Using the strongest weapons can give you a huge advantage in Battlefield 2042; the balance is far from perfect right now... So make sure you don't get caught out picking trash! Here's a complete ranking of every assault rifle.
Battlefield 2042 has a lot of depth and diversity in its gameplay, but there's always going to be one question that, when you get down to it, is first on every gamer's mind: what's the best weapon? What weapon should you put the time into leveling? Don't worry, we're the same. That's why we've broken down the best weapons in the game in our complete guide to the BF2042 meta. But in this article, we're going to go on a deep dive, and rank every assault rifle in Battlefield 2042. Enjoy!
What Are The Best Assault Rifles In Battlefield 2042?
4. AK-24
We've got to be clear up front here: the AK-24 is not a bad weapon, on the contrary, it's a very good weapon. But all the assault rifles in Battlefield 2042 are strong (maybe even too strong by comparison to other weapon classes). And so there had to be one that was the worst. The problem with the AK is that it's doing the same job as a ton of other weapons, including marksman rifles, and it just doesn't do that job well enough to justify taking it over other options.
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- The Best Marksman Rifles In Battlefield 2042
3. SFAR-M GL
We could be wrong about the SFAR-M, but the only viable way to build it right now is to go for the extra rounds, so you can get more than 20. The problem is that this comes at a heavy handling cost, so it plays almost like an LMG. It's still a solid weapon though, don't get us wrong, and it hits like a truck, so it's worth you leveling. We would just have liked to see a bit more variation in how you can build it.
2. AC-42
The AC-42 is the final unlock, so you won't be able to play with it immediately, but when you do get it unlocked, we can absolutely advise you to level this puppy. It has a wonderfully versatile array of possible attachments to use, and if you go to our setup guide on the weapon, you can see three separate and distinct builds that result in wildly different stats. It's not just that you can customize this weapon, though, it's in second place because it makes for such a controllable long-range option. Why isn't it in the first place, then? It's burst fire, and this means it just can't bring enough firepower for the objective pushes. Simple as that.
1. M5A3
This was hugely popular in the beta, and it's no different in the full release. The M5A3 can't handle the longer distances that are so common in Battlefield as well as other assault rifles, but you can give it some great mobility. This gives it a unique place in the game; the SMGS are too limited by their range, and the ARs aren't strong enough in close combat, but the M5A3 can bridge that gap. Other, better, weapons might fill this role in DLC quite easily, but for now, the M5A3 sits in a very nice position within the meta.
Battlefield 2042 AR Stats Comparison
| Firepower | Accuracy | Range | Handling | Rank | |
| AC-42 | 50 | 56 | 54 | 50 | 1 |
| M5A3 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 2 |
| SFAR-M GL | 65 | 48 | 52 | 36 | 3 |
| AK-24 | 52 | 46 | 60 | 48 | 4 |
That's it for our roundup of the best assault rifles in Battlefield 2042. We're pretty sure that balance will improve, but as we said at the start, picking the right weapons is crucial to success right now. There are some real duds and there are some broken beauties. Hopefully, we've helped you pick the latter. Good luck out there!