The best SMG loadouts in Warzone ranked

No Warzone loadout is complete without a weapon capable of engaging in gunfights with enemies up close. With that in mind, here is a list of the best SMGs ranked.

SMGs must check off a few boxes to be considered worth using in Warzone. First and foremost, time-to-kill speed statistics separate the contenders from the pretenders. In close-range gunfights, speed is everything, and weapons have to be able to take down enemies quickly. Additionally, the best SMGs have large magazines, which make it easier to take on multiple enemies at once, and you don’t want a weapon with too much recoil. We used that criteria to rank the best SMGs in the battle royale.

Best SMGs in Warzone ranked

5. FJX Horus

• Muzzle: ZEHM35 Compensated Flash Hider
• Barrel: Ruse-90 Light Barrel
• Optic: JAK Glassless Optic
• Stock: Ripper Light Stock
• Magazine: 48 Round Mag

Season 3’s newest weapon, the FJX Horus, isn’t for the faint of heart. If you want to use this SMG, you need to be confident in your aim, and a difficult-to-control recoil pattern doesn’t make that a stroll in the park. But if you can land one headshot on an enemy, the time-to-kill speed improves from 671 milliseconds to 610.

4. RAM-9

• Muzzle: ZEHMN35 Compensated Flash Hider
• Underbarrel: DR-6 Handstop
• Stock: HVS 3.4 Pad
• Rear Grip: Retort 90 Grip Tape
• Magazine: 50 Round Mag

A devastating nerf in the Season 3 update knocked the RAM-9 out of close-range meta discussions. It says a lot about the current state of SMGs that even after having its damage nerfed into the ground, the RAM-9 is still the third-best weapon out of this class. It’s a shame there aren’t other viable SMGs that come close to competing with the top two weapons.

3. WSP-9

• Muzzle: Bruen Cubic Comp
• Stock: WSP Factory Stock
• Underbarrel: FTAC MSP-98 Handstop
• Ammunition: 9mm High Grain Rounds
• Magazine: 32 Round Mag

Players will have no issue with recoil control while using the WSP-9, as it is one of Warzone’s most reliable SMGs. However, if you ever find yourself going head-to-head against an enemy using an HRM-9, the gunfight will be over before you know what hit you. A slow fire rate holds the WSP-9 back from being a top-tier weapon. Your best bet would be to catch them a few meters further than its best damage range.

2. Striker 9

• Muzzle: VP27 Mini Brake S
• Barrel: Striker Stubby Barrel
• Stock: No Stock
• Underbarrel: Bruen Heavy Support Grip
• Magazine: 50 Round Drum

Several Warzone content creators have argued that the Striker 9 is the second-best SMG in Season 3, and it’s easy to see why. A 630-millisecond time-to-kill speed only puts the Striker 9 just under 20 seconds slower than the HRM-9 and one could argue that the Striker 9 feels more mobile with the right build.

1. HRM-9

• Muzzle: L4R Flash Hider
• Barrel: Princeps Long Barrel
• Underbarrel: DR-6 Handstop
• Stock: Folding Stock
• Magazine: 50 Round Drum

The HRM-9 is the best SMG in Warzone for Season 3. After nerfs to the RAM-9 and Renetti, there isn’t a weapon that comes close to matching the firepower of this easy-to-use SMG. Within 13 meters, the HRM-9’s 612 millisecond TTK speed is the fastest in Warzone, among short-range meta weapons, and the SMG can take down an enemy in just over 10 shots.