Machine guns in Battlefield 6 switch power over reach for unparalleled ease of use. This weapon class has the least amount of recoil in the game, and that's still the case even after the recoil adjustment has passed Battlefield 6 has received over the past two seasons. You really can't go wrong choosing any of the SMGs, but if you want to find something that fits your playstyle, here's a guide that covers all of them based on their preferred engagement distance.
Best SMGs in Battlefield 6 Season 3 Overview
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Best close range SMGs |
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Best SMG in the middle class |
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To keep the rankings fair, I've divided the SMGs BF6 in two brackets based on their intended engagement distance. You can technically use and find success with these weapons outside of their intended use cases, but they will almost always be superior to the others when used in the scenarios they were specifically made for.
SCW-10
Despite some nerfs about its recoil behavior, the SCW-10 still reigns supreme as the best SMG in BF6 thanks to its accuracy and stopping power. You will experience a bit more horizontal recoil on this gun compared to previous seasons, but the difference really isn't that noticeable.
What makes the SCW-10 stand out from the other SMGs at close range is its 8 meter three shot range. This little gun packs a very mean punch, and if you catch someone in that danger zone, you'll send them to the rebuild screen faster than the average human reflex time can process things. The SCW-10's small starting magazine is a valid source of concern, but after playing around with it I found it's not a big deal as long as you're taking isolated duels.
CZ3A1
Speaking of reflexes, the CZ3A1 ties the SCW-10 for best SMG i BF6 thanks to it's insanely fast time to kill and decent reliability over range. While it doesn't have the SCW-10's three-shot kill range, it can still knock someone down in about 0.18 seconds at 8 meters thanks to its blistering 981 RPM rate of fire. The CZ3A1 has a noticeably more erratic recoil than the SCW-10, but you can mitigate this by switching to burst fire mode for the longer ranges.
Low TTK weapons like the CZ3A1 are especially good in RedSec and Gauntlet matches, where the average TTK is higher than in vanilla multiplayer.
SGX
The ever-reliable SGX functions much like a pocket-sized M433 Assault Rifle — both guns share the same rate of fire and damage per bullet, although the SGX has significantly lower recoil, muzzle velocity, and effective range. With the right accessories, you can reduce this SMG's recoil so much that it will feel like it's barely firing at all, making it an extremely lethal option that doesn't make the same compromises that the CZ3A1 and SCW-10 do. Slap an extended barrel and 6H64 grip on the SGX and it will outperform even mid-range SMG options at 20-40m range.
Before we go any further, remember that the muzzle velocity values for all BF6 SMGs are very bad. While they all have high accuracy and low recoil, the slow bullets they spit out make hitting moving targets at a distance more difficult than usual.
USG90
While the USG90 doesn't kill as quickly as the three SMGs mentioned above, it does have an ace up its sleeve: a standard 50-round magazine. The USG90 is great for flanking large groups of enemies thanks to its massive magazine, so if you're the type who loves to run around the enemy backline looking for the perfect opportunity, you might want to bring this weapon.
KV9
The KV9 closely matches the SCW-10's TTKbut it doesn't quite have the same level of ease of use. The weapon's decent damage and extreme rate of fire make it a nightmare to handle at close range, and its built-in burst-fire mode allows it to hit targets further away without much hassle as well.
However, The KV9's small base magazine size of 17 and 1080 rpm requires you to be perfectly precise when fighting. Otherwise, you might end up dumping all your bullets into a wall instead of someone's face. You'll also be doing a lot more reloading than shooting, making this weapon strong, but awkward to use.
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PW5A3
The PW5A3 is the M16A4 of SMGs i BF6. It shares the same 25 DMG/771 RPM damage profilebut with a lot lower recoil and range. In a head-to-head fight, a PW5A3 user will almost always lose to someone using one of the aforementioned SMGs, but thanks to this weapon's high accuracy and almost non-existent recoil, you'll have a much easier time shooting anyone at any range.
It is also worth noting that The PW5A3 has access to synthetic tip ammunitionwhich greatly increases outgoing headshot damage. If you can land headshots using the PW5A3's extremely gentle firing behavior, you will overcome many of the other guns in BF6.
PW7A2
The PW7A2 is the smaller cousin of the PW5A3 that trades power for a significantly faster rate of fire of 947 rpm. Due to only dealing a maximum of 16 damage, this SMG will kill slower than others, but if you can use Synthetic Tips and aim for headshots, you'll have a better chance of winning head-to-head fights regardless.
Total, The PW7A2 feels a lot like the PW5A3albeit on the slower side in terms of raw TTK values. Using this gun can feel a little strange at first, given the sheer number of bullets you need to send to someone's chest to score a kill, but once you get the hang of it, the PW7A2 is a reliable choice for players who want a good mid-range SMG.
SL9
The SL9 is one of the slower firing SMGs in the BF6, and much like the PW7A2, it will take some getting used to using this one. Despite its accuracy and negligible recoil, the SL9's slow rate of fire and similar damage profile to other SMGs means it will always lose to the pistols in its category, especially since all the other SMGs also have fairly low recoil values.
The SL9 is purpose-built for mid-range (ie between 20-40 meters), but since the damage drops to 17 with the 21-meter range, killing targets that far away will feel extremely sluggish. Then you might as well use an Assault Rifle or an LMG.
UMG-40
The UMG-40 suffers from the same awkwardness as the SL9 — despite having excellent mid-range handling stats, this SMG simply takes too long to kill targets. The PW5A3 and PW7A2 both outperform the UMG-40 at medium range, and even more so at close range, where it will be eaten by pretty much anything, including the SL9.
It's worth noting that the UMG-40 deals 17 damage at ~75 meters, and you can absolutely beam people from that far away without letting go of the trigger. However, since the UMG-40's bullets travel so slowly, hitting moving targets with it from medium range will be a challenge, but you can definitely make it work as long as you're sneaky about it.
- Released
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10 October 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-App Purchases, User Interaction
- Developer
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Battlefield Studios
