San Andreas · Rankings

GTA San Andreas Weapons: Tier List and All 38

📅 Checked on 11 September 2026

The M4 is the best weapon in San Andreas for most of the game: it fires as fast as the AK47 and holds 50 rounds to the AK's 30. That changes once you reach Double Weapon Hitman skill, when a pair of Micro SMGs fires 900 rounds a minute, twice the M4's rate. Below: the tier list, how skill levels change it, then all 38 weapons.

All 38 weapons in GTA San Andreas: Fist, Brass Knuckles, Knife, Golf Club, Shovel, Pool Cue, Nightstick, Baseball Bat, Katana, Chainsaw, 9mm, Silenced 9mm, Desert Eagle, Shotgun, Sawn-off Shotgun, Combat Shotgun, Tec-9, Micro SMG, SMG, AK47, M4, Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Flamethrower, Rocket Launcher, Heat-Seeking Rocket Launcher, Minigun, Tear Gas, Molotov Cocktails, Grenades, Satchel Charges, Fire Extinguisher, Spray Can, Camera, Flowers, Cane, Dildo, Vibrator. Full table with rate of fire at each skill level ↓

#	Weapon	Why it is here	Tier
1	M4	Same 450 rounds a minute as the AK47, but a 50-round magazine against 30: it fires for 6.7 seconds before reloading, the AK for 4. Auto-aims, and fires while moving at Hitman.	S
2	Minigun	1,800 rounds a minute, four times anything else you can hold. Like every heavy weapon it does not auto-aim.	S
3	Combat Shotgun	180 rounds a minute from Gangster upwards, which is more than three times the pump shotgun, and it fires while moving at Hitman.	S
4	Micro SMG, dual	900 rounds a minute once you reach Double Weapon Hitman. Below that level it is an ordinary 450. Tier A until you get there, tier S after.	S
5	Heat-Seeking Rocket Launcher	The answer to anything with an engine. It locks on, where the plain Rocket Launcher does not.	A
6	AK47	Identical rate of fire to the M4, $1,000 cheaper, and it empties its 30 rounds two and a half seconds sooner.	A
7	Sawn-off Shotgun, dual	200 rounds a minute, doubled to 400 in each pair of hands at Hitman. Brutal at contact range.	A
8	Sniper Rifle	55 rounds a minute and no auto-aim. The only weapon that reaches past the others' range.	A
9	SMG	650 rounds a minute, the fastest SMG you can hold singly, and it can never be doubled, so it is overtaken the moment you reach Hitman.	B
10	Desert Eagle	85 rounds a minute at best. Slow for a pistol, and the hardest hitting one.	B

Your Skill Level Changes the Ranking

San Andreas rates each weapon on three levels, Poor, Gangster and Hitman, and the skill rises only by shooting accurately with that weapon. Gangster arrives when the meter is 20 to 50 per cent full and lets you move while aiming. Hitman arrives when it is full and lets you fire while moving with the M4, the AK47, the Desert Eagle, both shotguns that can reach it, the SMG and the silenced 9mm.

Then there is a fourth level most lists skip. Four weapons, the 9mm, the Sawn-off Shotgun, the Tec-9 and the Micro SMG, can be held one in each hand once you reach Double Weapon Hitman, which takes longer than ordinary Hitman. A pair of Micro SMGs or Tec-9s fires 900 rounds a minute. A pair of sawn-offs fires 400. That is why the same weapon sits in tier A at twenty hours and tier S at eighty, and why the ranking above marks both.

If you would rather not grind it, the cheat PROFESSIONALKILLER sets every weapon to Hitman at once and unlocks dual wielding on the spot.

M4 or AK47?

The M4, and the numbers settle it without any argument about damage. Both fire 450 rounds a minute. The M4 holds 50 rounds, the AK47 holds 30, so the M4 keeps firing for 6.7 seconds before it reloads and the AK stops after 4. In a firefight where every reload is a window for the other side, that gap decides it. The AK's only advantage is price: $3,500 against $4,500 at Ammu-Nation.

All 38 Weapons in GTA San Andreas

38 weapons across eleven slots. On top of them come three pieces of equipment, the parachute, night vision goggles and thermal vision goggles, and the remote detonator that goes with the satchel charges. Where a weapon's rate of fire changes with skill, all three levels are shown.

