Assault Rifle is our best all-round gun recommendation in Roblox RIVALS. It is free and works across several ranges. Choose Sniper for long sightlines or Shotgun for short-range fights; Permafrost is a more expensive option for slowing and freezing opponents.

For the other slots, Uzi and Exogun are the safest Secondary upgrades, Katana and Scythe provide the strongest defensive or movement tools in Melee, and Medkit is the most broadly useful Utility. Grenade remains the best free Utility because it can damage enemies behind cover without committing to a costly unlock.

The 48 tier placements below come from Update 21. Update 22 changed several weapons and added Wildcat, which remains unranked here. The tiers are editorial recommendations based on range, consistency, handling and loadout role; they are not an official ranking, a win-rate table or a completed Update 22 reassessment.

What Is the Best Gun in Roblox RIVALS?

  • Best overall gun: Assault Rifle. It is the easiest strong recommendation across mixed maps and skill levels.
  • Best paid Primary: Permafrost. Its slow and freeze tools create openings that an ordinary automatic weapon cannot.
  • Best precision weapon: Sniper. A headshot can end the fight, but missed shots and close pushes are costly.
  • Best close-range gun: Shotgun. Update 21 raised its damage and critical damage, reinforcing its job on tight maps.
  • Best Secondary: Uzi for a simple close-range backup; Exogun for splash pressure and corner clearing.
  • Best Melee: Katana for bullet defense or Scythe for its dash and repositioning.
  • Best Utility: Medkit for sustain; Grenade for a free, flexible damage option.

Pair a short-range Primary with a backup you can use farther away. With Sniper, keep a close-range Secondary ready for opponents who rush you. In 1v1, all four slots need to cover your own weaknesses because no teammate can do it for you.

A red RIVALS fighter holds an Assault Rifle beside a wall while an opponent aims from the next corridor.
Assault Rifle is the free Primary in the starter loadout. Keep cover within reach between bursts of fire.

Best RIVALS Loadouts

  • Free starter: Assault Rifle, Handgun, Fists, Grenade. All four are default items, and every slot solves a different problem.
  • Low-cost all-rounder: Assault Rifle, Uzi, Scythe, Smoke Grenade. It adds a close backup, a dash, and a safe crossing tool without buying a premium Primary.
  • Close-map pressure: Shotgun, Uzi, Scythe, Freeze Ray. The build is dangerous in rooms and short lanes but needs movement to avoid long-range fights.
  • Precision setup: Sniper, Uzi, Katana, Smoke Grenade. Uzi covers a rush, Katana punishes predictable shots, and Smoke helps leave a lost sightline.
  • Team support: Assault Rifle, Exogun, Battle Axe, War Horn. It combines stable damage, corner pressure, a wide melee attack, and a speed boost for the group.

Start with the free loadout if you have not settled on a playstyle. Add Uzi when close-range fights are your main problem, or Scythe when you need a dash to reach cover or close a gap. Keep your existing Primary while learning the new item.

Update 22: Wildcat weapon details

Wildcat is a Primary weapon listed at 35 Keys with a 24-round magazine. Its recoil pushes the camera upward while firing. The paired magazines give it a quick first reload, followed by a slower reload. Control the upward movement and avoid expecting every reload to be equally fast. These are reported mechanics, not our own playtest results; Wildcat remains unranked here.

What Changed in Update 22?

Minigun has less movement spread than in Update 21. Burst Rifle waits longer between bursts, Distortion carries less ammunition, Permafrost slows opponents for longer, and Maul reaches farther. These changes do not by themselves establish new tier placements.

Sniper and Crossbow now fire semi-automatically: press the fire input for each shot instead of holding it for repeated fire. Wildcat adds a different adjustment, with upward recoil and alternating reload speeds.

Reported Update 22 utility changes include faster equipping for Flashbang, Freeze Ray, Grappler, Grenade, Jump Pad, Molotov, Smoke Grenade, Subspace Tripmine and Warpstone. Freeze Ray also freezes and slows for longer, while Smoke Grenade fully obscures vision inside its cloud.

