Best Heavy Weapons and LMGs in GTA Online, Ranked

Image: Rockstar North, Rockstar Games via HGG / Koby Gibson Ross

Human Made

My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.

Reviewed by Ashley Johnson

GTA Online is a third-person shooter with a big emphasis on explosive action. There are a variety of weapons and tools with which to wreak havoc and chaos across Los Santos. In today’s article, we will be ranking every heavy weapon and LMG in GTA Online. Continue to the bottom of our list and you’ll discover the absolute best LMG and best heavy weapon in GTA Online!

Our list will rank each big weapons from the good to the best. Additionally, we’ll be covering what weapons are good for what situations, and why we think each of them deserves their spot. That way you can take full advantage of one of the best things about GTA — using really big guns to do some really big damage.

Every Heavy Weapon & LMG in GTA Online, Ranked From Good to Best

With that out of the way, let’s hop right into this article ranking the biggest guns in the game from worst to best! By the end, you’ll know what is the best heavy weapon & LMG in GTA Online!

12/12

Compact EMP Launcher

Kicking off our list at spot number twelve, we have the very disappointing Compact EMP Launcher. It’s a unique piece of hardware that you can pick up for a staggering price of $397,500! This is majorly overpriced, and I don’t recommend buying it. This gun debuted during the Contract DLC of December 2021, and the GTA Online community has largely forgotten about it since. For good reason, too.

The Compact EMP Launcher fires out a projectile that will not deal significant damage on impact, but instead cause an EMP effect to most vehicles. The engine for the vehicle will stop, but it will maintain its momentum.

This means you usually won’t be able to hijack it in time before it starts up again. Aiming with it is very difficult, and you will likely miss your target if it’s in the air or moving fast. Considering all these drawbacks and the low amount of time it stuns a vehicle, this gun is practically worthless. Compounded by the insultingly high price, I feel compelled to put it at the very bottom of our ranking.

11/12

Fireworks Launcher

For the next pick on our list, we have the Fireworks Launcher! This is a special and unique weapon that can shoot off rockets into the air that explode into fireworks. It was added to the game in the Independence Day Special DLC many years ago. They are a popular choice for players at car meets who want to set the mood and light up the sky with a little Fourth of July flair.

While this is a very fun “weapon” to use, there’s a reason why it’s so low on our list. The Fireworks Launcher is really just for fun and cosmetic purposes, it’s not really something you could practically use in combat. It is a really cool and unique tool to have and can be great when you’re hanging out with friends. But it doesn’t really serve any practical functions, so you’d best leave it behind when you’re going to get into a fight. Unlike the EMP Launcher, however, at least it succeeds at what it sets out to do and avoids the dubious (dis)honor of being the worst entry on our ranking of every heavy weapon and LMG in GTA Online.

10/12

MG

Moving down our list, let’s take a look at the MG! This is a LMG weapon that has been in the game since day one, but doesn’t see much use to due its age and how there are better weapons on the market. The gun is slow and heavy to use (like all LMGs), but it still packs a punch and is a viable weapon to use in PVE. It is the cheapest LMG in the game and can be bought for only $13,500 dollars at any Ammu-Nation, as well as your Agency Armory. It’s a good pick for low-level players on a budget.

The damage is pretty solid for this gun, and it makes an excellent weapon to use against both players and vehicles alike. Its rate of fire is a little disappointing, and it’s not as good DPS-wise as some of the other firearms that you can find in the game. The amount of ammo it can hold per magazine only gets up to 100, which is inferior to several other LMGs in the game. Honestly, you should skip this weapon.

9/12

Homing Launcher

Up next on our ranking, let’s take a second to discuss the Homing Launcher! This is a targeting missile launcher that was released as a part of the Festive Surprise DLC for the holiday season of 2014. The gun is fairly common to spot in lobbies, but not as much as the RPG. This is a perfect gun for low-level players, as you can buy it at Rank 1 and it’s much easier to use than an RPG!

The damage on this weapon is good, but it is noticeably worse than the RPG. This is to set back the fact it has good range and can lock onto targets from the ground and send out tracking missiles to destroy them. It is an effective anti-aircraft device, but it’s made obsolete by the Heavy Sniper Mk II with explosive rounds. Because of this, I really only recommend it for low-level players in the game. Or if you are bored with the meta and want to try out some new and different guns.

8/12

Compact Grenade Launcher

Taking this next spot on the list, we have the Compact Grenade Launcher! This is a very underused weapon that not many players know about. It came to the world of GTA Online in the Bikers Update from several years ago. The Compact Grenade Launcher can be bought from any Ammu-Nation for $45,000. And it can be bought from your Agency Armory for a 5% discount.

I struggled a bit to find a spot for this weapon on this list. The damage for it is enough to destroy most cars in a single hit, but it is still much lower than other explosive guns in the game. The main benefit to this weapon — and the reason it’s above the Homing Launcher — is the fact that it can be used on motorcycles and boats! This gives it some mobility and usability on the go. It would be up higher, but it cannot be used in cars. This is a shame, as using it in an armored car would have been great!

7/12

Combat MG

Taking spot number seven, we have the Combat MG! This is another light machine gun. It has been in GTA Online since it first launched many years ago. This gun is needed to unlock the Mk II variant, which is described later on in this article. This gun is pretty rare to see in public lobbies, as the Mk II variant makes it less effective. Regardless, it’s still a fun weapon to use and is pretty cheap compared to other guns (only $14,800).

