What the numbers on the weapon pages mean, how they compare with what the game shows you, and how to pick a loadout that works.
Where do the GTA 5 weapon stats come from?+
The damage, fire rate, range and clip figures are read from the game files directly, so they are the true numbers the game uses rather than the in-game stat bars.
Why do the stats differ from the in-game bars?+
The in-game bars are simplified estimates on a 0 to 100 scale. Our numbers are the actual values behind them, which is why a pistol can show more damage than a rifle in some cases.
How do I unlock a weapon in GTA Online?+
Most weapons unlock at a rank and are then sold at Ammu-Nation. Each weapon page lists its unlock rank and price wherever they apply.
What does the rarity label mean?+
Rarity groups weapons by how hard they are to get, from standard shop items to rewards tied to challenges and events.
What do damage, fire rate, range and magazine actually mean in practice?+
Damage is the amount of health a single bullet removes on a body shot. A GTA Online player has 100 health plus armor, so a weapon with 25 damage needs four body shots against an unarmored target and more against someone wearing heavy armor. Fire rate is rounds per minute, which decides how quickly you can land those shots. Range is the distance in metres at which the weapon stops registering hits at all. Magazine is how many rounds you fire before a reload.
The useful figure is damage multiplied by fire rate, which is roughly how fast a weapon kills when every shot lands. A rifle with medium damage and a high fire rate beats a heavy pistol with big single-shot damage in a stand-up fight, but the pistol wins if you only get one clean shot.
Why are the site's numbers different from the Ammu-Nation bars?+
Ammu-Nation shows five bars on a 0 to 100 scale, and those bars are a rough guide that Rockstar hand-assigns. Two weapons with the same damage bar can have quite different real damage values, and the range bar has almost nothing to do with the actual range in metres.
The numbers on this site are read from the weapon data files, so they are the values the game uses when it works out a hit. The bars are still shown on each page, labelled as the in-game bars, so you can see both. When the two disagree, trust the datamined figure.
What is the headshot multiplier and why does it matter?+
A headshot multiplies the weapon's base damage. In Story Mode most guns kill an unarmored enemy with one headshot. In GTA Online the multiplier against other players is lower for most weapons, which is why headshots with an assault rifle do not always drop a player in one hit while sniper rifles still do.
Each weapon page lists both multipliers where the data has them. Sniper rifles and heavy revolvers have the highest, which makes them the choice for picking off players at range. Fast-firing weapons rely on body shots instead, so their lower multiplier matters less.
Are Mk II weapons worth the upgrade?+
Usually, yes. A Mk II weapon is a conversion of the base weapon done at a Weapon Workshop, which you find in a Mobile Operations Center, an Avenger, a Kosatka or an Agency armory. The conversion raises the base damage and unlocks special ammunition such as armor-piercing, incendiary, hollow point and explosive rounds, plus better scopes and grips.
The catch is the cost. The conversion price is listed on each Mk II page and the special ammo is expensive to keep stocked. If you mostly play missions, the Assault Rifle Mk II, Carbine Rifle Mk II and Heavy Sniper Mk II give the biggest return. The Pistol Mk II and SMG Mk II are nice to have but change less.
How do weapons unlock in GTA Online?+
Most weapons unlock at a rank and then sit in Ammu-Nation at the listed price. Reaching the rank is the only requirement, and the weapon page states the rank where one applies. A smaller group comes with updates and is sold straight away, sometimes only through a property such as the Agency armory or the Gun Van.
A few weapons have special routes. Some are rewards for challenges or story missions, some are found in the world, and some are seasonal and only appear during an event. Each weapon page says which route applies, and it says plainly when a weapon is no longer obtainable.
Which weapons should a new GTA Online player buy first?+
A rifle, a shotgun, a sniper rifle and something explosive cover almost every mission. The Carbine Rifle or Assault Rifle is the everyday tool. The Pump Shotgun handles close fights indoors. The Heavy Sniper handles anything at range, and the Sticky Bomb or a cheap launcher handles vehicles.
Skip the expensive novelty weapons until you have a steady income. The stat sheets on this site make the reason obvious: a weapon that costs twenty times more is rarely twenty times better. Sort the list by damage and fire rate, look at the price, and buy the cheap options in each class before the premium ones.
