P90 Guide for Counter-Strike 2
Damage, spray, the 50-round magazine, and when it is worth $2,350.
The P90 is the most expensive SMG in CS2, and the only one that pays $300 a kill instead of $600. It costs $2,350, both sides can buy it, and it holds 50 rounds a magazine at 857 rounds a minute. With 69% armour penetration, the most of any SMG, it kills an armoured opponent in six chest hits, 0.35 seconds, up close.
The trade-off is price and range. It costs more than a Galil or a FAMAS, loses 14% of its damage every 500 units, and is accurate only to 10.4 metres standing. This page goes through the numbers, the spray, when to buy it, and the skins and cases.
September 2026
Weapon stats checked against CS2 build 1.41.7.6.
P90 at a Glance
The full stat sheet, straight from the game.
Every number below comes from the game build of 18 March 2026. Two of them define the P90: a 50-round magazine and a $300 kill reward. It fires 857 rounds a minute and gets 69% through armour, more than any other SMG, but it pays like a rifle. What it gives up is range - 14% of its damage lost every 500 units, and only 10.4 metres of accurate range standing.
Damage and money
| Price | $2,350 |
| Kill reward | $300 |
| Side | CT and T |
| Base damage | 26 |
| Armour penetration | 69% |
| Headshot multiplier | 4x |
| Damage lost at 500 units | 14% |
| Wall penetration | 100% |
| One-tap range, helmet | None (71.8 damage) |
| One-tap range, no helmet | 130 u (about 3.3 m) |
Handling and ammo
| Rate of fire | 857 RPM |
| Magazine | 50 |
| Reserve | 100 (150 total) |
| Reload | 3.37 s (mag in at 1.97 s) |
| Deploy | 1.00 s |
| Mobility | 230 (knife is 250) |
| Tagging power | 100% |
| Accurate range, standing | 10.4 m |
| Running inaccuracy | 45.7 |
| Recoil | Set pattern |
| Console command | give weapon_p90 |
The weak spot is accuracy. Valve's own description calls the P90 great to shoot on the move, but its running inaccuracy, 45.7, is the highest of any SMG - the MAC-10 sits at 27.9. It is still far better on the move than any rifle, and standing still it is accurate only to 10.4 metres, second shortest after the PP-Bizon.
P90 Damage & Armour
What one bullet does, and how many it takes.
Everything here assumes a full-health player at close range. Armour means kevlar on the body and a helmet on the head. The general rules behind these numbers are on the weapons hub.
Damage per bullet
| Hitbox | No armour | Armour | Bullets to kill, no armour | Bullets to kill, armour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | 104 | 71.8 | 1 | 2 |
| Chest and arms | 26 | 17.9 | 4 | 6 |
| Stomach | 32.5 | 22.4 | 4 | 5 |
| Legs | 19.5 | 19.5 | 6 | 6 |
The P90 has the same 26 damage and the same fire rate as the MP9. The difference is armour: at 69% penetration it needs six chest hits through kevlar where the MP9 needs seven. Without armour the two are identical, including the near misses - three stomach hits and five leg hits both add up to 97.5.
Where the P90 drops off
The P90 loses 14% of its damage for every 500 units of distance, a little more than the MP9 and MP7. The bullet counts above hold only this far:
| Shot | Works up to |
|---|---|
| Head, helmet - 2 bullets | 1,198 u (about 30 m) |
| Stomach, no armour - 4 bullets | 870 u (about 22 m) |
| Legs - 6 bullets | 521 u (about 13 m) |
| Stomach through armour - 5 bullets | 380 u (about 10 m) |
| Chest through armour - 6 bullets | 244 u (about 6 m) |
| Head, no helmet - 1 bullet | 130 u (about 3.3 m) |
| Chest, no armour - 4 bullets | 130 u (about 3.3 m) |
Past each of those distances the count goes up by one. Damage is multiplied by 0.86 for every 500 units of distance, and it drops smoothly in between. Seven chest hits through armour kill out to 755 units, about 19 metres, and two headshots on an unhelmeted player out to about 62 metres.
What this means in a fight
Against kevlar, six chest hits take 0.35 seconds at 857 rounds a minute, the fastest of any SMG, but only inside about 6 metres; past that, seven hits take 0.42 seconds out to about 19 metres. Against a player without armour, four chest hits take 0.21 seconds, and past about 3 metres five hits take 0.28 seconds.
P90 Recoil & Spray
Where fifty bullets go, and how to pull them back.