This gun has decent damage, but it isn’t anything to write home about. The recoil is manageable, but it isn’t the best when it comes to accuracy. This is a good weapon to use in medium-range engagements and when taking on multiple targets at once. The latter is due to the fact it can hold up to 200 bullets per magazine when it becomes fully upgraded.

6/12

Unholy Hellbringer

For our next pick on this list of every heavy weapon and LMG in GTA Online ranked, we have the Unholy Hellbringer! This is one of several futuristic weapons added to the game as a part of the Arena War DLC that was released back in late 2018. Surprisingly, this gun cannot be equipped with attachments, which is a shame. This gun is pretty common to see in public lobbies, which is not that difficult to understand once you see why.

This is a very similar weapon stat-wise to the Combat MG mentioned previously. It comes with basically the exact same stats in nearly every area. One thing that I really like about the Unholy Hellbringer is the fact that — like the mini-gun — it never needs to reload! All its ammo is taken directly from your total ammo pool and does not need to use magazines. One downside of this gun is that it fires out a red laser beam, which can make it easier to spot from a distance.

5/12

Grenade Launcher

Now for our next weapon, the Grenade Launcher! This is a really fun weapon to use that I love to cause chaos with. The Grenade Launcher was released alongside GTA V way back in 2013. While it was fairly popular in GTA Online not long after it launched, it has since become less popular due to other explosive weapons such as the Heavy Sniper Mk II with its explosive rounds. Still, it’s definitely worth picking up, especially if you’re a fan of running around and going on big rampages.

When you pull the trigger, it sends out a projectile that will explode upon coming into contact with any vehicles in its way. It features high damage per shot with lots of splash damage. This makes the gun instantly destroy most unarmored vehicles that it comes into contact with. And it makes it very good for crowd control. If you love to get five-star wanted levels to fight off waves of cops, this is a great gun for that!

4/12

Combat MG Mk II

For our next top pick, we have the Combat MG Mk II (which is also the best LMG in GTA Online)! This is a light machine gun and an upgraded variant of the standard MG. It was added to the game alongside the Gunrunning update, which was released for the game back in 2017. This gun is beloved by players due to its high level of modability, which gives it a lot of versatility in how you want to customize it.

This gun can hold 200 bullets per clip when fully upgraded. Combine this with its very high DPS, and it makes an excellent weapon for PVE! I definitely recommend it if you do contact missions a lot. Additionally, like all Mk II weapons, it can be upgraded to use special ammo types! I personally like to run it with the Full Metal Jacket rounds. This allows the weapon to shoot through armored windows, and it deals higher damage to vehicles overall.

Honorable Mention: Railgun

For our next weapon, let’s take a moment to talk about an honorable mention — the Railgun. While the Railgun would make sense as an entry on this list, I was hesitant to put it on as you cannot use this gun outside of the single-player mode and a select few missions in GTA Online. This is a weapon that was added to Grand Theft Auto 5 as a part of the PS4/Xbox One next-gen upgrade.

This weapon is very interesting. It deals a very high amount of damage for each shot, but every time you fire it, you need to hold down the trigger for a few seconds to charge it up. The weapon is incredibly good for anti-vehicle combat and taking down very heavily-armed targets. Sadly, this weapon can only be used in certain missions, such as one of the bunker resupply missions that you can do.

3/12

RPG

Up next we have the RPG, or Rocket Propelled Grenade! It is an explosive heavy weapon that shoots out high-powered explosives, dealing massive damage. The gun is one of the many that launched with GTA 5 back in 2013. Ever since the game first began people have been using this gun to great effect. It is basically a must-have weapon for all players.

As previously mentioned, this gun deals very high damage, one of the highest in the game. It is very good for taking out armored vehicles and ground targets. The RPG also has high splash damage, so even if you miss your target, you will still do lots of damage if you hit the spot next to them. This is one of the only explosive weapons I carry, aside from a Sniper Rifle Mk II with explosive rounds.

2/12

Widowmaker

For the next spot on our ranking of every heavy weapon and LMG in GTA Online ranked, we have the Widowmaker! This is a heavy-duty weapon that slows down users when equipped, but makes up for it by packing a big punch. The gun was added alongside the Arena War DLC for the game. It’s unique aesthetically as one of the few futuristic guns in the game, the other being the Unholy Hellbringer.

This weapon is incredibly good in almost all situations. It has an incredibly fast rate of fire and does not require reloading. Its DPS is incredible, and it can very easily shred through most targets with ease. The one downside about this weapon, however, is the fact that it fires off a bright red beam. This means that it can be spotted very easily, and players can find your location if you’re shooting at them.

1/12

Minigun

Taking the number one spot on our list, we have the Minigun as the best heavy weapon in GTA Online! The minigun is a very iconic weapon in GTA V, and it’s one that all players should unlock once they reach the appropriate Rank 120 in GTA Online. The gun has been in the game since the beginning and played a key role during the Paleto Score in the single-player campaign of GTA V.

This is widely considered one of the best guns in the game. It shares the exact same stats (damage, range, etc) as the previously mentioned Widowmaker, but without that bright red beam. Both weapons are great for dealing with heavily-armored targets, such as the Clifford bots from the Doomsday Heist. And they can very easily tear through the rotors of helicopters, causing them to crash and burn!

Join the High Ground

And with that, our article covering every heavy weapon and LMG in GTA Online ranked has come to a close. What do you think of our ranking? Do you disagree? Let us know, and be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter if you haven’t! We offer regular features on all the best games, including more GTA.

Happy gaming!

Best Heavy Weapons and LMGs in GTA Online, Ranked