PUBG Mobile Weapons List: Best Guns Ranked

There are so many weapons and attachments in PUBG Mobile that it can be quite overwhelming for the new player to figure out what’s the best.

Not only that, but the term is highly subjective. While there are weapons that are the best on paper – having the fastest fire rate or highest damage, for example – you should take your own personal playing style into consideration.

The weapon with the most damage won’t be the best for you if you can’t control the recoil, for example. And if you like to sneak, you’ll probably favour something quieter.

In this guide, we’ll list our favourite weapons in PUBG Mobile, and recommend the few that we feel are absolutely worth chasing down. We’ll also list the hidden benefits of other weapons though, in case you find you prefer playing to a certain style.

Also, it’s worth noting that certain weapons are only available on certain maps. We’ll try and point that out as much as possible.

Best Assault Rifles Ranked

Assault rifles are arguably the best class of weapons in a battle royale. They deal solid damage, are reliable at any range, and there’s a wide variety of attachments you can equip to tweak them to your advantage.

Here’s our favourites, ranked.

• Groza – Joint-highest damage and second fastest fire rate. The Groza is an absolute beast, though you do have to rely on a crate drop to get it.
• AKM – The AKM is an admirable second choice if you don’t get lucky with a crate. It has the same damage as the Groza, but a much slower firing rate.
• M16A4 – If you’re not a fan of the slow-firing AKM, the M16A4 offers an alternative solution. It has the fastest firing rate of all assault rifles, so if you’re accurate you’ll bring ’em down quickly. Bear in mind though, that this is a burst fire weapon.
• M416 – The M416 is the next best after the M16A4, though those that don’t like burst fire should bump it up a notch.
• AUG A3 – The AUG A3 is just a bit meh, really. It’s very middle of the road, offering nothing that the other options do better.
• SCAR-L – The SCAR-L is our least favourite assault rifle, though it does have its uses. It’s probably the quietest rifle, so if you like sneaking around with a suppressor, go for this one.

Best Sniper Rifles Ranked

If you really want to excel at PUBG Mobile, you’re going to have to get good with a sniper rifle stat. If you can learn to pick off your enemies from a safe distance, you’ll be laughing.

Here’s our favourites, ranked.

• AWM – The AWM isn’t just the best sniper rifle, it’s the best weapon in PUBG. Seriously, the damage is absolutely insane, so it’s forgiving if you miss a shot.
• M24 – The M24 is a close second. While it might not have the stopping power of the AWM, it can still put down a player with a single headshot.
• KAR98k – The KAR98k is the only sniper rifle you can get from open play on most maps, and it’s a reliable weapon. It can still 1-hit kill with a headshot but it has considerably less damage than the other options. Make sure you don’t miss.
• Win94 – We’re not huge fans of the Win94 as a sniper rifle, but it does have its uses. It makes up for the low damage with a fast rate of fire, so if you’re impatient you might actually prefer it.

Best DMRs Ranked

Marksman rifles are like a cross between the assault rifle and sniper rifle. So if you’d rather take something else in the second slot of your load out, go for one of these hybrid weapons that can plug both gaps.

• MK14 – The MK14 is the closest a DMR gets to a sniper rifle. It has the best range, damage, and a reliable rate of fire. You’ll have to contend with some heavy recoil though.
• SLR – The SLR is a close second, with virtually the same damage and less recoil but it’s much weaker at range.
• SKS – The SKS is next up with comparative stats to the SLR, but it’s generally weaker all round.
• Mini 14 – Despite its low placement on this list, we actually really like the Mini 14. It’s just such a good hybrid between sniper and assault rifle thanks to its larger magazine size. It doesn’t excel in any department, but it’s very reliable.
• VSS – The VSS is the closest you get to a bad DMR, thanks to its middling damage and pathetic range. Really, this is a weak assault rifle masquerading as a DMR. It does have low recoil and a generally fast rate of fire though, if you must use it.

Best LMGs Ranked

Don’t like reloading? Go for an LMG then. These beasts deal huge damage and have even bigger magazine sizes.

• M249 – The M249 is the king of LMGs, with its insane range, magazine size, and low recoil when using the stand. It’s perfect for suppressing fire.
• DP-28 – The DP-28 has a lower magazine but higher rate of fire. When it comes down to it, LMGs excel due to the enormous magazine so this is our second choice.

Best SMGs Ranked

SMGs don’t really come into their own until later into the battle, when you’re suddenly fighting in close quarters. Here their insane rate of fire shines, as they’re capable of bringing down opponents fast.

• UMP9 – The UMP9 is our favourite SMG, as it just offers a little bit of everything. It has the second best range, the second fastest fire rate, and the second highest damage of all SMGs but the result is a weapon that hits the sweet spot and compromises on nothing.
• UZI – Next up is the UZI, which is all fire rate and not ashamed of it. While it does take the longest to bring down an enemy with this weapon, thanks to its middling damage, the fire rate more than makes up for it. An excellent second choice.
• Tommy Gun – The Tommy Gun is more like a weak assault rifle than an SMG. It has decent range and a reliable rate of fire, but doesn’t really excel at anything – even though its damage is highest in the class.
• Vector – The Vector is just a poor weapon all round, with no discernible strength. It has a pathetic mag size, low damage, range, and rate of fire. It’s probably better than your firsts but that’s the only positive we’ve got.

Best Shotguns Ranked

Much like SMGs, shotguns come into their own later in the game when you’re fighting a battle in close quarters. If you’re accurate, they’ll dominate SMG users thanks to their insane power.

• S12K – While shotguns aren’t great in PUBG, this is the one to go for if you must have one. It’s automatic and doesn’t deal an awful lot less damage than the other two. It’s crazy that they even exist.
• S686 – The S686 can fire off its two rounds faster than the S12K, but you’d better hope you hit. This one’s only for the extremely confident.
• S1897 – This is basically the S686 except it’s pump action. It’s a bit slower but has a bit less recoil. Generally, it’s just a bit meh.

Best Pistols Ranked

You’ll probably find a bunch of pistols early in the game, before you find the better weapons so you might as well use them. They’re reliable enough against another pistol user but as soon as you find something automatic, just drop them.

• Sawed-off – The Sawed-off deals impressive damage it a very close distance and quickly, so it’s probably the best panic button in the game.
• P18C – The P18C deals very low damage but the fire rate makes up for it a bit. It’s the fastest of all the pistols by far.
• P1911 – Second-rate damage and rate of fire put this weapon just above the others.
• P92 – The P92 is weak but its fire rate is just enough to get it to fourth place.
• R45 – Now we’re in pointless territory. Solid damage, sure, but such a slow rate of fire that it’s only worth taking if you fancy a challenge.
• R1895 – If you want a real challenge, take this extremely slow pistol.

Best Melee Weapons Ranked

Melee weapons are, by and large, pretty pointless, and you’ll only be using them if you can’t find a pistol at the beginning, or you run out of ammo at the end. Good organisation can prevent the latter though.

Having said that, grab a pan as soon as you can, as it deals the best damage and can block bullets from behind.

• Pan – The Pan is a staple in the best loadouts. Not only does it deal the highest damage of all melee weapons, but it can block bullets hitting your butt.
• Machete / Crowbar / Sickle – The rest of the melee weapons have identical stats and no other advantages. Pick one up until you find a Pan.
• Punch – For when you have literally no other choice.

Glen Fox

Head of Editorial

Glen has over a decade's worth of experience in gaming journalism, writing for Pocket Gamer, Pocket Tactics, Nintendo Life, and Gfinity. When he's not badgering everyone about the dangers of passive text, you can probably find him playing Wild Rift.