The P90 fires 857 rounds a minute, one bullet every 70 milliseconds. A full magazine of 50 lasts about three and a half seconds. The recoil pattern follows the same overall path every time you spray, which is why spray control can be learned. On top of it sits a little random spread that grows the longer you hold the trigger.
The dots show where each bullet goes if you hold the trigger and don't touch the mouse. The dashed line is where you aimed, and the white dot is the latest shot. The panel on the right is the mouse movement that cancels it - the same path turned upside down and mirrored. ×1 plays at real speed, ×0.5 and ×0.25 slow it down, and Step by step fires one bullet per click with Next shot.
The spray, shot by shot
- Shots 1-4. Barely move. The first four bullets land almost where you aimed.
- Shots 5-8. Up and to the right, furthest right at shot 8. Pull down and to the left.
- Shots 9-12. Still climbing, back towards the middle. Keep pulling down and ease off to the left.
- Shots 13-17. Out to the right, furthest at shot 17. The climb stops around shot 15. Pull left.
- Shots 18-26. A swing to the left, past the middle, furthest out at shot 23. Pull right.
- Shots 27-40. Around the middle and a little to the right, furthest right at shot 39. Small corrections to the left.
- Shots 41-47. A long drift to the left, furthest out at shot 47 - the widest point of the whole spray. Pull right.
- Shots 48-50. Slightly back towards the middle.
From shot 15 on, the spray hardly goes higher. The rest of the magazine swings side to side, and the swings get wider towards the end.
How to actually use it
The first twelve shots are the part worth drilling - a pull down with a short correction to the left. That covers the six or seven chest hits an armoured player needs (see Damage & Armour). With 50 rounds it is tempting to hold the trigger through the whole magazine, but by then the random spread is large.
Spray control will not make the P90 accurate on the move. Its running inaccuracy is 45.7, the highest of any SMG. Tapping the opposite movement key - counter-strafing - brings you to a stop faster than just letting go of the key.
The accurate range is only 10.4 metres standing. At longer range, short bursts at head height work better than a spray - two helmeted headshots still kill out to 30 metres.
Did the spray change in 2026?
No. In April 2026 Valve changed how the screen moves when you fire, so it feels closer to CS:GO. Where the bullets land stayed the same. I also checked the pattern offline, on a private server, against my own Logitech G HUB Lua script for the P90: its mouse path lines up with these 50 shots. I don't recommend using scripts like this in Competitive or Premier.
When to Buy the P90
Rifle money, SMG range, and when it still makes sense.
The P90 doesn't fit the usual SMG jobs. It pays $300 a kill, like a rifle, so it earns half as much on an eco, and at $2,350 it costs more than both cheap rifles.
What a buy adds up to
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| P90 | $2,350 |
| Kevlar + helmet | $1,000 |
| Smoke | $300 |
| Flashbang | $200 |
| Total | $3,850 |
For the same money a T can buy a Galil with armour, a smoke, a molotov and an HE grenade ($3,800). A CT with a FAMAS, armour, a smoke and a flash pays $3,450.
Against an eco
Three kills with a P90 pay $900. The same three kills with an MP9, MAC-10 or any other SMG pay $1,800, and those SMGs cost $950-1,300 less. If the other team is saving, a cheaper SMG is the better buy.
P90 or a rifle
The Galil costs $550 less and the FAMAS $400 less. Up close the P90 kills through armour about as fast - six chest hits in 0.35 seconds against their five in 0.36. Past about 6 metres the P90 needs seven, 0.42 seconds, while the rifles keep five much further out: the FAMAS to about 15 metres, the Galil to 95. The P90 has 50 rounds against 25 and 35, and moves at 230 against 220 and 215.
When it still makes sense
The P90 is worth its price when the fights will be close and you want to take several of them without reloading. At range, or on an eco, a rifle or a cheaper SMG does more for less.
P90 vs Other SMGs
What the P90 does better, and what it gives up.
The P90 wins on ammo and armour penetration, ties for the fastest fire rate, and loses on price, kill reward and accuracy. How much that matters depends on who you compare it with. The table below has all the numbers side by side.
vs PP-Bizon
The other big-magazine SMG, $1,050 cheaper, with 64 rounds against 50. It pays $600 a kill and reloads a full second faster, 2.4 against 3.4. Against armour it is much slower: seven chest hits, 0.48 seconds, where the P90 needs six, 0.35, up close. On the move the two are close, 42.6 against 45.7. Details in the PP-Bizon guide.
vs MP9
$1,100 cheaper and CT only, with the same 26 damage and 857 rounds a minute. The P90's armour penetration saves one bullet up close, six chest hits against seven. The MP9 is far more accurate standing still, 15.9 metres against 10.4, and on the move, 38.6 against 45.7, and it pays $600 a kill. Details in the MP9 guide.
