GTA 6 Best Weapons & Loadouts
The definitive data-driven weapon tier list for Grand Theft Auto VI. Damage, fire rate, range, recoil, and every customization slot for the confirmed Leonida arsenal — plus four battle-tested loadouts you can copy today.
Weapon tier list
Tiers are calibrated for online lobbies and heists. Single-player mission balance differs — the machete, for example, jumps a tier in stealth-focused campaign runs.
| Weapon | Class | Tier | DMG | Rate | Range | Recoil | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice Combat MG | LMG | S | 78 | 92 | 70 | 55 | Heist finisher |
| Cartel Carbine | Assault Rifle | S | 62 | 82 | 78 | 38 | All-round meta |
| Coil Rail Pistol | Sidearm | S | 88 | 45 | 66 | 60 | One-shot sidearm |
| Leonida SMG-9 | SMG | A | 44 | 96 | 42 | 30 | CQC / stealth |
| Marabunta Machete | Melee | A | 95 | 40 | 5 | 0 | Silent takedown |
| Militia AK-73 | Assault Rifle | A | 70 | 74 | 72 | 55 | Mid-range brawler |
| Neon Pump | Shotgun | A | 92 | 30 | 18 | 70 | Room clear |
| Vom Feuer Marksman | DMR | A | 82 | 55 | 90 | 35 | Overwatch |
| Hawk & Little Auto-9 | Sidearm | B | 34 | 88 | 45 | 40 | Backup |
| Shrewsbury Sport Rifle | Sniper | B | 100 | 20 | 95 | 55 | One-shot from cover |
| Everglades Crossbow | Special | B | 90 | 25 | 55 | 20 | Silent range |
| Vintage Micro-Uzi | SMG | C | 32 | 98 | 30 | 65 | Drive-by |
Customization: every mod slot mapped
Every firearm has at least four mod slots. Tier-S weapons unlock two additional slots (usually ammo type + cosmetic). Skins are pure cosmetic and do not affect stats.
Best loadouts (copy-paste ready)
- Primary Leonida SMG-9
- Secondary Neon Pump (buckshot)
- Sidearm Hawk & Little Auto-9
- Melee Marabunta Machete
- Extra Body armor L1, 2× Molotov
Cheap Ammu-Nation loadout — ~$1,850 total. Focus on suppressor for the SMG first (drops wanted-star escalation).
- Primary Cartel Carbine (suppressor + grip)
- Secondary Vom Feuer Marksman (thermal)
- Sidearm Coil Rail Pistol
- Melee Marabunta Machete
- Extra Heavy armor, 4× Sticky bombs, 2× smoke
Prioritize the Rail Pistol first — it fully replaces snipers on interior objectives.
- Primary Cartel Carbine (compensator + red-dot)
- Secondary Coil Rail Pistol
- Sidearm Hawk & Little Auto-9
- Melee None
- Extra Heavy armor, 3× RPG rockets
Skip the AK-73 — its extra damage doesn't beat Cartel Carbine's TTK at 40m in netcode.
- Primary Vom Feuer Marksman (suppressor)
- Secondary Everglades Crossbow
- Sidearm Coil Rail Pistol
- Melee Marabunta Machete
- Extra Light armor, 2× smoke, 1× EMP
The crossbow is the highest-value stealth unlock in the mid-game — buy before the DMR.
Damage comparisons (body-shot TTK)
Time-to-kill measured against a standard 100 HP + 50 armor target at 15m with no headshot multiplier. Lower bars = faster kills. Bars are scaled to the fastest weapon in each class.
DPS = damage × fire-rate ÷ 100. Real-lobby TTK is ~10–15% slower due to netcode interpolation on moving targets.
Best weapons by mission
Recommendations tuned to each of GTA VI's signature mission archetypes. Bring the "avoid" weapons only if you're chasing a self-imposed challenge.
Hidden weapon locations
Free pickups scattered across Leonida — no purchase, no story unlock required. Coordinates use the in-game GPS grid. Respawns hourly (real time) unless noted.
| Weapon | Location | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|
| Coil Rail Pistol (prototype) | Mount Kalaga radio tower, N-42 E-88 | Climb the maintenance ladder at 3AM in-game — the guard leaves his shift. Case on the catwalk. |
| Everglades Crossbow | Abandoned airboat dock, swamp grid S-19 W-12 | Follow the alligator trail south from the ranger station. Inside the tackle-box. |
| Marabunta Machete (gold skin) | Cartel safehouse basement, Little Cuba | Complete the 'Backyard Bloom' side gig once, then loot the wall rack on any repeat visit. |
| Vom Feuer Marksman | Rooftop of Ocean View Hotel, Vice Beach | Take service elevator to floor 14, parkour to the AC unit on the west wing. |
| Neon Pump (chrome) | Behind Malibu Club dumpster, Downtown | Only spawns between midnight–4AM. Kick the dumpster to knock the case loose. |
| Vintage Micro-Uzi (dual) | Trunk of pink Cheetah, Ocean Highway pull-off | Random 20% spawn — check the pull-off south of the marina after any 3-star chase. |
| Sticky Bombs (crate of 8) | Construction site, Grand Ave & 12th | Ground floor, blue toolbox next to the cement mixer. Spawns once per in-game day. |
More pickups get datamined every week — the community tracker on the interactive map stays live with the latest coordinates.
Upgrade recommendations (mod priority order)
Cash is tight early — don't waste it on cosmetic skins. Apply mods in this order for the biggest per-dollar TTK improvement.
How we score
Damage — body-shot damage at 15m against a 100 HP + 50 armor target, without headshot multiplier.
Fire rate — rounds per minute normalized to 0-100. Anything above 90 is instant kill on flesh at CQC range.
Range — distance at which damage falloff drops the weapon below its 15m TTK by 25%.
Recoil — lower is better. Measured as vertical rise over a 10-round burst with default grip.
Values come from the VICE//VI community datamine + verified in-game testing. Numbers will update when Rockstar patches balance.
Sign in to check off weapons, mods, and loadout milestones — the tracker syncs across devices and unlocks the AI Copilot's loadout-recommendation mode.