The Current PUBG Meta: Best Weapon in Every Class

If you're new to PUBG, or you're redownloading it after a few years away, you may not realize just how much the meta has shifted lately. That usually leaves one big question: what is the current meta in PUBG?

Everyone has their go-to loadout, but in each class a handful of weapons clearly stand above the rest, despite the developers' best balancing efforts. In this guide we'll break down the dominant meta weapons and their runner-ups for every class, so you know exactly what to pick up to give yourself the best chance on the Battlegrounds. These picks are based on my own experience alongside real usage data, which you can explore live on our PUBG Weapon Meta page, and you can compare full stats for any gun on the Weapon Database.

Best SMG: UMP45

With the MP5K nerfed in patch 38.1, the UMP45 has stepped up as the best SMG in PUBG, period. It carries 42 points of damage, even higher than the AUG's 40, and it holds that damage into mid-range gunfights, which is almost unheard of for an SMG.

In my opinion, the UMP is the only SMG that comfortably carries you through the early, mid, and late game. Its ability to break a level 3 helmet in three shots out to 50 meters makes it genuinely viable against fully kitted enemies in the later circles. Even though its fire rate is on the slower side, when you factor in the low recoil, high stopping power, and light ammo weight, the UMP is an absolute beast you should not pass up.

SMG Runner-Up: MP5K

The MP5K was the king of SMGs from patch 30.1 all the way until it was finally nerfed in update 38.1, when its damage dropped from 34 to 32 and SMGs took a significant cut to hipfire accuracy. Even so, it is still a force to be reckoned with. Its incredible stability makes it very easy to control, and its high rate of fire paired with up to five attachment slots makes it one of the most customizable SMGs in the game. It will serve you well in most early to mid-game scenarios.

Best LMG: M249

Since Krafton removed the DP-28 from every map except Karakin, the M249 takes the meta LMG spot in PUBG almost by default. (Had the MG3 been a world spawn, this would have been a real contest.)

That said, the M249 earns its place. It offers a large magazine and damage output that rivals the AUG and M416, plus a surprisingly quick ADS speed for an LMG, especially with a tactical stock. Its accuracy while prone is excellent, which makes it one of the last guns you want to hear shooting at you while you're in a vehicle. The M249 is at its best in mid to late game scenarios.

Best Long Range: Kar98k and M24

Instead of splitting snipers and DMRs into separate categories, I've combined them, and here's why. After the recent DMR nerfs, PUBG's own data as of patch 37.1 shows players clearly leaning back toward bolt actions. Over the past few months I've seen a huge increase in bolt-action users, and as someone who put a lot of time, practice, and faith into DMRs, bolt actions are genuinely terrifying right now.

The Kar98k and M24 have reclaimed the throne from DMRs. They offer the highest damage of any long range weapon that spawns in the world, and the ability to one-tap a level 2 helmet out past 400 meters makes the Kar98k the direct counter to DMR users these days.

The best part of going back to bolt actions, after relying on DMRs for so long, is the efficiency. You really only need to carry 40 to 50 rounds of 7.62 for an entire match, which frees up space for utility and healing items. Bolt actions are at their best in mid to late game, where securing a knock or two in squads or duos can open up the chance for a breach and quickly flush downed players.

Long Range Runner-Up: Mk12

DMRs have been put through the ringer lately, with heavy nerfs to their damage and fire rate. The Mk12 in particular lost another point of damage this year, and DMRs as a whole have lost much of their long range effectiveness. Inside a 200 meter range, though, the Mk12 is still the go-to DMR thanks to its fast bullet velocity, large magazine, and the stability you get from its foregrip slot. The 7.62 DMRs can pack a punch, but their bullets travel too slowly to keep up. Like most DMRs, the Mk12 only really does well in the mid to late game, and it will often lose a one-versus-one against a bolt action.

Best Assault Rifles: AUG and Beryl

No other class marries skill and effectiveness like assault rifles, the true apex weapon class in PUBG. At the very top of the food chain sit two ARs that define the meta: the AUG and the Beryl M762.

The AUG, despite being nerfed several times by the developers, continues to prove its effectiveness. With a high rate of fire, strong damage per second, and fast bullet velocity, what it lacks in raw stability or per-shot damage it makes up for by putting bullets downrange faster than almost any other AR in PUBG.

The Beryl is one of the scariest guns in PUBG and, if tamed, one of the most unstoppable. It has the highest damage per second of any world-spawn, full-auto assault rifle, along with a fast fire rate, high damage, and good effective range. It truly has it all, as long as you can control the recoil.

AR Runner-Ups: ACE32 and M416

The two runner-ups in the AR category are the ACE32 and the M416. Where they give up a little damage and bullet velocity, they make up for it with stability. Both take up to five attachments, so you can really tune them to your preference, like a tactical stock and thumb grip for fast ADS, or a vertical grip and heavy stock for maximum recoil control.

Assault rifles are a remarkably robust weapon class that works in the early, mid, and late stages of the game thanks to their all-around efficiency. They take a considerable amount of practice to master, but no other weapon will serve you better in PUBG.

Want to dig into the exact numbers behind these picks? Check live pick rates and kill stats on the PUBG Weapon Meta page, or compare damage, recoil, bullet velocity, and more for every gun on the Weapon Database.