Apex Legends weapons tier list: The best guns in 2026

The weaponry in Apex Legends received a major overhaul in early 2025, and the loot pool is always undergoing balancing updates to provide a fair experience across the board.

We’ve created a comprehensive tier list featuring every weapon in Season 26 of Apex Legends, along with an in-depth look at why each weapon earned its spot in our ranking.

Tier lists offer a simple way to understand which weapons are the best of the best, and which ones aren’t worth your time. Since Apex Legends releases a new season every few months, it’s important to take into account the changing patch notes. The meta shifts monthly, so check out our tier list below to learn about the best weapons in Season 26 of Apex Legends.

Season 27 of Apex is full of powerful guns, and quite a few weapons received tweaks at the beginning of August. Our list ranks the best weapons in Apex Legends as of January 2026.

In Season 27, there are dozens of guns to pick up and use on the FPS battlefield. The best guns are those that have a quick time to kill (TTK), while not compromising on secondary stats, like recoil and reload speed. Each weapon is unique, and there are viable options for every weapon type in Apex Legends.

Alternator SMG, Bocek Compound Bow, Kraber, Sentine

Shockingly, the Alternator SMG, a weapon that should have been avoided in Season 26, has become one of the best Apex Legends weapons thanks to a series of buffs, with increased damage, mag size, and double-tap hop-up. It’s the top SMG this season.

The Bocek Compound Bow remains a great stealth option, although those looking for something with a bit more pezazz need not look much further than the Sentinel. It has incredible charged shot damage, no matter the range, and while the projectile size nerf has affected it, it is still very strong.

Those who want to only fight at long range should grab the Kraber as soon as possible. It’s the highest damage rifle, the best sniper, and the most rewarding for landing headshots.

Whether you need a sniper rifle or an SMG, S-Tier is where we’ve placed the best weapons in Apex Legends: Season 26.

Havoc, C.A.R. SMG, Triple Take, R301, Peacekeeper, RE-45, R99, G7 Scout

A-Tier weapons are nothing to sniff at when you get them, and while they don’t pack the same punch as the S-Tier, they can still be some of the best options in a game. For instance, the Peacemaker is an exceptional shotgun, especially for hip firing due to its wide spread. The R99 is one of the best SMGs thanks to its high DPS, RPM, and reload speed. The C.A.R is great for similar reasons, along with melting shields.

Then there’s something like the R301, with its low recoil and stable beams, making it an exceptionally accurate rifle for ranked. The Triple Take is also a great semi-auto rifle that is great at close and long ranges, while the G7 Scour is brilliant at mid ranges. Those looking for something that fires faster, the Havoc is a strong option. The RE-45 is one of the best sidearms and deserves a place in your loadouts.

A-Tier contains some of the most power-packed guns in Apex Legends, but they’re overshadowed by the weapons in S-Tier due to stat values and a lack of unique functionalities.

Nemesis, Wingman, Volt SMG, Flatline, Mastiff, P2020

B-Tiers don’t shine like the best weapons in Apex Legends, but they are reliable and can get the job done. The Nemesis is effective at mid-ranges when charged and fires smoothly, while the Wingman has high hit power, although it is more demanding for its reward compared to higher-tiered weapons.

The Flatline has high damage and is reliable, but its recoil makes it a tougher version of the R301 to use. That sort of sums up most B-Tiers. While they’re solid, there are better options, such as the Volt SMG, which is easy to use at close range, but just doesn’t hold a candle to something like the Alternator, lacking precision.

As you can see, B-Tier guns often come equipped with special features, but they also usually have at least one major combat disadvantage.

30-30 Repeater, Devotion, Spitfire, L-Star, Longbow, Hemlock, Mozambique (Single and Dual)

C-Tiers can be useful, but are typically considered below average, usually having a drawback, making them less reliable than the better weapons above. For instance, the L-Star can be a functional weapon in the right hands, but for energy weapons, it finds itself outclassed by the RE-45 and even the Volt. The Longbow can still hit hard, but with its slow bullet speed and heavy drop, it just isn’t as useful as it could be.

The Hemlock is a burst rifle that is high risk, and while it can work in a simple fight where you only need basic shots to get it done, when things start getting more complicated, the Hemlock can let you down. These guns just tend to have less value and are usually dropped for something better, but if you have nothing else on hand, C-Tiers will function.

C-Tier guns aren’t the bottom of the barrel, but there are almost always better options in the loot pool.

EVA-8, Charge Rifle, Prowler, Rampage

D-Tier weapons are thankfully not all too common in Apex Legends, but they should still be avoided. These weapons just don’t hit hard enough and lack the safety to be worth the risk, considering how low the reward is. The Charge Rifle needs to be charged, as the name suggests, only to produce low damage and slow tracking.

The EVA-8 is just a weak shotgun, needing you to be point-blank to be of any use. The Prowler requires a lot of skill to use with its burst, but the burst delay means that missing can be fatal. The Rampage needs thermite, is weak at close range, and without reverse hipfire, it languishes at the bottom of our Apex Legends weapons tier list.

For fans of a specific weapon type, we’ve created this brief table to help you identify which gun might be right for you.

The recent balancing of Apex’s arsenal and the continued updates to legends throughout 2025 have rejuvenated Respawn’s FPS in a major way, as there are now tons of guns that are viable for competitive play.

Our tier list can help you digest which guns are worth using in Season 27 and which should be avoided this January. Whether you like close combat or the rush of a ranged sniper rifle, Apex Legends is full of powerful weapons, but only you can choose which gun is right for you.