The Short Answer
Spend GTA$487,075 on the core trio — the base Combat MG, Special Carbine and Heavy Sniper plus their three Mk II conversions — before you buy a single novelty weapon. Then add the AP Pistol for driving and a heavy weapon for vehicles.
Key Takeaways
- Best overall weapon: Combat MG Mk II — GTA$14,800 for the base gun plus GTA$119,000 to convert.
- Best assault rifle: Special Carbine Mk II — GTA$14,750 plus GTA$135,000, available early.
- Best sniper: Heavy Sniper Mk II — GTA$38,150 plus GTA$165,375, with thermal scope and explosive rounds.
- Best handgun: AP Pistol, GTA$5,000 at Rank 33 — automatic, and usable from a car.
- Best heavy weapon for vehicles: Railgun, GTA$730,000 from the Gun Van, when it is in stock.
- The best throwable in the game costs GTA$600: the Sticky Bomb.
1. The Core Loadout: Three Mk II Guns
Mk II weapons are upgraded versions of standard guns, converted at a Weapon Workshop and improved with better attachments, larger magazines and special ammunition types. These three cover almost every fight in the game.
Combat MG Mk II — the best weapon in GTA Online. The base Combat MG costs GTA$14,800 and normally unlocks at Rank 80. The Mk II conversion costs GTA$119,000. What you get is a machine gun with a 200-round extended magazine on ordinary ammunition, enormous sustained fire, and the accuracy to use it at rifle ranges. In missions, in survivals, against waves of NPCs, nothing deletes problems faster. This is also where team fights are decided; our breakdown of how combat works in GTA 6 shows how the next game is approaching the same gunfights from a different direction.
Special Carbine Mk II — the best assault rifle. The base Special Carbine costs GTA$14,750 and is available from Rank 1, which makes this the first serious gun a new player can work toward. The conversion costs GTA$135,000. One honest trade-off: the Mk II’s extended magazine holds 60 rounds, while the base gun can fit a 100-round drum. The Mk II wins on damage, attachments and special ammo, but if you love the drum, keeping the standard gun is defensible.
Heavy Sniper Mk II — the best sniper rifle. The base Heavy Sniper costs GTA$38,150 and unlocks at Rank 90. The conversion costs GTA$165,375, the most expensive in the game, and earns it: a thermal scope for finding targets at night or in smoke, a heavy barrel for range, and access to explosive rounds. Those explosive rounds are a specialist anti-vehicle and anti-aircraft tool — two hits will drop a light helicopter — but the reserve is tiny, so the rifle’s default diet should be ordinary ammunition.
Together, the three base guns and three conversions cost GTA$487,075, before the workshop access, attachments and ammunition covered in Part 4.
2. Close Range and Drive-By
Not every fight happens at rifle distance. These are the weapons for interiors, alleys and the driver’s seat.
AP Pistol — GTA$5,000, Rank 33. Fully automatic, accurate, and usable from inside a vehicle, which no rifle can claim. Its magazine extends from 18 to 36 rounds. For drive-by work and as a sidearm it has never been beaten, and at five thousand dollars it is the best value weapon in the game.
Tactical SMG — GTA$325,000, Gun Van stock. The premium drive-by option: a machine pistol with a 60-round extended magazine, sold through the Gun Van’s rotating stock rather than a fixed store. Because the van’s prices and stock rotate, treat the price as current at the time of writing and check the van when it appears.
Assault Shotgun — GTA$10,000, Rank 37. Automatic fire and a magazine that extends from 8 to 32 shells. Inside a building, a bunker or a ship’s corridor, it ends arguments faster than anything else on this page.
Pump Shotgun Mk II — the specialist. The conversion costs GTA$82,500, and its reason to exist is explosive slugs: a shotgun that can threaten vehicles and aircraft at close range. Devastating in its niche, wasteful outside it.
3. Heavy Weapons and Tools
Heavy weapons are problem-solvers. You will not use them every mission, but when the problem is armored, airborne or numerous, nothing else substitutes.
Railgun — GTA$730,000, Gun Van stock. A single devastating shot, 20 rounds of capacity, no lock-on. It deletes individual vehicles and unfortunate NPCs with total reliability, and because it only appears in the Gun Van’s rotation, buy it the week you see it if you want one.
Homing Launcher — GTA$75,000, from Rank 1. The friendliest heavy weapon in the game: cheap, available immediately, and its lock-on makes it the standard answer to helicopters and jets for players of every level.
RPG — the classic. No lock-on and a slow rocket, but splash damage the Homing Launcher cannot match. Against groups on foot and vehicles in tight streets, it still earns its slot.
Minigun — sustained fire. Unlocked at higher ranks, it is a PvE instrument: hold the trigger and walk through survivals. Against players it mostly announces your position, but against NPC waves it is unmatched.
Sticky Bomb — GTA$600 each, Rank 19. The best throwable in the game, full stop. Stick it to a vehicle, a doorway or a getaway car, and detonate it when it matters. At six hundred dollars, carry the maximum everywhere.
Stone Hatchet — free, earned. Complete Maude Eccles’ bounty hunting chain and the hatchet is yours. Kills with it trigger Rampage, granting damage resistance and faster health regeneration — a melee weapon that functions as a survival tool.
