If you’re curious what the best guns in Black Ops 6 are, you’ve come to the right place. At the game’s launch – perhaps better viewed as the period ahead of Season 1 — we’ve tested which guns shred and which should be left in the armory to provide a list of the eight best right now.
Thankfully, some of these are available very early on, so you won’t have to do much grinding to start using some of the best guns in Black Ops 6.
From assault rifles and SMGs, to sniper rifles and shotguns, we’ve included at least one gun from every primary weapon category. If you’ve played a Call of Duty game before, some of these will feel very familiar — and that’s because, as usual, plenty of these guns are almost identical to prior inclusions, albeit with a different name.
What follow is our ranking of the eight best guns in Black Ops 6’s meta at launch.
Black Ops 6 best guns in the launch meta
Image: Treyarch / Activision
The best guns in Black Ops 6 right now are:
- Jackal PDW (SMG)
- AMES 85 (assault rifle)
- XM4 (assault rifle)
- AEK-973 (marksman rifle)
- Tanto .22 (SMG)
- LW3A1 Frostline (sniper rifle)
- Marine SP (shotgun)
- XMG (LMG)
If you played the beta, then this list won’t look too unfamiliar as, for the most part, the guns that dominated there — the Jackal PDW, AMES 85, and XM4 — are still the three best guns in Black Ops 6.
However, further down the list, we have the AEK-973 burst marksman rifle — which can drop enemies in just one burst and has manageable recoil — and the Tanto .22 SMG —which has a far slower fire rate than you’d expect for an SMG, but it makes up for it with the damage it deals.
The favored LR 7.62 sniper rifle featured during the beta has made way for the LW3A1 Frostline, because even though they’re both automatic and the LR 7.62 deals more damage, the LW3A1 has more mobility and lends itself to the fast-paced nature of Black Ops 6 better, which means it’s more suited to on-the-go sniping rather than setting up shop.
The Marine SP shotgun is better than the ASG-89 — pump-actions with one-shot-kill potential will always sit atop the rankings — and the XMG LMG may not have the best mobility, but it makes up for it with its suppressive fire abilities, lack of recoil, and high damage.
There’s more on each selection below:
1. Jackal PDW (SMG)
Image: Treyarch / Activision via Polygon
While the Jackal PDW has been nerfed slightly since its domination during the first weekend of the beta, it’s still the strongest SMG and the best gun in the game overall.
Our best Jackal PDW loadout is the build you want to use with this fast-firing SMG, because it will shred your enemies to pieces up close, and if you utilize the attachments we recommend, you’ll be running and gunning without aiming down the sights whatsoever. However, it isn’t unlocked until level 43 so you’ll need to wait a little while before kitting it out.
For the most part, you want to use a laser (the Steady Aim Laser or Fast Motion Laser will do the job) alongside the CQB Grip and No Stock. This will make the Jackal PDW an absolute machine up close. For the final two attachments, we’d recommend one of the two Fast Mags, the Ranger Foregrip, the Short Barrel if you’ve leveled the gun up high enough, or the Suppressor.
2. AMES 85 (assault rifle)
Image: Treyarch / Activision via Polygon
If you want to compete at range, there’s no better shout than the AMES 85 assault rifle, unlocked at level 19. It has very little recoil and packs a hell of a punch, which means you can pick enemies off from afar with ease, though it doesn’t do the job too well up close so we’d recommend running Overkill with it alongside the Jackal PDW.
When it comes to attachments, use any that improve the damage range, recoil, and aiming speeds. Either the Compensator or Ported Compensator, Reinforced or Long Barrel, Vertical or Precision Foregrip, Quickdraw or Commando Grip, and Heavy or Combat Stock should do the job. Consider using an optical sight in place of one of those if you’re not a fan of the iron sight!
3. XM4 (assault rifle)
Image: Treyarch / Activision via Polygon
When it comes to jack-of-all-trades, you can’t look further than the XM4. We have the best XM4 loadout covered in a separate guide, but what you’re getting with this gun is your bog standard assault rifle that can do everything. Fighting through hallways and tight corners? Posted up behind cover? Running and gunning? The XM4 is your weapon, especially when you factor in that it unlocks at level four.
It doesn’t truly excel at any one thing, but what that means is you will want to kit it out to deal with any situation. A decent optical sight is a necessity, then we’d recommend going for attachments that improve the damage, range, and recoil control. A foregrip is essential, as is the Long or Reinforced Barrel when you unlock them.
