GTA 5 Best Weapons: The Complete Ranking by Category

There is no single "best gun" in GTA 5 - the top pick changes with range, ammo cost and whether you are grinding Story Mode or PvP in GTA Online. The short answer: the Heavy Revolver is the best all-around handgun, the Combat MG Mk II is the best sustained-fire rifle, the Heavy Sniper Mk II wins at long range, and the RPG still deals the single highest damage number in the game at 100.

Essentials

• Best pistol: Heavy Revolver (highest handgun damage, great against armor)
• Best SMG: Assault SMG (best balance of mobility, accuracy and ammo count)
• Best shotgun: Assault Shotgun (full-auto, huge magazine, close-range shredder)
• Best assault rifle: Advanced Rifle (highest per-shot damage in class, long range)
• Best machine gun: Combat MG Mk II (fastest sustained damage output)
• Best sniper: Heavy Sniper Mk II (longest range, best one-shot potential)
• Best heavy weapon: Minigun (fastest kill speed against groups and vehicles)
• Highest raw damage: RPG (100 damage, also the best anti-vehicle pick)

This guide ranks the strongest option in every weapon class, whether you play Story Mode or GTA Online, and points out which weapons are only unlocked through GTA Online progression or the full arsenal of weapon cheat codes if you just want to test them offline.

Best pistols and handguns

Weapon	Damage	Best for
Heavy Revolver	Very high	Anti-armor, medium-range PvP
AP Pistol	Medium	Drive-by combat, mobility
Combat Pistol	Medium	Early-game default, cheap ammo

The Heavy Revolver hits harder per shot than any other handgun and shreds body armor faster than the standard pistols, which makes it a favorite for close-to-medium PvP duels in GTA Online. If you spend most of your time shooting from a moving car, the AP Pistol is the better pick: its full-auto fire mode and generous mobility bonus make it the long-running king of drive-by shootouts, even though its per-shot damage is lower than the revolver's.

Best SMGs

The Assault SMG is the class leader. It is lighter than the Micro SMG and the standard SMG, so it barely slows your sprint speed, but it still holds a large magazine and lands shots accurately at close and mid-range. That combination of mobility, ammo count and damage is why it remains a top loadout choice for players who need to strafe and shoot at the same time - one of the most requested skills once cheat-assisted combat gets patched out, which is also why the explosive melee attacks cheat code exists as a fun alternative for messing around solo.

Best shotguns

The Assault Shotgun is the only fully automatic shotgun in the game, and it pairs that fire rate with one of the largest magazines in its class. Up close, nothing clears a room faster. The Sawed-Off Shotgun deserves a mention too: it has the highest per-shot damage of any shotgun at 96, but its tiny two-round capacity and short range mean it only wins in a true point-blank ambush. For sustained close-quarters fights, the Assault Shotgun is the safer and stronger pick.

Best assault rifles

Weapon	Strength
Advanced Rifle	Highest damage per shot in class, long effective range
Special Carbine Mk II	Best all-round heist and mission weapon with attachments
Carbine Rifle Mk II	Strong mid-range option, widely available early

The Advanced Rifle deals more damage per bullet than the Carbine Rifle or the standard Assault Rifle, and its range holds up well past the distance where SMGs stop being useful. In GTA Online specifically, the Special Carbine Mk II is the community's go-to for heists and freemode missions once it is fully modded, because its attachments (extended clip, scope, suppressor) cover almost every situation without needing a weapon swap.

Best machine guns

The Combat MG Mk II is the strongest machine gun in GTA Online. Its fire rate is high from the very first bullet, its damage per hit is solid, and its extended magazine keeps it firing longer than the base Combat MG or the Mini SM. It is the standard pick for players who need to hold a chokepoint or tank through a wave of NPC enemies during a heist finale, and it pairs well with the health and armor cheat code if you are testing loadouts offline before taking them into GTA Online.

Best sniper rifles

The Heavy Sniper Mk II is the longest-range, hardest-hitting sniper rifle in the game. Its accuracy at extreme distance is unmatched, and a well-placed shot can one-shot most targets, including light vehicles. Its main weakness is fire rate: the bolt-action cycle is slow, so it rewards patient, precise players over run-and-gun snipers. The standard Heavy Sniper (non-Mk II) is nearly as strong and is the version you will use for most of Story Mode, since the Mk II variant is a GTA Online-only upgrade unlocked through the Gunrunning update.

Best heavy weapons and explosives

Weapon	Damage	Notes
RPG	100 (highest in game)	Best anti-vehicle, huge splash radius
Minigun	High, sustained	Best against groups, chews through ammo fast
Grenade Launcher	High	Good indirect fire, useful in Story Mode heists

The RPG has the single highest damage stat of any weapon in GTA 5, and it remains the most efficient way to destroy vehicles, from a pursuing police cruiser to an armored Kuruma. The Minigun cannot match that per-hit number, but its fire rate means it kills faster in sustained fights against multiple enemies - the tradeoff is an ammo count that drains in seconds, so it is a "burst it and swap" weapon rather than a main loadout slot.

Best melee weapons

The Machete is the strongest practical melee pick: fast swings, solid range for a blade, and a clean one-hit-kill against unarmored NPCs from behind. The Knife swings faster and is the default stealth-takedown tool, but the Machete's extra reach makes it the safer choice once enemies are alert and shooting back.

Does the best weapon change between Story Mode and GTA Online?

Yes. Story Mode caps you at the base versions of most weapons (Heavy Sniper, Combat MG, Carbine Rifle), while GTA Online adds the Mk II upgrades, unique GTA Online-exclusive guns, and full weapon attachments through the Ammu-Nation menu and Gunrunning bunker research. If you are playing Story Mode only, this guide's non-Mk II picks (Heavy Revolver, Advanced Rifle, Heavy Sniper, Assault Shotgun) are already the strongest options available to you, and you can unlock most of them instantly with the complete GTA 5 cheat code list instead of grinding cash.

Which weapon has the highest damage in GTA 5?

The RPG has the highest raw damage stat in the game at 100, followed closely by the Sticky Bomb and the Grenade Launcher. Among bullet-firing weapons, the Heavy Sniper Mk II and the Heavy Revolver lead their respective classes.

What is the best all-around weapon for a new player?

For a player still working through Story Mode or early GTA Online levels, the Combat Pistol and the Micro SMG are cheap, unlock early and cover most encounters, but you should upgrade to the Heavy Revolver and Assault SMG as soon as your character can afford them - the jump in damage and ammo capacity is worth the price at any point in the game. Curious how these weapon secrets compare to other long-running mysteries in the game? Check the complete GTA 5 Easter eggs guide for what else Los Santos hides.