vs MP7
$950 cheaper. It kills through armour in six chest hits, 0.40 seconds, out to about 11 metres - between 6 and 11 metres that is faster than the P90's seven. It is much better on the move, 30.5 against 45.7, more accurate standing, 14.4 metres, and pays $600 a kill. Details in the MP7 guide.
vs UMP-45
$1,150 cheaper. Up close the two are almost even through armour, 0.36 seconds against 0.35. Past about 6 metres the UMP-45 needs six hits, 0.45, and the P90 seven, 0.42. The UMP-45 holds only 25 rounds, the P90 twice as many. The UMP-45 pays $600 a kill. Details in the UMP-45 guide.
vs MAC-10
$1,300 cheaper and T only. The MAC-10 is by far the better SMG on the move, 27.9 against 45.7, and pays $600 a kill. Against armour it needs seven chest hits, 0.45 seconds, and loses 20% of its damage every 500 units against 14%. Details in the MAC-10 guide.
The MP5-SD has its own guide: MP5-SD. For rifles in the same price range, see the FAMAS and Galil AR guides.
SMG Stats Table
All seven SMGs side by side, with the P90 already open.
This is the same table as on the weapons hub, but filtered down to SMGs. The P90 row is open with its damage per hitbox and full stats, and it is already ticked for comparison with the PP-Bizon, MP9 and MP7. Untick any of them, or tick the MAC-10, MP5-SD or UMP-45 instead - up to four at a time.
Click a column header to sort. The full table with all 36 weapons is on the weapons hub.
Click any weapon for damage per hitbox, full stats and variants.
| Weapon | Type | Price | Kill $ | Damage | Armour pen | RPM | Mag | Total ammo | HS kill vs helmet |
|---|
Comparing 0 of 4
Stats from the CS2 Weapon Spreadsheet, game build of 18 March 2026. Shotgun damage is per pellet. Headshot ranges are converted from game units at 39.4 units per metre. Zeus and knife values come from the game files rather than the sheet.
P90 Skins & Cases
P90 skins by market listings and price, and where they come from.
Three ways to look at P90 skins. Most listed are the ones with the most offers across the markets I track, in other words the ones currently offered most often. Most expensive are the skins that stay expensive even in their cheapest wear. Cheapest are the ones that stay cheap even in their best wear. Prices update every 15 minutes, and the range on each card runs from the cheapest variant to the most expensive one, wear and StatTrak included.
Sand Spray
$0.01 - $10.50
View prices →
Freight
$0.05 - $0.66
View prices →
Blue Tac
$0.01 - $0.02
View prices →
Wave Breaker
$0.32 - $110.21
View prices →
Wash me
$0.02 - $0.14
View prices →
Desert Halftone
$0.01 - $0.03
View prices →
Vent Rush
$0.29 - $1.82
View prices →
Neoqueen
$0.27 - $1.44
View prices →
Astral Jörmungandr
$281.22 - $337.22
View prices →
Asiimov
$146.54 - $257.48
View prices →
Emerald Dragon
$81.72 - $550.00
View prices →
Run and Hide
$71.65 - $213.72
View prices →
Death by Kitty
$67.00 - $276.67
View prices →
Cold Blooded
$35.00 - $78.30
View prices →
Baroque Red
$19.58 - $30.00
View prices →
Death Grip
$12.19 - $35.72
View prices →Blue Tac
$0.01 - $0.02
View prices →Desert Halftone
$0.01 - $0.03
View prices →
Mustard Gas
$0.02 - $0.11
View prices →Wash me
$0.02 - $0.14
View prices →
Desert DDPAT
$0.06 - $0.28
View prices →
Aeolian Light
$0.09 - $0.53
View prices →
Reef Grief
$0.11 - $0.63
View prices →Freight
$0.05 - $0.66
View prices →All of them, with a price for every wear, are on the P90 skins page.
Cases with P90 skins
Every case that can drop a P90 skin, newest first. The number under each case is how many P90 skins it holds.