Up-n-Atomizer — GTA$399,000. A pistol that fires a blast of compressed air, flipping vehicles, shifting stuck cars and knocking enemies off their feet. It sounds like a joke and is genuinely one of the most useful tools in the game, sold at the Agency Armory and through the Gun Van.
4. Mk II Conversions and Special Ammo, Explained
A Mk II conversion is not bought in a shop. You take the base weapon to a Weapon Workshop — found in a Bunker, a Mobile Operations Center, an Avenger, a Terrorbyte, a Kosatka, an Agency Armory, the Freakshop and several other properties — and pay the conversion fee there.
The full conversion price list, so you can plan: Pistol GTA$73,750; SNS Pistol GTA$79,575; Heavy Revolver GTA$99,000; Pump Shotgun GTA$82,500; SMG GTA$85,500; Assault Rifle GTA$98,750; Carbine Rifle GTA$107,500; Special Carbine GTA$135,000; Combat MG GTA$119,000; Marksman Rifle GTA$149,000; Heavy Sniper GTA$165,375.
Many of the attachments and ammunition types that make Mk II guns special are unlocked through Bunker research, which runs in the background while your Bunker operates. Prioritise the research for the three core guns before anything cosmetic.
Special ammunition comes in five flavours: Armor Piercing, Full Metal Jacket, Incendiary, Hollow Point and Explosive. Each trades magazine size and reserve ammunition for its bonus. The pattern to learn is simple — special ammo wins a specific fight, and ordinary extended magazines win all the others. Load explosive rounds in the Heavy Sniper when aircraft appear; run standard rounds in the Combat MG always.
The Mk II programme began with the Gunrunning update, whose trailer is embedded with this guide, and it remains the backbone of the game’s arsenal years later. For the future direction of the series’ arsenals, what weapons are confirmed in GTA 6 tracks every gun officially shown so far.
5. The Gun Van and Buying Smart
The Gun Van is a travelling arms dealer that changes location daily and rotates its stock weekly. It matters for three reasons: it sells weapons like the Railgun and Tactical SMG that have no fixed store, its stock can bypass the usual rank requirements, and its prices vary from week to week.
Treat it as an opportunity, not a foundation. Build the core loadout through ordinary purchases at Ammu-Nation — the same retailer the series keeps in its future, as what is Ammu-Nation in GTA 6 explains — and use the van for the exclusives when they rotate in.
Three buying rules close the guide. First, weapons cannot be sold back, so every purchase is permanent: read before you buy. Second, use a Gun Locker in your properties to hide the guns you never use, so the weapon wheel only holds your real loadout; interestingly, the next game is moving storage into the car itself, which how does weapon storage work in GTA 6 explains. Third, resist buying a gun for one mission. Rented firepower does not exist, and the money is always better spent on the core trio.
And because arsenals are expensive, the usual warning applies with force: there is no code that fills your Maze Bank account. Our explainer on why there is no money cheat in GTA games covers why your loadout, like everything else in Los Santos, is earned.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best weapon in GTA Online overall?
The Combat MG Mk II. Its 200-round extended magazine, damage and range make it the strongest general-purpose weapon in the game for missions and fights alike.
Which assault rifle should I buy first?
The Special Carbine. It is available from Rank 1 for GTA$14,750, and its Mk II conversion at GTA$135,000 makes it the best assault rifle in the game.
Is the Heavy Sniper Mk II worth GTA$165,375 to convert?
Yes. The thermal scope alone justifies it for night work, and its explosive rounds give on-foot players a real answer to aircraft and light vehicles.
What is the best weapon for drive-bys?
The AP Pistol for value — GTA$5,000, automatic, vehicle-usable — and the Tactical SMG as the premium option, with a 60-round extended magazine from the Gun Van.
Where do I convert weapons to Mk II?
At a Weapon Workshop, available in a Bunker, Mobile Operations Center, Avenger, Terrorbyte, Kosatka, Agency Armory and several other properties.
Should I use special ammunition all the time?
No. Special ammo shrinks your magazine and reserve for a niche bonus. Keep general-purpose guns on ordinary extended magazines and load special rounds for specific targets.
What does the Gun Van sell that shops do not?
Weapons such as the Railgun and Tactical SMG appear in its rotating stock, and its listings can bypass normal rank requirements. Its location changes daily and stock weekly.
What is the best heavy weapon?
The Railgun for raw single-target destruction, the Homing Launcher for aircraft — it is available from Rank 1 for GTA$75,000 — and the Minigun for sustained PvE fire.
Can I sell weapons I no longer want?
No. Weapon purchases are permanent. Use a Gun Locker to hide unwanted guns from your weapon wheel instead.
What is the Stone Hatchet and how do I get it?
A melee weapon earned by completing Maude Eccles’ bounty chain. Kills with it trigger Rampage, giving damage resistance and faster health regeneration.
In Short
Combat MG Mk II for everything, Special Carbine Mk II as your rifle, Heavy Sniper Mk II for range, AP Pistol in the car and Sticky Bombs in your pocket. That loadout, bought in that order for under half a million dollars of core spending, will win more fights than any exotic gun bought on impulse.
