Submachine guns are extremely effective in Battlefield 6 thanks to their quick fire rates and low recoil values. They are much easier to use than assault rifles and carbines in close quarters, but due to their slower projectiles, hitting moving targets from far away is going to be a challenge.
There are quite a few SMGs in Battlefield 6, and if you're looking for something that fits your playstyle the most, here's a ranked list that pits each SMG in the game against each other, ranking them based on their performance according to their intended niche.
Best Battlefield 6 Gameplay Settings (Sensitivity & More)
Looking to sharpen your aim in Battlefield 6 and get the optimal settings? Here are the best Gameplay and Sensitivity Settings to use.
Best Submachine Guns in Battlefield 6
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We're going to do things a little differently here compared to our other ranked weapon lists. The performance of SMGs in Battlefield 6 differ wildly based on their intended engagement distance — it would be unfair to compare a mid-ranged SMG like the UMG-40 to the close-ranged KV9, so we've decided to separate this list into two different ones based on SMG classification.
Best Mid Range SMGs in Battlefield 6
There are four weapons classified as Mid Range SMGs in the game so far, and they all feature incredibly stable recoil patterns, decent accuracy when firing in full auto, and solid TTK values up to 40 meters.
PW5A3
The PW5A3 takes the cake as the best SMG in BF6 because of how easy it is to use. With the right attachments, it turns into a laser beam that can melt people at close-medium range. It won't take long before you can get the best PW5A3 build in BF6 either, as most of its best attachments can be unlocked fairly early on.
All Mid Range SMGs in the game perform well, but the PW5A3 tends to perform better in close quarters compared to the rest. It's the most versatile weapon in its category, and it's likely to keep its place at the top
PW7A2
This SMG is very similar to the PW5A3 in terms of recoil and TTK values. It can kill just as quickly as the PW5 at ranges of 10 meters and beyond, with a close-range TTK of 0.31 and 0.38 at 10 and 40 meters respectively. Both weapons also have insanely low recoil, making the two comparable in nearly all respects.
What keeps the PW7A2 from stealing the top spot is its fire rate. It shoots at 971 RPM, dealing ~16.5 damage at most and 14 at the very least. This translates to a 6-7 bullet-to-kill value, making it less ammo efficient than its bigger cousin. This isn't that big of a drawback, though, and both PW SMGs have access to 40-round mags and Synthetic Tips anyway.
The PW7A2 has the highest muzzle velocity out of all SMGs by default, and as such, it is easier to use this against moving targets at medium range compared to the others.
SL9
The SL9 fires more slowly than either of the weapons above, but its recoil is virtually non-existent even without attachments. Damage-wise, it has almost the same values as the PW5A3, with both weapons doing the same damage to targets at the same distance breakpoints. This makes the SL9 inferior as far as TTK is concerned — its fastest TTK is 0.35 at 10 meters, and its lowest is 0.53 at 80 meters.
One thing worth mentioning about the SL9 is its high Precision stat. This SMG is less affected by bloom in BF6 compared to its peers, making it suitable for sustained fire at medium range.
UMG-40
The UMG-40 has the slowest fire rate among the BF6 SMGs, but it also has the longest effective range. This weapon can kill a target from 60 meters away with six body shots, clocking in at an optimal TTK value of 0.47s. This may not seem like much, but when you factor in the UMG-40's high full-auto accuracy, this gun can outperform even carbines and assault rifles in BF6 from 40 to 60 meters away without being forced to burst-fire.
Still, the UMG-40 is somewhat pigeonholed into those 40–60-meter gunfights, making it a lot less versatile than the others. You can still use it for CQB, but unless you're actively going for headshots, you'll likely get outgunned.
Best Close Range SMGs in Battlefield 6
As their classification suggests, Close Range SMGs are built to shred people in CQB. Very few weapons can compete with these guns at their intended ranges, but as such, they tend to struggle when shooting at moving targets from far away.
KV9
In terms of pure lethality, the KV9 is the strongest SMG in Battlefield 6. With a whopping 1080 RPM and a max damage value of 25, the KV9 can kill a man in 0.16 seconds, the fastest out of any gun in the game bar shotguns and sniper rifles. To make it even better, its recoil is so low that it can be used for effective burst-firing at longer ranges.
The biggest downside of the KV9 is its magazine size. It only has 17 bullets by default, and the biggest mag you can unlock only holds up to 27 bullets. Getting multi-kills with the KV9 is going to be a tall order, and with its extreme fire rate, you risk missing many of your mag's limited bullets if your aim is off.
SGX
The SGX is the most well-rounded of all the Close Range SMGs. Its recoil is low, its accuracy is good, and it feels great to shoot. The SGX has the same optimal TTK value as the M433 in BF6, a gun that's notoriously good for fighting at close range.
There's almost nothing bad to say about the SGX. You can use it even for medium-ranged fights if you tap fire correctly, though its low bullet velocity makes it far from ideal when it comes to shooting at anyone past 40 meters. It does suffer from a lengthy reload time, though.
USG-90
While this gun may not kill as quickly as the KV9 and SGX, it makes up for that lost lethality by having a large, 50 round magazine. The USG-90 is designed for chaining kills together, and if you're playing on the smaller maps in Battlefield 6, this can prove to be a very reliable gun for when enemies start pouring in from everywhere.
The USG-90's horizontal kick is a bit more harsh compared to the rest of the SMGs, and even burst-firing can lead to missed shots from long distances. It also cannot take foregrip attachments, preventing you from maximizing recoil reduction.
SCW-10
The SCW-10 is the hardest-hitting SMG in the game. It's the only one with a max damage value of ~33.4, which means it's the only SMG that can kill targets in three hits to the body. Unfortunately, this 3-hit-kill distance is very limited, and unless you're directly next to your target (roughly 5–8 meters away), you'll be killing in four body hits regardless.
Four bullets to kill someone is still very good for an SMG, but this is where the SCW-10's biggest hurdle comes in: its magazine size. By default, it comes equipped with a 15-round mag, and you can upgrade this to a maximum of 25 rounds. The latter unlocks at Rank 25, which means you'll be spending a lot of time using the SCW-10 with a miniscule magazine. To make matters worse, the gun's base reload speed sits at 2.6 seconds, which is almost as long as the SGX and SL9.
Battlefield 6
- Released
- October 10, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-App Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Battlefield Studios
- Publisher(s)
- EA
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Cross Save
- Via EA Account
- Franchise
- Battlefield
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- PC Release Date
- October 10, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 10, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- October 10, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- How Long To Beat
- 6 hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 87.44 GB
