins from The Ascent Collection. Additionally, the skin is available for purchase on the Steam Community Market, various third-party marketplaces, and through case-opening or skin-trading sites.

Price Range

M4A1-S | Stratosphere ranges from $3.36 (Battle-Scarred) to $71.00 (Factory New). Field-Tested copies sit at $5.70.


The current 7-day median is $6.24. The 90-day median is $8.97. The all-time median is $23.12. Volume averages 5 trades per day.

Visual Theme

Custom Paint Job: It has been custom painted with spacefaring ships circling a planet in outer space. The dominant colors likely feature deep blues and dark space tones for the background, accented by lighter blues, whites, or metallic elements for the planet and ships. In first-person view, the artwork of the planet and orbiting ships would be most visible on the M4A1-S's receiver and upper handguard.

Player Rating

Rating: 4.60 / 5
Votes: 32

Sticker Compatibility

The M4A1-S | Stratosphere's space-themed design suggests compatibility with blue, cosmic, white, or silver stickers. These colors and themes can complement the skin's dark blues, space tones, and bright accents. Given the detailed artwork of planets and ships, carefully chosen stickers that do not obscure key design elements are generally preferred.