GTA 5 Online is a totally different beast from the base game. When you hop into an online match are there many weapons one can use to cause chaos or to complete heists. Today I will be giving you the top 15 best weapons to use. 

All the weapons mentioned in this article are going to be from early game to late. I'm not going to talk about all of them as only the best belong here. 

#15. The Gusenberg Sweeper (Early Game) 

After being on the valentine's day massacre at first. The sub machine gun stays on the roster as still one of the best SMGs. 

What Guesnberg is good at are two things. Rate of fire and damage per shot outclassing all of the SMGs in that category. Accuracy is exceptionally well too; that is if you use it in short bursts. The downsides are that you can’t fire at longer distances and there aren't many attachments. 

Whenever I'm playing GTA online and I have this SMG I feel protected but not really. The rate of fire makes the recoil not great if you're a nervous player (I should know) because you’ll hit everything but what you're shooting at. 

What The Gusenberg Excels In : 

• High rate of fire. The Gusenberg fires at 555 RPM, which is close to the fire rate of the AP Pistol and the Combat MG. 
• High ammo capacity. The drum on the gun is a dead giveaway having 30 rounds in a full clip before upgrading. If you do decide to upgrade you’ll have 50 rounds, for an SMG in this game that's very good.  
• Damage Per Shot. This has one of the best damage per shots in the SMG category being 34. 

How To Get The Gusenberg : 

You can buy it at any gun shop, gun van for $14,600.

Weapon Details : 

#14. The Heavy Pistol (Early Game)

This handgun deserves to be on this list because of how reliable it can be in tough situations. The magazine can hold up to 14 rounds and the stopping power is just under the .50 pistol being faster than a revolver. 

The capabilities of this pistol aren't bad. The most shots required to take down NPC’s or other players in the game are 2 to 3 in the body. The medium fire rate makes accuray good in a firefight and because it's not fully auto the weapon spread is much lower. 

The heavy pistol is a staple weapon I see players using all the time. Even with all the new ones or better ones time and time again people go back to this. I can say from experience because players usually use this to shoot out tires during high speed chases. 

What The Heavy Pistol Excels In : 

• Ammo capacity. The standard non upgraded clip holds 18 rounds making it one of the highest for semi auto pistols in the game. Side note if you upgrade it it can hold 36!
• High accuracy. This outclasses most pistols in its category and with the low fire rate you can take your time before shooting.(though not to long because no one waits online) 
• Mid to close range. With the attachments you can put on this like a red dot for example, you can fire more efficiently at close or medium range.

How To Get The Heavy Pistol : 

This can be bought at any gun shop for $3,750 early game after rank 1. 

Weapon Details : 

#13. The Advanced Rifle (Late Game)

The bullpup assault rifle, This is based on the CTAR-21 a carbine variant of the Israeli TAR-21. It is modeled with a raised scope mount. Being 13 on the list this has one the highest damage for its class. 

The advanced rifle in my opinion is very balanced and effective when it wants to be. You can use it at close or medium range firing a total of 30 rounds a clip.The only downside is the weapon spread, it's crazy! But still usable.

I usually use this when I'm in a helicopter or during heists. Only because of the convenience and its ability to stop enemies quickly, though aiming down its iron sights in first person is always a challenge for some reason. 

What The Advanced Rifle Excels In : 

• High damage for its class. Now the compact rifle shares damage per shots at 34 but outclasses every other. Its low rate of fire is a trade off. 
• Attachments. This comes with a flashlight, a suppressor, and an extended clip which is more than some.
• Close quarters. Because this weapon lacks a grip attachment the accuracy at long ranges will be bad. On the flip side this makes up close and personal a better choice. 

How To Get The Advanced Rifle: 

Can be bought at any gun store, gun van, or agency for $3,500 after rank 70. 

Weapon Details : 

#12. The Marksman Rifle (Early Game)

This weapon in my best words is like a mix between an assault rifle and a sniper using both of their advantages. 

The fire rate for this weapon is low but can deal a great amount of damage doing 217 per shot. This is a bit more than the heavy sniper’s shot which is good because this rifle is faster. It allows the player to fire more rounds and take out enemies in a short amount of time.