How the Weapon Tiers Work

S Tier contains the most dependable choices or the weapons with exceptional upside in their intended role. A Tier weapons are strong but need the right range, aim style, or supporting item. B Tier is for useful specialists with clearer trade-offs. C Tier does not mean unusable; it means another choice usually performs the same job with less risk.

Price is not part of the power ranking. The free Assault Rifle can outperform a 600- or 700-Key weapon when the expensive option does not suit the map. The separate RIVALS Keys guide explains the current free methods, so a new player can plan purchases without treating the highest price as a shortcut to the best build.

Primary Weapon Tier List

  • S Tier: Assault Rifle, Permafrost, Paintball Gun, Sniper.
  • A Tier: Shotgun, Burst Rifle, Crossbow, Energy Rifle.
  • B Tier: Distortion, RPG, Minigun, Gunblade, Bow.
  • C Tier: Flamethrower, Grenade Launcher.

Assault Rifle combines sustained fire with no unlock cost. Permafrost can slow and freeze an opponent, though Update 21 added brief damage reduction after thawing. Update 22 lengthened its slow. Paintball Gun rewards tracking a moving target, while Sniper can eliminate an opponent with a headshot.

Shotgun is suited to rooms and narrow approaches. Burst Rifle offers short bursts for firing from cover; Update 21 lengthened its reload and brought damage falloff closer, and Update 22 increased the delay between bursts. Crossbow offers another long-range option. Energy Rifle lets you bounce shots off surfaces.

Distortion and explosive Primaries can damage clustered teams, but their usefulness depends on the map and enemy spacing. Minigun became less accurate while moving in Update 21; Update 22 reduced that movement-spread penalty. Flamethrower needs short range, while Grenade Launcher rewards direct hits more than splash damage.

A red RIVALS fighter holds a green sniper rifle with an airborne opponent visible through its scope.
Sniper rewards precise aim. In Update 22, press the fire input for each shot.

Secondary Weapon Tier List

  • S Tier: Uzi, Exogun, Revolver.
  • A Tier: Energy Pistols, Warper, Handgun.
  • B Tier: Shorty, Daggers, Slingshot.
  • C Tier: Flare Gun, Spray.

Uzi is the easiest Secondary to recommend. Its Update 21 spread reduction makes it more consistent outside point-blank range, and its 20-Key cost keeps it within reach of a new account. Exogun can pressure a corner or finish a grouped enemy with splash damage, although the same update slightly widened its spread. Revolver has the cleanest burst option for players who can land deliberate shots.

Energy Pistols provide sustained fire without the usual ammunition concern, while Warper can build unusual angles and escapes for players willing to learn its portals. Handgun remains a sound free backup. Shorty and Daggers both received faster equip times in Update 21, but they still ask the rest of the loadout to cover their limited range.

Melee Weapon Tier List

  • S Tier: Katana, Scythe.
  • A Tier: Knife, Trowel, Battle Axe, Spear.
  • B Tier: Chainsaw, Fists, Riot Shield.
  • C Tier: Maul.

Katana earns S Tier through defense rather than raw melee damage: its deflect can punish predictable gunfire and buy the moment needed to swap weapons. Scythe earns the same placement through movement. Its dash closes space, breaks a bad angle, or helps a close-range loadout start the fight it wants.

Knife offers a simple damage-and-movement option. Trowel builds cover, Battle Axe has a wide attack, and Spear can be thrown. Update 21 gave Riot Shield a 500-health limit. Maul keeps its earlier C-tier placement here, but Update 22 increased its reach and changed slamming to a held Ability input.

First-person RIVALS view with a curved blue knife while approaching an opponent holding a rifle.
Knife needs a close approach. Keep a ranged weapon ready when an opponent can see you coming.

Utility Weapon Tier List

  • S Tier: Medkit, Grenade.
  • A Tier: Grappler, Smoke Grenade, Freeze Ray, Molotov, Satchel, War Horn.
  • B Tier: Jump Pad, Flashbang, Subspace Tripmine, Warpstone.