4. AEK-973 (marksman rifle)
Image: Treyarch / Activision via Polygon
The first new addition to our list of the best guns in Black Ops 6 over our picks for the beta is the AEK-973. Unlocked at level 34, it can tear through enemies with one burst if you’re lucky, and reliably with two.
You need to be able to land your shots so focus on managing the recoil, but once you do, the AEK-973 is perfect for playing slowly, tactically, and making your way around the map methodically.
We’d recommend the Ported Compensator and Reinforced Barrel attachments to assist with taking enemies out at range, along with the Vertical Foregrip to manage the horizontal recoil. The Commando Grip, on the other hand, buffs the aim down sight and sprint to fire speed so you have a little more mobility.
An optical sight is necessary due to the poor iron sights on the gun, but the one you go for is personal preference – we like the Accu-Spot Ultra Holo due to the 3x zoom and unobstructed view.
5. Tanto .22 (SMG)
Image: Treyarch / Activision via Polygon
The Tanto .22 is an interesting pick because while it is an SMG, it fires incredibly slowly compared to most. It makes up for this shortcoming with the amount of damage it deals, though, so while it’s not great up close and personal and will be outperformed by any SMG with a faster fire rate, at a slightly further distance this thing is a monster. You can get your hands on it at level 16.
You’ll want to lean into that by going with the Ported Compensator to manage recoil, then aim to have the rest of your attachments buff both recoil and mobility. The Ranger Foregrip is a strong choice, as is the Commando Grip and Balanced Stock. Finally, we’ve opted for an optical sight, but any red dot or holographic will do the job.
6. LW3A1 Frostline (sniper rifle)
Image: Treyarch / Activision via Polygon
Replacing our sniper rifle pick from the beta (the LR 7.62) is the LW3A1 Frostline, another bolt-action sniper rifle that has slightly less firepower, but more mobility and handling. While you can kit this sniper out to play slowly and pick enemies off from afar, it’s better suited to the quickscoping style of play, especially since Black Ops 6 is a fast-paced shooter.
It’s also the first sniper you get, so you’ll have it as soon as you reach level four.
You want attachments that will improve the mobility even further, so go for a mid-range scope – our recommendation is the Dobrych 4x – and the Muzzle Brake to help manage recoil and reset your aim.
The Short Barrel, Commando Riser, and Light Stock attachments all help with mobility further so you can aim down the sights quicker, move faster, and bring your gun up from sprinting quicker.
7. Marine SP (shotgun)
Image: Treyarch / Activision via Polygon
The Marine SP shotgun runs riot on the smaller maps available in the game, such as those in the Face Off Moshpit playlist, because of the sheer damage it can deal per shot. Ensure you keep moving and you can kill foe after foe with one shot each time because there isn’t room on these maps to fight at range.
Don’t worry about needing to unlock the Marine SP, either, as it unlocks at level four, which is also when custom loadouts become available.
You’ll want the Combat or Quick Load Barrel, Ranger Foregrip, Balanced Stock, Steady Aim Laser, and the Rapid Fire attachment to make it the best it can be. If you decide to run this gun on other maps, make sure you use Overkill to equip another primary that can deal with longer range fights.
8. XMG (LMG)
Image: Treyarch / Activision via Polygon
Finally, we have the XMG. This is by far the best LMG in the game which means that while it isn’t suited to a run-and-gun playstyle, if you’re content playing slower and laying down lots of suppressive fire, the XMG is a beast.
It has the highest firepower and mag size in the category, so when it comes to attachments, you want to make it slightly more mobile to ensure you can compete in as many situations as possible while retaining the recoil control. You also unlock it early on at level 13.
One important thing to note with the XMG is that we don’t recommend an optical sight, because through our testing, the recoil is most manageable with the iron sights. However, we would suggest going with the Reinforced Barrel to improve the damage range, and the Ranger Foregrip to manage the horizontal recoil and improve your movement speed slightly.
The Commando Grip and Balanced Stock improve the mobility, then the Recoil Springs help you keep it all under control.
Finally, there’s an honorable mention for our best C9 loadout. The MP5-inspired SMG isn’t worthy of inclusion on this list, but it is still very strong with the right attachments, and deserves your time once you’ve exhausted the Jackal PDW.
