The Most Powerful Weapons In GTA 5
Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online epitomize chaos. In the single player mode, you move from one mishap to another, most involving explosives or firefights. In Grand Theft Auto Online, you'd be hard-pressed to find a modicum of peace. Other players, the police, or even the military seek your demise. The only saving grace you have is the armaments you keep.
And oh, what armaments you have. Developer Rockstar saw fit to include all manner of weaponry, from melee monstrosities to multi-barreled man-destroyers. If you can believe it, there are even out-of-this-world equalizers. Take your pick at your local Ammu-Nation, stock up on bullets, and enter the fray. The moment you step outside, you can bet someone is gunning for you.
The world of Grand Theft Auto is tough. Fortunately, the powerful weapons found within it can help even the playing field a little bit. The question is, which one will you bring into battle?
Battle Axe
A melee weapon? Yeah, that's right, a battle axe you can swing from your tricked-out motorcycle is, hands-down, one of the strongest melee weapons in the game.
When it comes to Grand Theft Auto Online, chances are you won't think about using a melee weapon often. For many, they've become a meme or only for very specific circumstances — for instance, like when you're riding a hog down the highway. But don't sleep on the battle axe. This melee monster is one deadly weapon, and when used properly, it's a one-hit kill.
You might find using a melee weapon while riding a motorcycle slightly unwieldy. It genuinely is messy. But with a bit of practice and more than a smidgen of luck, you'll soon lop off heads as other players fall beneath your bike tires. On top of its destructive power, the battle axe is an inexpensive option and fantastic in close-quarters battles where guns prove cumbersome.
AP Pistol
In Grand Theft Auto, sometimes it's faster to switch to a sidearm than to reload your primary. When your secondary is a fully automatic machine pistol firing 9x18 rounds from a 36-round extended magazine, however, you may never need to switch back to your primary assault rifle. And in Grand Theft Auto Online, full-size rifles are non-functional inside of vehicles when you're behind the wheel. That could be a problem.
You know what does work, though? The AP Pistol. Stick that bad boy out the window, unleash 36 rounds of pistol ammunition into pursuing vehicles, and call it a day. While certainly not the strongest weapon in the game, it is one of the more powerful handguns due to its damage per second output, making it a solid choice as a secondary weapon.
If you have a weapons locker in your office, leave behind all other pistols and take the AP Pistol. Its high rate of fire, relatively reasonable stopping power, and extended magazine options make it a force to be reckoned with.
Sticky Bombs
Assuming you have the skill to successfully aim and toss one at a passing vehicle, you might find the boom of a sticky bomb to be quite satisfying. Chances are, depending on the vehicle in question, a single sticky bomb is enough to cause a one-hit kill. These bad boys are strong, with a serious blast range, so make sure you stand back prior to watching one go off.
Players can hold 25 units of sticky bombs at once, or 30 if you complete the Bunker Shooting Range. If you need five more sticky bombs to kill an opponent, switch to another weapon. Twenty-five throwables is more than enough.
In Grand Theft Auto 5, you can attach 20 sticky bombs to a target at once. In GTA Online, you can only attach five. Once you hit that number, the others begin to disappear starting with the first one you threw, so count your throwables and use them wisely.
Assault Shotgun
If a situation calls for a shotgun, like that one biker mission when you storm the police station to free a VIP, why not bring a fully automatic shotgun with a drum magazine attached? It only makes sense to pair stopping power with a high rate of fire and an absolute gaggle of shotgun shells at the ready.
That's the primary basis of the Assault Shotgun — an absolute beast of a weapon that is arguably one of the better shotguns in the game. Sure, some pump-action shotguns provide better accuracy. But those shotguns don't spew hate when you hold down your mouse button.
When you first unlock the Assault Shotgun, its magazine only holds eight shells. Once you upgrade to an extended magazine, which provides a drum mag, you'll increase that capacity to 32 shells. With 32 shells and automatic fire capabilities, the Assault Shotgun excels at stopping oncoming vehicles or crowds of NPCs.
Heavy Sniper
Picture this: A kid screeching into his mic terrorizes the server the entire afternoon. He's using an Oppressor MK II to wreak havoc on unsuspecting players, blowing up vehicles and ruining missions. Sure, you could whip out a homing launcher and send a heat-seeking missile in his direction. That works. But what if you could take down that monster with skill and the boom of thunder?
The Heavy Sniper is technically an anti-material rifle, meaning it can make quick work of a vehicle with soft armor. The down side is, you only have six shots. If you miss, the severe recoil makes lining up a second shot tough. When you do land a hit, though, you'll get to watch an enemy launch backward and hit the ground with extreme force.
Unfortunately for most new players, you must hit level 90 in Grand Theft Auto Online before the Heavy Sniper unlocks. Putting in the time to get there, though, is well worth it.
Combat MG MK II
In Grand Theft Auto 5 and Online, most assault rifles feature 30-round magazines. For most conflicts, 30 rounds of ammunition will suffice. But when you're online, facing off against griefers, law enforcement, and military personnel, 30 rounds hinders you significantly. Do you know what doesn't hinder you? A 200-round magazine of pure stopping power!
The Combat MG MKII offers serious power in a handheld package. There is a catch, though. You cannot unlock the Mark 2 version of the Combat MG until you purchase a bunker, a mobile operations center, and a weapon workshop. Once you have all of that installed, select the upgrade option on the workshop, then choose your Combat MG. You must have the weapon unlocked to upgrade one.
