The most important thing you should consider when creating a loadout for Warzone is versatility. This often means you will carry an LMG or something similar for medium/long-distance fights and an SMG for close range. Here’s our ranking of the best SMG in Warzone, in the form of a tier list.
Best SMGs for Warzone
| Tier | Weapons |
| S | Fennec 45, WSP Swarm, Striker |
| A | WSP-9, Vaznev-9K, Striker 9, Rival-9, ISO 9mm, VEL 46 |
| B | Lachmann Sub, PDSW 528, AMR9, BAS-P, ISO 45 |
| C | FSS Hurricane, MX9, Minibak, Lachmann Shroud |
SMGs are the best close-quarters weapons in Warzone. Their time to kill overshadows both shotguns and pistols, and they are much less punishing if you miss a few shots during a spray. When choosing which SMG to use, the most important things to look for are good TTK, mag size, and recoil stats.
Here is our list based on those criteria:
C Tier Warzone SMGs
The C tier is where the underwhelming bunch resides. Hurricane, MX9, Shroud, and Minibak weren’t good in Warzone 2.0 and still aren’t even in the current game. Every other SMG in the game does what they do, just better, so there is no justification to use them besides their visuals.
Lachmann Shroud
Lachmann Shroud, a version of MP5SD bought off Wish, is the very antithesis of a good SMG. It has an abysmal fire rate, coupled with low damage, and you get a TTK of over 1 second. It’s probably one of the worst guns in the game. The only thing it has going for it is an integrated suppressor, saving you a mod slot. It’s not worth it if you ask me.
FSS Hurricane
FSS Hurricane has been at the bottom of every SMG tier list for a long time now. It tries to be a combination of an AR and an SMG but fails to be good at either of those things. If you want a close-range shredder, almost every other option on this list is better.
MINIBAK
Minibak is probably the 2nd worst SMG in the game right now. After it got nerfed about a year ago, it became a peashooter. Besides the big default mag, this gun has absolutely nothing going for it over its competition.
MX9
When it first appeared in Modern Warfare, this 9mm A3 AUG replica was a respectable weapon. It had no recoil and was a true mid-range monster, which was really good for MP maps. In Warzone, though, the mid-range is dominated by LMGs, leaving you with few reasons to use this gun.
B Tier Warzone SMGs
You should consider the SMGs from this tier as viable but still not good enough to warrant carrying them over any of the A or S-tier guns. Lachmann Sub even used to be the meta SMG in the past but falls in comparison to the more recent weapons.
AMR9
AMR9 is a unique SMG, to say the least. It has the slowest sprint-to-fire transition of all the weapons on this list, making it feel very clunky. It’s still a relatively good SMG for medium range, but guns such as WSP-9 and BAS-P are simply better.
PDSW 528
Of all the SMGs with high default magazine capacities, PDSW 528 is by far the best. The big issue with this gun is its modding options, though. When fully modified, every A or S tier gun easily compensates for the smaller starting mags and then runs this P90 clone over with all of their extra stats.
BAS-P
BAS-P has the longest range of any SMG in the game. This is certainly handy to have, but not on an SMG. It can be good as a secondary if you are carrying a sniper, but if your primary weapon is an LMG or an AR, any other gun on this list easily beats BAS-P.
Lachmann Sub
MP5 used to be one of the coolest guns in the game, at least for me, but it’s just a B-tier jack-of-all-trades master of none type of gun nowadays. It has nice-looking mods, and it sure looks pretty all decked out, but that’s about as much as this gun can do.
ISO 45
Well, if it isn’t the ISO 9mm’s chubby brother. ISO 45 is actually a fairly decent gun, but compared to the 9mm version, Striker or Striker 9, it’s just a bit worse. If any of those three guns weren’t in the game, ISO 45 would easily be A tier.
A Tier Warzone SMGs
If you have one of these already unlocked, know that they are very good and you should use them. WSP-9, VEL 46, and ISO 9mm are probably the best options, and they can hold their ground even against the most overpowered SMGs.
Striker 9
The 45 ACP Striker might overshadow the Striker 9, but it’s still a solid gun. Since they share the same platform, you can also use all the mods you unlocked for the Striker on this one. Damage-wise, it outperforms its cousin, but due to its handling, Striker 9 belongs to the A tier.
Vaznev-9K
Not many Russian SMGs acquire mainstream popularity, but Izhmash nailed it with PP-19. The MW2 version of this gun, Vaznev-9K, is available in Warzone and is a solid contender for the best A-tier SMG. It has very low recoil and behaves like a laser at a short distance.
Rival-9
Skorpion EVO 3 came back to the CoD franchise in MW3 and was rebranded as the Rival-9. It features a superb rate of fire and a fairly decent damage profile over longer ranges. The only reason it isn’t in the S tier is its lackluster DPS.
VEL 46
VEL 46 is a rebranded MP7 and one of the best guns in the old MW3. It remains reasonably viable in today’s Warzone meta as well due to its good mods, recoil, and damage. Another thing worth considering is that it has one of the fastest TTKs in the game on paper.
WSP-9
WSP-9 is Swarm’s bulky brother. It features a slower rate of fire but trades that with higher base damage and better range. Although it’s in A tier, WSP-9 is the best SMG in the game for medium-distance engagements and works great if coupled with a sniper.
ISO 9mm
ISO 9mm is a smaller version of a Fennec 45 with slightly worse stats. Honestly, the only reason it’s in the A tier and not in S is because Fennec exists. Don’t let this discourage you from using it, though, as it’s still a top-class SMG in Warzone.
S Tier Warzone SMGs
All three of the S-tier guns are currently considered best in slot when it comes to close-range combat in Warzone. If you played a lot of Warzone 2.0, you probably have Fennec leveled already, and the other two guns are absolutely worth investing time in.
Striker
The UMP45 is back in MW3, and its name is Striker. UMP is one of the all-time fan-favorite SMGs for a very good reason. It possesses an extremely well-balanced list of stats, making it the most versatile SMG in the game, and this translates to Warzone as well.
WSP Swarm
WSP Swarm, as its name suggests, is a real short-range stinger. Tied for the highest RPM in the game and with excellent recoil and damage, Swarm is an all-around god-tier SMG. It’s a weapon that came with MW3, and it should be on your priority list when it comes to grinding new SMGs.
Fennec 45
Fennec 45 is the ultimate lead-spitter in Warzone. It has excellent mod options, a great rate of fire, and one of the lowest TTKs in the game. Like every other gun in the S tier, the Fennec has basically zero downsides and is one of the most meta weapons in the game right now.
Now that you know which best SMGs in Warzone to use and which to avoid, taking your game to the next level should be much easier. Another thing you should choose before queuing is your priority landing zones for the new Urzikistan map. Find all other info about maps, weapons, and equipment in Warzone on the links we provided below.
