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Find out the best overall weapons to use in Los Santos.
There are several unique and separate weapon classes in GTA Online, so what weapons do you want to use?
Joey Carr is a seasoned esports and gaming journalist with over 7 years of experience. He has covered major events like DreamHack Atlanta, Call of Duty Championships 2017, and Super Bowl 53.
While vehicles are always going to be the focal point of GTA Online – it’s in the name after all – weapons certainly don’t take a backseat in terms of overall usage. Players always need top-of-the-line weaponry if they want to easily complete heists, take out other players on their server, or compete in any other minigame or activity.
However, with so many weapons and classes available to buy in GTA Online, it can be daunting to know which ones to select from your weapon wheel. You also need to know what weapons to buy in the first place, as that can make a major difference in some heists where damage and precision are paramount.
Fortunately, we have put together a guide that shows you the best weapon for each individual class in GTA Online. Now, you never have to guess what weapons to use again.
In total, there are eight weapon classes in GTA Online, and they are:
Assault Rifle
Handgun
Heavy
Machine Gun
Melee
Shotgun
Sniper Rifle
Thrown
While there are only eight classes, there are dozens of weapons to pick from across all of them. In the Machine Gun class alone, you have weapons such as the Micro SMG, Assault SMG, MG, Combat PDW, and plenty more.
So, to make your choice easier when you’re purchasing a weapon, you can see our picks for the best overall weapon in each class below.
First up is the class you might use more than all others combined. The Assault Rifles are always the go-to weapons for any kind of combat situation in GTA Online, and for good reason. They’re versatile and strong at medium to long ranges, which is where you’re often fighting enemies.
The best overall Assault Rifle in GTA Online has to be the Advanced Rifle. While the Special Carbine is also quite strong, the Advanced Rifle has more damage and takes one less shot to kill than the Special Carbine. The Advanced Rifle also features more range while having slightly less accuracy. No matter the situation, the Advanced Rifle won’t let you down, but the Special Carbine is certainly a great option as well.
Next up are the Handguns, which are quite fun to use in GTA Online thanks to their quick fire rate and high damage. You’ll still want a larger weapon for some gunfights in the streets of Los Santos, but the right handgun can be just as lethal if put to good use.
When it comes to picking a Handgun, the “best” option is determined by what you’re using the weapon for. If you’re looking to destroy vehicles and blow through an enemy’s armor, then the Heavy Revolver is the way to go. However, for general combat, you want the lighter .50 Pistol, which can one-tap enemies without armor and features no damage range drop-off.
The Heavy weapon options in GTA Online are arguably the most fun to use if you’re looking for sheer chaos. From the RPG to the Grenade Launcher, the Heavy class is always something you want to have up your sleeve.
By far the most destructive Heavy weapon, though, is the Minigun. This weapon is like a cheat code for killing both players and NPCs. The Minigun fires rounds extremely fast and has plenty of ammunition to ensure you don’t have to stop to reload anytime soon after firing. The Minigun can also effectively dispatch vehicles, but if you want that job done right, go with the RPG or Homing Launcher depending what kind of vehicle you’re gunning for.
The Machine Gun is highly versatile in GTA Online. It features smaller weapons, like the Mini SMG, as well as larger weapons like the Combat MG. Some players like to further categorize the Machine Gun into Submachine Guns and Light Machine Guns, but the game doesn’t. Still, we’ll offer the best SMG and LMG since they are vastly different weapon types.
The best overall SMG in GTA Online is the Assault SMG, and it’s not particularly close. This weapon destroys just about anything you shoot at and can be used at any range with high lethality. As for the best LMG, you want to go with the Combat MG. Featuring high damage, a large magazine, and great accuracy, the Combat MG is always a solid weapon to turn to.
While not a popular weapon class thanks to its niche nature, you can still get some use of the Melee weapons in GTA Online. Unfortunately, thanks to a majority of the Melee weapons featuring similar stats and use-cases, there’s not really one that stands out. Our advice is to simply pick whichever weapon you want to go around clubbing people with. The Shocker, in particular, is quite useful for knocking out guards if you want to be stealthy during a heist.
Once again, we have another niche class with the Shotguns. Of course, you’ll be able to get much more use of the Shotguns due to their high damage output at close ranges.
For most situations in GTA Online, the best Shotgun to use is the Assault Shotgun. This agent of destruction has the best-in-class range and absolutely dominates any enemy in close range, regardless of whether they’re wearing armor or not. You’ll be surprised at just how far away the Assault Shotgun can remain effective, so don’t be afraid to whip it out for mid-range fights.
Now we’re at the class that everyone loves in GTA Online. There’s no better feeling than popping an enemy’s head at long range with a sniper, and there are some great ones to pick from.
However, pound for pound, the Heavy Sniper is the clear-cut best sniper to use. As long as you learn how to aim it and how damage dropoff works, the Heavy Sniper will be your best friend. You can one-shot kill any enemy you can hit and it also works quite well against vehicles.
Finally, we arrive at the weapon class that really doesn’t fit in with the others. Thrown items are more of a type of equipment than anything else, but GTA Online calls it a weapon class, so we’ll offer the best one to use.
Overall, the most versatile Throwable is the Sticky Bomb. It can single-handedly take enemies down if you can manage to hit them directly, but aiming near enemies deals quite a lot of damage as well. An honorable mention for the best Throwable is the Molotov Cocktail, which is great for dealing damage over time and clearing out rooms.
And there you have it, the best weapons from all eight classes in GTA Online. If you’re looking to use some of these weapons in Los Santos, make sure to check out our guide on the best modes to play.