Everytime I get this weapon I'm always using it as a sniper. I just find the high power scope useful and for how compact it is. its the go to when in medium distance fights and the fire rate makes up for it's not so friendly barrel. 

What The Marksman Rifle Excels In : 

• Stopping power. As already mentioned, the damage per shot is 217. That's higher than the heavy sniper but on par with a normal sniper under the right conditions.
• Weapons spread. Because this is semi automatic the weapon spread is low giving you better accuracy for your shots.
• Taking down multiple people at once in a short time. This is faster in terms of aiming and firing compared to snipers so if a player is skilled enough they can take out 4 people with ease.

How To Get The Marksman Rifle : 

You can buy this after the The Paleto Score campaign mission for $15,000 for the Enhanced version. (You can get it for free with the original version of the game after that mission also) 

Weapon Details :

#11. Sticky Bomb(Early Game)

Whenever in doubt use the sticky bomb for an out. This is another staple item for all online players because of all the advantages it has.

One main strength with the Sticky Bomb that makes it so good is that it's a controlled explosive that has a controlled detonation. This makes it great for timing explosives when players are within a blast radius. (This is similar to a grenade) They can be thrown, as implied by their name, and stick to any surface they contact. This gives them an additional advantage over grenades.

Placing these on tanks, planes and other vehicles are great for sabotaging other players or getting that ace up your sleeve for when they least expect it. 

What The Sticky Bomb Excels In : 

• Range. This can be thrown up to 50 meters, which means it's great if you're in cover or have to do some mission impossible stuff.
• Blast radius. The blast radius is very large compared to a grenade, for example if you throw it on one car and there another one 4 feet away, it will blow up too. 

How To Get The Sticky Bomb : 

You can obtain this after rank 1 for $200 at any gun shop or vendor.

Weapon Details : 

#10. Unholy Hellbringer(Late Game)

This Plasma rifle does what its name implies. It has a round capacity of 9999 which is insane. 

Performance-wise, the Unholy Hellbringer is the same as the Combat MG without any attachments. They both have the same damage output, rate of fire, amount of recoil, and range too. The Combat MG has somewhat better accuracy than this though which is the only downside.

Personally I've never got this weapon but I have seen it in action. It's deadly to go against and destroy most players even when they pass level 100.  

What The Unholy Hellbringer Excels In : 

• Ammo capacity. Like already mentioned the ammo this holds is 9999 which is great because you can buy all that at once and be good  for a while.
• Damage per shot. This has similar damage as a MG but shoots plasma rounds instead of bullet rounds. 
• Recoil. The recoil is not the greatest but its not bad being fully auto makes the kickback not ideal. However if you fire in bursts or single shots you make the most out of it. 

How To Get The Unholy Hellbringer : 

You can acquire this at any gun vendor or shop for $449,000. 

Weapon Details : 

#9. AP pistol(Early Game)

This is the only fully auto pistol that's available.(the machine pistols don't count in this case) 

The AP Pistol is way more accurate than the auto 9mm and has a lighter recoil, you can reduce it further with a suppressor attachment though. What's good about this weapon is that it can hold an 18-round mag. It can also be extended to a capacity of 36 shots if upgraded as well. By far it's considered the best drive-by weapon in the game why? Because of its high accuracy, high rate of fire, common ammo, high power, and having a big magazine size. 

The reason this is soo good as a drive by weapon in the game is because of its rate of fire and aiming capabilities. Also because the recoil is so low aiming at tires or windows is much easier than if you used an SMG.

What The AP Pistol Excels In : 

• High fire rate. The fire rate is high because the pistol is fully automatic; you don't need a fast trigger finger to get the job done.
• Being fired from a vehicle. Like mentioned this is the best weapon to use to do a drive by. Why is this? Because of the low recoil and ammo capacity. 
• Accuracy. The low recoil makes it easier to use so you have a better time hitting what you're looking at compared to others in its class. 

How To Get The AP Pistol : 

You can acquire this at any gun shop or vendor for $1,000.  

Weapon Details :

#8. Antique Cavalry Dagger(Early Game)

If you want to defend yourself in style this is the way to go. The cavalry dagger can be used in different ways if need be. 

