10 Best PUBG Weapons To Blow Your Enemies Apart With
With a steadily expanding pool of weapons to blow your opponents up with, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of guns to pick from in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. That being said, it’s worth getting to know what you’re going to be coming across if you want to start scoring some sweet, sweet chicken dinner with your squad.
For our list of the best PUBG weapons, we’re going to be focusing on guns you’ll probably find lying around without too much difficulty. That means no supply crate weapons are showing up on this list. Yes, odds are you’re probably getting mowed down by the guy with a solid bead on you from 400 meters and an 8x scoped AWM. You can’t really expect much else. But you’re most likely not going to end up with a crate weapon in your hands every round, and it pays off to get to know the weapons that you most likely will.
We’re also excluding map-specific guns from this list. Sorry guys, I know. I love the DP-28 too.
But Before We Get Started…
If you’ve dropped in more than a handful of times, you should know by now that PUBG is absolutely not a pure numbers game. Theoretically, a fully armored player with a decked-out M24 sniper rifle can lose to someone who’s slinging a P1911 and plays more efficiently. When push comes to shove, the best gun in the game is the one you’ve got on you when you’re being pressed by an enemy. Play smart, watch your corners, and find some cover.
That being said, let’s get this list going.
10. VSS
An obvious choice for those of you who like taking the stealthy approach early on.
The VSS Vintorez is a bit of a niche weapon, but one that definitely should not be ignored, especially in the early game. It fires 9mm rounds, and while it has both single and automatic fire modes, this gun only has a 10 round magazine. While this means the VSS gets overshadowed easily in open, close range exchanges by its 9mm submachine gun counterparts (the Micro Uzi and the UMP9), this gun’s got other ways to shine.
The VSS is the only gun in the game that comes suppressed and scoped (with a maximum effective range of 400 meters) without any attachments needed. This makes it an ideal choice for players who like to pick off and harrass targets at range without putting themselves in danger. Used correctly, the VSS can level out entire squads in the early game all while leaving other roaming players in your area completely unaware of where you are.
9. Vector
Laser-sharp close range precision with .45 rounds. Yes please.
The Vector’s a submachine gun option chambered in .45 and best suited for close range, but don’t count it out of mid-range engagements if you’ve got a steady hand and the gun set to single fire. This weapon’s got a very small magazine size compared to the other submachine guns in PUBG (particularly the Tommy Gun, the only other submachine gun that fires .45 rounds) but compensates for that with what’s close to a non-existent level of recoil while firing.
This makes it very, very hard to waste shots with the Vector, even while firing on a burst or full-auto setting.
If that wasn’t good enough, it’s also very easy to fix the Vector’s issue of a small magazine capacity by attaching either an extended or a quickdraw mag to the gun, making having to reload much less of an issue.
8. UMP9
Four words: Extended. Mag. Hip. Fire.
The UMP9 is my personal choice when it comes to SMGs for close to mid-range engagements. Like the Vector, the UMP can be fired in single, burst, and full-auto modes, but takes 9mm ammunition instead, with a 30 round mag capacity before any attachments. With an extended mag, you can raise that number to 40 rounds per magazine.
Given the sheer wealth of 9mm ammo you find in the average PUBG match, this makes this gun an ideal choice in the early game - allowing you to lay down an impressive volume of fire without worrying about going a bit ammo hungry when the player count starts to dwindle.
The UMP is also more customizable than most of the other SMG options available for you in PUBG - with slots available for muzzle attachments, foregrips, magazines, and optics.
7. AKM
A thundering barrage of 7.62, wood accents and all.
The AKM’s a classy piece, wood accents and all. It’s the only map-independent assault rifle that takes 7.62 rounds, and because of that, it’ll pack a bit more of a punch than its glossier 5.56 slinging counterparts. This makes a single shot or fully automatic AK absolutely deadly in mid-range, and surprisingly viable in a lot of CQC situations other assault rifles might be a bit unwieldy in. It’s got a standard 30 round magazine and room for magazine, muzzle, and optic attachments, but a lack of stock and foregrip options do little to help with the AK’s main weakness: its lack of accuracy.
Given the larger round it fires, the AK doesn’t handle recoil terribly well. The gun’s got a harder kick - something that’s much more apparent when you’re laying down some fire with the gun set to full-auto. Because of this, while you’ll probably shred through targets easily at mid-range, you might want to go with a different assault rifle if you want to exchange fire over longer distances.
6. M16A4
An M16 is a no-frills gun, but it'll get the job done.