Fever Case2025 · 1 skin
Gallery Case2024 · 1 skin
Revolution Case2023 · 1 skin
Recoil Case2022 · 1 skin
Operation Broken Fang Case2020 · 1 skin
Fracture Case2020 · 1 skin
CS20 Case2019 · 1 skin
Prisma Case2019 · 1 skin
Horizon Case2018 · 1 skin
Operation Hydra Case2017 · 1 skin
Glove Case2016 · 1 skin
Gamma 2 Case2016 · 1 skin
Gamma Case2016 · 1 skin
Revolver Case2015 · 1 skin
Falchion Case2015 · 1 skin
eSports 2014 Summer Case2014 · 1 skin
Operation Breakout Weapon Case2014 · 1 skin
Huntsman Weapon Case2014 · 1 skin
Operation Phoenix Weapon Case2014 · 1 skin
eSports 2013 Winter Case2013 · 1 skin
CS:GO Weapon Case 22013 · 1 skin
Operation Bravo Case2013 · 1 skin
eSports 2013 Case2013 · 1 skinP90 skins that never came from a case
Some P90 skins come from map collections, operations, or the Armory instead of cases. Collections marked "souvenir" also come in souvenir packages from Majors.
The 2018 Nuke Collection1 skin · souvenir
The 2021 Dust 2 Collection1 skin · souvenir
The 2021 Mirage Collection1 skin · souvenir
The 2021 Vertigo Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Achroma Collection1 skin
The Ancient Collection2 skins · souvenir
The Anubis Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Ascent Collection2 skins
The Baggage Collection1 skin
The Boreal Collection1 skin
The Canals Collection1 skin
The Cobblestone Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Dead Hand Collection1 skin
The Dust 2 Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Graphic Design Collection1 skin
The Havoc Collection1 skin
The Lake Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Mirage Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Norse Collection1 skin
The Nuke Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Overpass 2024 Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Radiant Collection1 skin
The St. Marc Collection1 skin
The Train 2025 Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Train Collection1 skin · souvenir
The Vertigo Collection1 skin · souvenirBrowse all CS2 cases and all collections, or check what your own skins are worth with the Inventory Value Calculator.
Common P90 Mistakes
Small habits that cost rounds, and what the numbers say instead.
Reloading after every fight
Since the 18 March 2026 update, a reload throws away whatever is left in the magazine and takes a full one from your reserve. The P90 has two spare magazines of 50, so a reload with 20 rounds still in the gun throws away 40% of a magazine. With 50 rounds, an early reload is rarely needed. How this habit caught me out is in the AK-47 guide.
The second reload mistake is reloading when you are not safe. From pressing R to being able to shoot again the P90 needs 3.4 seconds. Only reload when you are sure nobody can swing on you for more than three seconds.
Buying it on an eco
The P90 pays $300 a kill, every other SMG $600. Against players with no armour a cheaper SMG kills just as well, costs $950-1,300 less and earns twice as much. More in When to Buy.
Buying it instead of a rifle
A Galil costs $550 less and a FAMAS $400 less. Both kill through armour about as fast up close and keep their five-hit kill much farther out. The P90 needs six chest hits even up close and seven past about 6 metres. If you have $2,350 for a gun, a rifle is usually the stronger choice.
Waiting for a one-tap
A helmeted headshot does 71.8 damage, so the P90 never kills with one bullet to a helmeted head. Even without a helmet, the one-tap works only inside about 3 metres. Two headshots, or a short burst at head height, are what actually kill.
Taking long fights
The P90 is accurate only to 10.4 metres standing and loses 14% of its damage for every 500 units. Past about 6 metres it needs seven chest hits through armour, and past 30 metres two helmeted headshots are no longer enough. The numbers are in Damage & Armour.
Holding the trigger through all fifty
After shot 15 the P90 spray swings side to side, and the swings get wider towards the end of the magazine while the random spread keeps growing. Short bursts land more bullets than one long spray. The spray section shows where the bullets go.
Shooting on the move
The P90's running inaccuracy is 45.7, the highest of any SMG. A spray on the move goes wide. Stop first: tapping the opposite movement key - counter-strafing - brings you to a stop faster than just letting go of the key.
More SMGs
The other six SMGs in CS2, starting with the other big magazine.
PP-Bizon
The Bizon SMG is low-damage, but offers a uniquely designed high-capacity drum magazine that reloads quickly.
Read the guide →
MP9
Manufactured in Switzerland, the cutting-edge MP9 SMG is an ergonomic polymer weapon favored by private security firms.
MAC-10
Essentially a box that bullets come out of, the MAC-10 SMG boasts a high rate of fire, with poor spread accuracy and high recoil as trade-offs.
MP7
Versatile but expensive, the German-made MP7 SMG is the perfect choice for high-impact close-range combat.
MP5-SD
Often imitated but never equaled, the iconic MP5 is perhaps the most versatile and popular SMG in the world. This SD variant comes equipped with an integrated silencer, making an already formidable weapon whisper-quiet.
UMP-45
The misunderstood middle child of the SMG family, the UMP45's small magazine is the only drawback to an otherwise versatile close-quarters automatic.
