USP-S | Cortex (Factory New)

The USP-S | Cortex (Factory New) is a Classified pistol skin — pink accents laid over a silver-and-black body in a biological, almost scientific motif. Factory New is the top grade, where the pink reads at its brightest and the base stays free of any surface marks.

Design

Cortex mixes biological and scientific aesthetics, with pink accents custom painted over a silver and black base. It's a community design by the artist Glasgow died, and it ships with a fitting in-game line: "Keep your head."

USP-S | Cortex (Factory New) Float and Wear

Cortex runs the full float scale, 0.00–1.00, so every grade from Factory New down to Battle-Scarred exists. Factory New sits at the very top of that range: the pink accents keep their full saturation, the silver-and-black base shows no scuffing, and the fine detail work reads sharp. If you want the finish exactly as the artist intended, this is the grade to reach for.

USP-S | Cortex Rarity

Rarity: Classified — the pink tier, second from the top of the standard weapon grades, just below Covert. It's a genuinely uncommon grade to pull from a case.

USP-S | Cortex Case and Collection

The Cortex is part of The Clutch Collection and drops from the Clutch Case, released in February 2018. The Classified tier as a whole unboxes about 3.2% of the time from the case (a rate shared across the tier's skins), so pulling this exact finish is a fair bit rarer than that headline figure suggests.

USP-S | Cortex Patterns

Cortex has no random pattern variation — the pink accents and the silver-and-black base land the same way on every copy, so there's no paint seed or "blue gem" to hunt. Wear and float are the only things that separate one from another.

StatTrak & Souvenir

A StatTrak™ USP-S | Cortex exists and adds a confirmed-kill counter; it drops from the Clutch Case as a rarer, pricier variant than the standard skin, and the counter is permanent, carrying over when the item is traded or sold. There's no Souvenir version — Souvenir weapons come only from Major-tournament souvenir packages, and the Clutch Case has never been a Major drop.

USP-S | Cortex Price

Factory New sits at the top of the Cortex price ladder as the highest grade available — a step above Minimal Wear, though the finish as a whole lands in affordable mid-tier territory rather than grail money. It's available to buy on Skin.Land with instant delivery and no hidden fees.

FAQ

Is Factory New worth it over Minimal Wear?

If you want the pink at full brightness and a base with zero visible marks, yes — Factory New is the cleanest the finish gets. That said, Minimal Wear looks nearly identical to most eyes for a little less, so it's a reasonable saving if flawless condition isn't the goal.

Which gloves go with Cortex?

Its pink-over-silver palette suits a light, playful loadout, so pink or white gloves pair best — a pink pair echoes the accents, while pale gray or silver wraps lean into the metallic base. A darker glove keeps the black underlay grounded if you want more contrast.

Who designed the Cortex?

It's a community submission by the artist Glasgow died, built around a blend of biological and scientific themes. That mix is what gives the finish its distinctive look — the pink accents and silvery base read almost like anatomical or lab imagery rather than a typical camo or graphic skin.