Slot	Weapon	Rounds per minute Poor / Gangster / Hitman	Dual	Notes
1 · Hand	Fist	n/a	n/a	n/a
1 · Hand	Brass Knuckles	n/a	n/a	n/a
2 · Melee	Knife	n/a	n/a	n/a
2 · Melee	Golf Club	n/a	n/a	n/a
2 · Melee	Shovel	n/a	n/a	n/a
2 · Melee	Pool Cue	n/a	n/a	n/a
2 · Melee	Nightstick	n/a	n/a	n/a
2 · Melee	Baseball Bat	n/a	n/a	n/a
2 · Melee	Katana	n/a	n/a	n/a
2 · Melee	Chainsaw	n/a	n/a	n/a
3 · Handguns	9mm	165 / 200 / 300	✓	Dual-wielded at Hitman.
3 · Handguns	Silenced 9mm	130 / 150 / 165	n/a	n/a
3 · Handguns	Desert Eagle	65 / 75 / 85	n/a	The heavy handgun. Slow, and every shot counts.
4 · Shotguns	Shotgun	55	n/a	The pump shotgun.
4 · Shotguns	Sawn-off Shotgun	200 / 200 / 400	✓	Dual-wielded at Hitman, which doubles it.
4 · Shotguns	Combat Shotgun	150 / 180 / 180	n/a	The SPAS-12. Fires while moving at Hitman.
5 · Submachine guns	Tec-9	450 / 450 / 900	✓	Dual-wielded at Hitman.
5 · Submachine guns	Micro SMG	450 / 450 / 900	✓	Dual-wielded at Hitman.
5 · Submachine guns	SMG	650	n/a	The fastest single SMG, and it cannot be doubled.
6 · Assault rifles	AK47	450	n/a	30-round magazine. $3,500.
6 · Assault rifles	M4	450	n/a	50-round magazine. $4,500.
7 · Rifles	Rifle	55	n/a	The country rifle. No auto-aim.
7 · Rifles	Sniper Rifle	55	n/a	No auto-aim.
8 · Heavy weapons	Flamethrower	180	n/a	n/a
8 · Heavy weapons	Rocket Launcher	55	n/a	n/a
8 · Heavy weapons	Heat-Seeking Rocket Launcher	55	n/a	Locks on to its target.
8 · Heavy weapons	Minigun	1800	n/a	No auto-aim, like every heavy weapon.
9 · Thrown	Tear Gas	n/a	n/a	n/a
9 · Thrown	Molotov Cocktails	n/a	n/a	n/a
9 · Thrown	Grenades	n/a	n/a	n/a
9 · Thrown	Satchel Charges	n/a	n/a	Detonated with the remote detonator.
10 · Handheld items	Fire Extinguisher	1800	n/a	n/a
10 · Handheld items	Spray Can	1200	n/a	n/a
10 · Handheld items	Camera	33	n/a	n/a
11 · Gifts	Flowers	n/a	n/a	A gift for girlfriends.
11 · Gifts	Cane	n/a	n/a	A gift for girlfriends.
11 · Gifts	Dildo	n/a	n/a	A gift, and a melee weapon.
11 · Gifts	Vibrator	n/a	n/a	A gift, and a melee weapon.

Weapons That Do Not Auto-Aim

The Rifle, the Sniper Rifle, every thrown weapon and every heavy weapon, the Minigun included. Everything else locks on, and the target marker shifts from green through orange to red as the target's health drops, turning black on the kill. It is the reason the M4 beats the Minigun for everyday use despite a quarter of its rate of fire: the M4 aims for you.

More San Andreas on GTAside

The fastest cars in San Andreas are ranked separately, with the Infernus and the Turismo tied at 240 km/h. Elsewhere: the 92 cheat codes, three of which hand out a weapon set, the stats and skills guide for everything else CJ can train, from lung capacity to respect, the easter eggs and the game page. For the other games, the arsenals of GTA III, GTA IV and GTA V.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best weapon in GTA San Andreas?

The M4 for most of the game: it fires 450 rounds a minute, like the AK47, and holds 50 rounds to the AK's 30. Once you reach Double Weapon Hitman skill, a pair of Micro SMGs overtakes it at 900 rounds a minute. Against vehicles, the Heat-Seeking Rocket Launcher, which locks on.

How many weapons are there in GTA San Andreas?

Thirty-eight, across eleven weapon slots, plus three pieces of equipment: the parachute and the night vision and thermal goggles. Eight of the thirty-eight are melee weapons and four are gifts meant for girlfriends.

Is the M4 better than the AK47 in San Andreas?

Yes. Both fire 450 rounds a minute, but the M4 holds 50 rounds against the AK47's 30, so it keeps firing for 6.7 seconds before it reloads where the AK stops after 4. The AK is $1,000 cheaper, at $3,500 against $4,500.

Which weapons can you dual wield in GTA San Andreas?

Four: the 9mm, the Sawn-off Shotgun, the Tec-9 and the Micro SMG. You need Double Weapon Hitman skill with each, which takes longer to reach than ordinary Hitman. Dual Micro SMGs or Tec-9s then fire 900 rounds a minute.

How do you increase weapon skill in San Andreas?

By landing shots with that weapon, on people or on vehicles. Gangster level arrives when the skill meter is 20 to 50 per cent full, Hitman when it is full. The Tec-9 and the Micro SMG share a single skill, listed as Machine Pistols, so training one trains both. Melee weapons, rifles, thrown weapons and heavy weapons have no skill meter at all. The cheat PROFESSIONALKILLER sets every weapon to Hitman at once.

Which San Andreas weapons have no auto-aim?

The Rifle, the Sniper Rifle, every thrown weapon and every heavy weapon, the Minigun included. Everything else locks on, and the lock changes colour from green to red as the target's health drops.