Most NPCs can be killed with just one strike by the Antique Cavalry Dagger. Overall it's marginally more potent than the Knife. This dagger can be used underwater also just like the Knife and Knuckle Dusters which makes this a staple to have on your character. 

This is the knife I use whenever I want to do melee damage and stab damage at the same time. The handle allows for melee attacks sometimes instead of going for the stab (It was a neat trick I found out through fire).

What The Antique Cavalry Dagger Excels In : 

• High damage. Like any knife in the game this can be a one shot if you attack from close range. or unexpectedly. 
• Looks and style. You wouldn't think this would be something to excel in. But compared to the styles of other weapons this ends up being unique because the only other weapon with this style is the musket.  

How To Get The Antique Cavalry Dagger : 

You can acquire this at any gun shop or vender after rank 2 for free on the original version and 2,000 for the enhanced. 

Weapon Details :

#7. Rocket launcher(Late Game)

The rocket launcher is on this list for one reason. The damage you can cause with it not to mention the distractions you can cause too.

The Rocket Launcher is the game's most potent weapon; it can kill any enemy with a direct strike and deal significant splash damage. (Like real significant damage) Even though certain targets are able to withstand the splash damage from the rocket, the knockback from the explosion can still hurt them when they collide with a solid object or fall from a great height.

I pick this over the homing launcher when going against tanks why? Because at close range it's very accurate and the blast radius is big enough to take out 4 people. 

What The Rocket launcher Excels In : 

• Blast radius. Other than the homing rocket this has the best blast radius for a launcher. 
• Ammo. The shots this holds in capacity are really good for fights when there's maily vehicles.

How To Get The Rocket Launcher : 

You can get this for $26,250 at any gun shop or vendor after rank 4.

Weapon details : 

#6. Remote Sniper(Early and late Game)

The remote sniper is on this list because it should be in gta online. Players are able to use this during a story mission but after that they can’t. Being a special weapon in the game not many will be able to acquire this easily.

The Sniper Rifle deals the same amount of damage as the Remote Sniper, suggesting that it is less powerful but incredibly accurate than the Heavy Sniper. (damage comparison is 101 vs. 216) The weapon's effective range is among the highest of every weapon, exceeding most of  the sniper rifles in the game.

Why I think this belongs on this list is because of everything just mentioned. It would be overpowered if put online but there would obviously be restrictions put in place such as high price or only using it during curtain events. 

What The Remote Sniper Excels In : 

• One shot damage. By far this is the only sniper in the game that can take out a jet pilot with the right skills. 
• Range. Because of the high powered scope and the setup it rests in you can fire this almost across the map if you want.
• Accuracy. The recoil on the sniper is significantly lower than the other snipers which makes aiming easy to do. 

How To Get The Remote Sniper : 

You can obtain this from the story mission only there is no way to purchase it.

Weapon details : 

#5. Musket(Late Game)

The old school musket. This is a great weapon to have but unfortunately has more downsides then good ones.

The damage per shot is comparable to the Heavy Sniper's; for example, two bullets in a helicopter's tail rotor would destroy it, and one shot to the chest can kill a player up to level 39 (about), but the Heavy Sniper can kill in one shot up to level 99. However, the player is at risk while the weapon is being reloaded because the 4.5-second reload time makes the wielder vulnerable in the middle of a fierce combat.

Whenever I use this it's always when someone else uses theres first. When it first came out i hated it because it wasn't very good at close range plus i kept getting shot from long range every time it entered the city. 

The Musket Excels In : 

• Long range. This has the range that's similar to the other snipers which makes it deadly at long range. The downside is there is no scope.
• Damage per shot. This weapon has the ability to bring a player to an inch of health if hit anywhere besides the head. 

How To Get The Musket : 

This use to only be an event item only but now you can get it at any gun shop or vendor for $21,000 

Weapon details : 

#4. Heavy Shotgun(Late Game)

This weapon is mainly based on the Russian Saiga 12, a semi-automatic shotgun modeled after the Kalashnikov pattern. 