The M16’s a simple, no nonsense weapon. It fires 5.56, offers that generous 30 round standard magazine, and is remarkably accurate even at longer ranges. This gun manages recoil and aiming particularly well, allowing for some pinpoint shots at long range if you’ve got a steady hand. For closer mix-ups, you can switch the gun to burst fire and let loose with some reliable three round burst shots - allowing for some cleaner grouping than the full-auto settings on other assault rifles.
But as far as volume of fire goes, you’ll have to settle for three rounds at a time, because the M16 is the only assault rifle in the game that doesn’t offer a full-auto fire mode. This makes it a little less ideal when it comes to room clearing and those top 10 endgame circle exchanges - a situation that’s better suited to guns with higher fire rates or better single shot damage.
The M16 is also a bit crippled by the fact that its ability to utilize an 8x scope was nerfed through a patch. What gives?
5. M416
Think of this one as the swiss army knife of assault rifles. It's got a good way to do anything.
The M416 is a solid all-rounder with plenty of room for customization. Unlike the M16, this gun offers both single and full-auto fire modes with the added bonus of attachment slots for stocks and foregrips.
I’d highly recommend filling one or both of those slots if you plan on holding down that fire button against anything a little further out. But a full auto option makes this gun a viable choice for clearing rooms and laying down suppressing fire - all while maintaining that single shot accuracy that you’ve come to expect from a gun that fires 5.56.
Also unlike the M16, the M416 is 8x compatible - allowing for some much needed long range support if the situation calls for it.
4. SCAR-L
A solid go-to for doorkickers and hawkeyes alike.
I like to think of the SCAR as a more refined version of the M416. It checks most of the same boxes (the guns are identical as far as customizability goes, save for the SCAR’s lack of a stock slot) as its heftier brother, but is able to manage recoil to a much more substantial degree, even before putting any attachments on.
The SCAR, however, packs a bit less of a punch than the M416, meaning you’ll have to make an obvious trade off if you want to utilize this gun’s superior accuracy. The decision between the SCAR and the M416 mostly comes down to personal preference, though - with both guns being prime picks as far as assault rifles go.
3. Mini-14
Give 'em a snappy one-two from 400 meters. They'll never see it coming.
The Mini-14 is the only sniper/DMR in the game that fires a 5.56 round. It also boasts a much higher single shot rate of fire compared to other guns in its class.
What does that mean in the big picture? It means that the Mini is much more readily able to adapt with in most situations, especially compared to other snipers. A higher rate of fire, lower recoil, and slower bullet drop rate means that follow-up shots are easy to take if your first hit doesn’t take out a target, and having the option to come out of your scope and pepper the guy nearby trying to flank your squad with some fast semi-automatic fire is nice too. Just bear in mind that the smaller round means that you’ll probably find yourself taking that follow-up shot more often at range, especially if you’re dealing with an armored target.
2. Kar98k
A quintessential sniper rifle, minus the mad dash to a crate to get one.
In PUBG, there are few things as ubiquitous as getting killed by a headshot from a Kar98k. These snipers are absolute powerhouses chambered in 7.62, and using them in conjunction with an 8x optic strikes fear into the hearts of anyone who doesn’t think to scan the treeline in the hills an extra time for good measure. The damage from a shot from this gun is comparable to the single shot damage from rifles you’d normally find inside a loot crate.
This gun will be enough to down most endgame targets in one or two shots, probably leaning more towards one in most situations - especially if your target isn’t wearing a level 3 helmet and a military vest.
1. SKS
A sleek DMR with variable setups - this one'll clean 'em out from anywhere.
Did I just rate a DMR higher than the Kar98k on a top ten PUBG guns list? Absolutely.
Sure, the SKS doesn’t boast the same stopping power as a single shot from a Kar98k, but it makes up for that in an area that the Kar98k completely lacks in: the same trait the Mini-14 has in spades.
Adaptability.
The longer you spend sniping in one spot with a rifle, the more prone you are to drawing heat from nearby squads, especially in the endgame when even suppressing your rifle won’t stop other players from being able to locate you via sound. If you’ve got your trusty Kar98k and someone sneaks up on you, you’ve got two options: try and nail a dubious close range shot with a sniper rifle with an incredibly low rate of fire between trigger pulls, or swap to your secondary and pray that you’ll have your weapon aimed before you’re blown to bits.
The SKS’s 10 round magazine (20, if you threw an extended mag on there) and modest rate of fire gives you more freedom to engage and respond to targets at something other than long range - something infinitely valuable when it comes to a game like PUBG. I’ve scored more than my fair share of chicken dinners with an SKS in my hands, and I’ll jump on it in most, if not all, situations.