Medkit is the most universal choice because recovering health can rescue a round without asking for a particular map. Grenade is free and immediately useful for cover pressure. Grappler, Jump Pad, and Warpstone can be stronger when movement decides the duel, but their value depends on routes, timing, and whether the player can turn the new angle into damage.

Smoke Grenade protects a revive, retreat, or lane crossing. Molotov and Satchel deny space, while War Horn becomes more valuable as the team grows. Freeze Ray still creates a strong follow-up window, but Update 21 gives the target damage reduction for one second after thawing, so freezing an opponent no longer guarantees the same immediate burst.

Best Weapons for PC, Mobile, and Console

Mouse and keyboard usually gives the most control for sustained tracking, fast swaps, and projectile leading. Controller and touch players may prefer weapons that turn aim assistance and shorter engagements into reliable damage, but the answer changes with the player’s sensitivity, crosshair, and frame rate.

The RIVALS best settings guide separates PC, mobile, and controller recommendations. Fixing a poor sensitivity or unstable frame rate can improve the free Assault Rifle more than changing to a higher tier weapon.

Best Weapons for Ranked and Different Maps

  • Tight maps: Shotgun, Uzi, Scythe, and close-control Utilities gain value because opponents have fewer safe escape routes.
  • Open maps: Sniper, Crossbow, Assault Rifle, and Smoke Grenade handle long sightlines and exposed crossings.
  • 1v1: cover the full range yourself. A narrow specialist build leaves no teammate to repair its weakness.
  • 4v4 and 5v5: War Horn, area damage, healing, and lane control improve because several players can act on the opening.

Ranked also changes the environment around the loadout. The RIVALS ranked guide explains the current requirements, ELO structure, input rules, and weapon-ban system. A strong ranked setup needs a replacement ready when its central weapon is banned.

Earlier Changes: Update 21

These are the earlier changes behind the tier placements. Read the Update 22 notes above alongside them, especially for Minigun, Permafrost, Burst Rifle and Maul.

  • Primary winners: Shotgun gained damage, Sniper gained a larger hitbox, and Paintball Gun received faster projectiles.
  • Secondary changes: Uzi became more accurate, Daggers and Shorty equip faster, and Exogun received slightly more spread.
  • Control changes: Permafrost and Freeze Ray targets receive brief protection after thawing, and Riot Shield now has finite health.
  • Trade-offs: Update 21 increased Burst Rifle’s reload time and brought damage falloff closer. It also added Minigun’s movement-accuracy penalty, which Update 22 subsequently reduced.

Special-mode items such as Scepter, Glass Cannon, Glast Shard, Elixir and RNG Dice are excluded from the normal-loadout tiers.

Roblox RIVALS Weapon FAQ

Is the Assault Rifle really the best gun?

It is the best all-round recommendation, not the highest ceiling in every duel. Sniper can decide an open-map round with one accurate shot, Permafrost adds control, and Shotgun is stronger at point-blank range. Assault Rifle wins on consistency and costs nothing.

Is Permafrost worth 600 Keys?

Permafrost is worth considering after the account already has flexible Secondary, Melee, and Utility options. It is a powerful control Primary, but buying it first can leave the other three slots underdeveloped. A player who still needs Uzi, Scythe, Smoke Grenade, or Medkit will usually gain more flexibility by filling those gaps first.

What is the best Utility weapon?

Medkit is the safest general answer because healing works on nearly every map. Grenade is the best free choice, Smoke Grenade is better for vision control, and Grappler has the highest movement value when the map offers useful routes.

How many weapons are in RIVALS?

The community weapon catalog now lists 55 entries, including Wildcat and Explosive Barrel. That is not a count of 55 normal loadout weapons: the catalog also includes special-mode items and entries without a loadout slot. The 48 ranked choices above come from the Update 21 roster.

The RIVALS game page has more guides for the game. The practical starting point remains simple: keep the Assault Rifle, buy a Secondary or movement tool that fixes a real weakness, and change the Primary only when the new weapon suits the maps and fights you actually choose.