The fire rate is good, shooting at 200 shots per minute. This is slightly lower than the fully-automatic Assault Shotgun's 240 RPM. Having a grip is a very helpful attachment if the player wants to use the weapon at medium and long ranges.(it increases the accuracy)

Usually to get the most from this. Use a grip attachment and extended mag to make sure you hit your target and don't run out of ammo too soon. I use this whenever I'm on a mission and I'm outnumbered.

What The Heavy Shotgun Excels In : 

• Range. The reason it excels here is because it has more range compared to the combat shotgun for example. 
• Damage per shot. Because this shotgun is semi automatic your trigger finger will be a lifesaver. 

How to Get the Heavy Shotgun : 

You can obtain this at any gun vendor or shop for $13,550 after rank 5.

Weapon Details :

#3. Homing launcher(Late Game)

The Homing launcher is number 3 on this list. There is no question that almost every online player has one of these being one of the best weapons for vehicles armored or unarmored. 

The homing launcher has the capabilities to lock on to its target and follow them once it fires. The max range is 1,080 meters but can lock on from distances of 300 meters also. What's good about the missile is that it's very fast, being able to catch up to a jet from ground level in seconds. 

To get the most from this launcher aim it from on top of a building or ground level. It sounds like a now brainer but doing this allows you to use height to your advantage, and the area of surprise. 

The Homing launcher Excels In : 

• Locking onto targets. Like stated above the homing launcher locks on to its target and follows it before exploding.
• Maneuverability. As off as it sounds this is actually true. The vertical aim for this is better than most games.  

How To Get The Homing launcher : 

You can obtain this after rank 1 after that it's available in any gun shop or vendor.

Weapon Details : 

#2. Minigun(Late Game)

The minigun…every GTA online player's nightmare. This is a heavy weapon that has insane accuracy and can take out groups of low level players.(below 50) 

In GTA Online this gun is known for its stopping power and rate of fire. The aiming system even lets you aim at higher angles to take out flying targets or anyone on buildings. Furthermore with there being no recoil either this is almost %100 accurate. 

Wherever I see a player with a minigun I always go the opposite way. Only because once they have a lock on me there's nothing I can really do. I would always hear screams and laughs whenever I heard the minigun being fired on the map.(followed by explosions)

What The Minigun Excels In : 

• Accuracy. Like already mentioned this gun has no recoil making it really accurate.(Like near perfect) This is because of the way the weapon is designed in the game. 
• Damage per shot. Having higher damage than a combat MG the damage dealt with the minigun 
• Taking down aircraft. You can use this as anti air if you so wish. Because of everything mentioned like the elevated angles, the fire rate, and the DPS using this to take out a jet for example is totally possible.(just watch out for it falling on you after)

How To Get The Minigun : 

You can unlock this weapon after one of 2 things. First finish The Paleto Score mission on single player. Then online reach Rank 120. You can buy it at any gun store or gun van for $50,000.

Weapon details: 

#1. Railgun(Late Game)

The rail gun is one of the special weapons on GTA online. This is a late game weapon for sure that deals massive damage if you happen to pull off a shot. 

This is considered a heavy weapon by the games standards though it really should be a special weapon. It fires kinetic energy penetrator rounds at 7500 KPH and can easily pass through vehicle doors or windows. Also it fires one shot at a time making it not as effective in a PVP fight but it's a one shot on anything it looks at making up for it.(For people less than level 100) 

I did heists and missions in the game to save up for the railgun. Once I had it I quickly realized it's better to use it at longer distances than close up.(kinda like a sniper) I tried it out on a helicopter from 500 meters and it was gone in one shot, I tried a tank next and it took 5.(though i did throw one sticky bomb at it first) 

What The Railgun Excels in : 

• One shot power. For any player that is less than level 100 this can be a one shot weapon.The downside is it takes seconds to recharge every time.
• Armor support. Because this has the ability to go through car doors and windows. This is great to have if you don't want to use an RPG. It can take out armored vehicles too but only at their weak points and with 5 to 6 shots depending on the vehicle. 
• Velocity. Because the ammo fires at supersonic speed, if one is accurate enough and in cover they can take out their opponent first. 

How to get The Railgun : 

After completing the Minor Turbulence mission this will be unlocked for offline and online. You can go to any gun store or van and purchase it for $730,000 online and $250,000 for offline.

Weapon Details : 

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