All in all you're looking at millions of dollars in upfront investment to wield MK2 weaponry like the Combat MG. Is it worth the cost? Absolutely. In the long run, this light machine gun is worth every penny.
Up-n-Atomizer
Who would have thought that Los Santos would welcome alien visitors on multiple occasions? Introduced as part of the Arena War update via the Festive Surprise 2018 event, the Up-n-Atomizer is a raygun with unlimited ammunition that players could receive free if they signed in on Christmas Day 2018. If you didn't, then expect to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars at Ammu-Nation.
Unlike other handguns in the game, the Up-n-Atomizer does not fire conventional bullets, and you're better off not aiming directly at an enemy player whatsoever. The Up-n-Atomizer fires energy pulses that explode in contact. It's a ball of energy. If you aim at a person, chances are you will miss. But aim at his feet, oh, that's when magic happens. The energy pulse emits a forcefield-like wave that sends everything in its immediate vicinity flying backward.
In GTA Online, most use the Up-n-Atomizer to grief. It's a tough weapon to land a kill with if you're untrained, but a deadly space weapon in the right hands.
Homing Launcher
Is a Hydra ruining your day? Are you stalked by a Buzzard at every turn? Ammu-Nation offers a solution, and it'll only cost you a meager amount for the privilege of taking down an airborne menace in style. The Homing Launcher fires infrared and guided missiles capable of knocking out any airborne threat.
But wait — that's not all. The Homing Launcher is not solely a surface-to-air missile launcher but also a surface-to-surface missile launcher. Yeah, that's correct. You can lock on to vehicles, like an incoming APC or Banshee 900R, then fire and forget. The missile streaks through the air and, should all go well, knock that vehicle down a peg or two. You have but one rocket to land a hit, with 10 in reserve. The reload time is lengthy, so try to make your first shot your last.
The best thing about the Homing Launcher is it's available at Rank 1, making it highly accessible to everyone.
Minigun
When 200 rounds of ammunition won't suffice, then why not pull out the Minigun? With its six barrels, up to 9999 rounds in capacity, and a rate of fire unlike any other weapon in the game, the Minigun is the epitome of carnage. Any vehicle, no matter how armored or tough, will eventually succumb to a torrent of hellfire as bullets tear through the air at a speed unlike anything you've seen before.
Do you want to get your hands on a Minigun? In Grand Theft Auto Online, you'll unlock the Minigun after completing "The Paleto Score" and reaching Rank 120. Once unlocked, prepare to fork over tens of thousands — a small sum in the grand scheme of things.
Compared to past games in the franchise, the Minigun is actually weaker. But its high rate of fire means its damage per second is unsurpassed. Furthermore, you don't need to reload. That means you can send a bevy of bullets flying at more things in less time.
Railgun
Do you have a spare $250,000 lying around to spend on an experimental weapon? If so, you might want to head on over to Ammu-Nation, where you can buy a Railgun. With a 20-round magazine, explosive properties, and metallic rounds traveling faster than the speed of sound via electromagnetism, the Railgun is a boatload of fun.
The downside? You can only use the Railgun in the single player mode and a handful of competitive multiplayer modes. Rockstar briefly introduced the alien-like weapon to Grand Theft Auto Online's freemode but quickly removed it. It's still available in certain multiplayer modes, like Beast vs. Slasher, Kill Quota, and as a pick-up in Motor Wars.
In single player, you can buy one at any Ammu-Nation for the low price mentioned previously. Once you complete a heist or two, you'll have enough funds to buy ten Railguns. Once you purchase yours, you can equip a new paint job, like Gold for $8,000 or Platinum for $10,000.
Widowmaker
Available in Grand Theft Auto Online, the Widowmaker is a plasma machine gun akin to the Minigun, albeit more alien-like in both appearance and its projectiles. Rockstar introduced the Widowmaker to the multiplayer component of its hit game during the Unholy Hellbringer and Widowmaker Event in January 2019.
It's important to note the appearance of the Widowmaker, as it is quite unique. The ammunition is stored on the rear, connected via wiring. Along the main housing, there are numerous white alien skulls, indicating extraterrestrial kills. The alien skulls make sense, as the weapon is based on the Republic Space Rangers' plasma machine gun.
At the time of this writing, the Widowmaker features a price tag of $499,999 at Ammu-Nation, an ammo capacity of 9999 rounds, and a high rate of fire, making this plasma machine gun is a high-tier weapon that most new players likely won't wield straight out of the gate.
Orbital Cannon
Of the many unique, entertaining, and robust weapons featured in Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online, none quite compare to the destructive power of the Orbital Cannon. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most difficult to acquire and costly weapons in the multiplayer mode.
To enjoy the Orbital Cannon, you'll first require a Facility (introduced in The Doomsday Heist), which costs upwards of $6 million at the time of this writing. With a Facility in your possession, the Orbital Cannon costs $900,000 to install, then $500,000 per manual shot and $750,000 per automatic shot.
Right now, Rockstar is quite satisfied with these costs. They may change. If they do, it will likely wind up costing more to fire the Orbital Cannon. For the price, however, you're receiving total destruction. Most players cannot hide from an Orbital Cannon shot. The ammunition, fired from space, can strike through three parking lot floors.