I can’t stop using this iconic Call of Duty weapon in Battlefield 6

Ever since dropping into that rain-soaked Estonian freighter in the opening chapter of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s campaign, the humble MP5 has held a special place in my heart.

It’s an ol' reliable weapon that suits Call of Duty’s close-quarters combat to a tee, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that its Battlefield 6 equivalent – the PW5A3 – is an absolute ripper too.

Unlocked at rank 6, this early-game SMG boasts 25 damage, a 771 rate of fire, and a 30-round magazine in its base configuration, making it one of the more well-rounded weapons in its class (and indeed Battlefield 6 as a whole). While the SGX has a higher rate of fire (830), the PW5A3 feels more usable at mid-to-long range, given its near-total lack of recoil.

Seriously: stick a muzzle brake and a vertical grip on this thing, and it does not move when picking off targets from afar, while the 50MW Blue Laser turns the PW5A3 into a hipfire champion in tight spaces.

I’ve found myself using it as much in Conquest as I have in small-scale modes like Domination and King of the Hill, which is a testament to its versatility (note that using the PW5A3 as an Engineer will further boost its hipfire accuracy).

TechRadar sister site PC Gamer has an entire article dedicated to the best PW5A3 loadout, so I won’t bore you with my personal setup here (which I change every few matches anyway), but as long as you’re running with a muzzle brake, a vertical or stubby grip, and some form of laser, I’m confident that you too will be surprised by the performance of the PW5A3 versus more popular early-game weapons like the M4A1 and SGX.

Another thing: the Saguaro camo (unlocked at weapon level 30) is an absolute doozy (see the image above), and it’s much more interesting than any of the three camos you’ll unlock by leveling up the M4A1 (namely Twilight, Sherwood, and Stratum).

It’s also nice that, in Battlefield 6, the PW5A3 isn’t quickly overshadowed by better, higher-level SMGs; the MP5 is a Call of Duty icon, but nobody was running with it after unlocking guns like the MP7 and P90 – at least in the earlier titles.

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And to be clear, I’m well aware that the PW5A3 isn’t some genius sleeper pick in Battlefield 6. The M4A1 feels like the most popular in-game gun because it's another well-rounded weapon that’s available even earlier, but the merits of the PW5A3 are very much known among Battlefield players.

Just check out some of the comments under this absolutely crazy in-game testing sheet posted by one Reddit user “The PW5A3 feels like the best gun. It may not be statistically, but it's the only gun I feel I never need to tap fire with, and it's rock steady even when strafing"; “I've been using the PW5A3 almost exclusively lately and it's a laser beam; “The PW5A3 is by far the best gun.” I approve all of these messages.

In a strange way, the PW5A3 has also made me appreciate that Battlefield 6 is a brilliant small-scale shooter as well as an obviously excellent large-scale one. As mentioned, I’ve been using the gun across all of Battlefield’s multiplayer modes, but because it’s easier to level up an SMG on smaller maps, I’ve spent more time in vehicle-free modes like Domination than I thought I would when I first picked up the game.

Yes, Battlefield is absolutely at its best when parachuting away from a building that’s just been struck by a fighter jet missile, but – brace yourself! – there’s something to be said for the comforting solidity of the quicker, Call of Duty-like modes in this year’s game.

Anyway, that’s an opinion for another day. Get grinding the PW5A3 in Battlefield 6 – you won’t regret it, soldier.

The best PS5 games going right now

➡️ Read our full guide to the best PS5 games
1. Best overall:
God of War Ragnarok
2. Best soulslike:
Elden Ring
3. Best superhero:
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
4. Superb open-world:
Horizon Forbidden West
5. A Kojima banger
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
6. Best multiplayer:
Helldivers 2