SMGs in Battlefield 5 are suited for players who never shy away from the intensity of close-quarter combat. With a strong emphasis on a high rate of fire and quick maneuverability, the submachine guns align well with the strengths of the Medic class - those who need to get into the thick of the battle to provide assistance to their teammates.

With that said, whenever things kick up a notch in close-ranged firefights, SMGs are very reliable thanks to their short time-to-kill statistics. Looking at some of those numbers, this list ranks the best SMGs and outlines their unique specialties to give newcomers and series veterans key insights into the current meta of this weapon class.

Related

Battlefield 5: The Four Best Loadouts For Each Class

If you want to excel in Battlefield 5, you're going to need to know the best loadout for your chosen class.

5 MP28

High Hip-Fire Accuracy

• Rate of Fire: 670 RPM
• Damage: 25.1 - 12.0

The MP28 submachine gun is unlocked upon reaching rank 10 of the Medic class. Having both a decent fire rate (670 rpm) and magazine capacity (30 rounds), the MP28 performs reliably in a range of up to 30 meters with little damage drop-off. Even though the ROF is slower compared to some of the other SMGs on the list, and the MP28 is not the best when it comes to horizontal recoil, players can make their shots count, especially when opting for greater hip-fire accuracy.

The left path of MP28’s specialization tree has modifications, including Polished Actions and Enhanced Grips, allowing users to decrease hip-fire spread, increase its range and reduce penalties for continuously firing without aiming down sights. This makes MP28 a great option for Battlefield 5 players who are fond of making quick run-and-gun maneuvers.

4 M3 Grease Gun

Suppressed Gunfire And Fewest Rounds To Kill

• Rate of Fire: 450 RPM
• Damage: 33.4 - 13.5

The M3 Grease Gun comes at a premium with 1700 Company Coins required for unlocking this SMG. The gun has the lowest ROF (450 rpm) among others in this weapon class, but it makes more than up for it by providing the highest damage per bullet with very little recoil. This means only up to 3 body shots within 20 meters would be enough for a kill.

Most importantly, though, what makes the M3 Grease Gun worthy of being seen as one of the best SMGs in Battlefield 5 is its Suppressor modification, which is unlocked upon reaching tier 4 in the left path of the specialization tree for the weapon. With suppressed gunfire, the M3 Grease Gun will not give any visual cues of directional damage on the opponent’s screen when they are hit with its bullets. This makes the M3 Grease Gun particularly useful for Medics who will often find themselves in flanking situations.

3 Suomi KP/-31

High Rate Of Fire And Strong Damage Profile

• Rate of Fire: 770 RPM
• Damage: 25.1 - 12.0

Suomi KP/-31 is unlocked at level 1 of the Medic class. It is one of the faster SMGs with a high ROF (770 rpm), which can even be further increased to a monstrous 981 rpm with Light Bolt specialization. Only very few weapons will stand a chance against Suomi KP/-31 in close-range combat. This comes at the cost of noticeable vertical recoil akin to other SMGs but also with a low magazine size of 20 bullets.

Related

Battlefield 5: The Best Vehicles, Ranked

Battlefield 5 is known for its amazing content with vehicles, gadgets and weapons, giving players an abundance of content to choose from.

To mitigate the small ammo count, players will find it better to opt for the Extended Magazines specialization, which brings the magazine size to 50 bullets, making long gunfights way more manageable. Suomi KP/-31 makes for a decent starting SMG that players can get familiar with from the get-go to circumvent the drawbacks in the recoil department and then acquire specialization later for ammunition upgrade.

2 ZK-383

High Versatility And Incredible Stability

• Rate of Fire: 714 RPM
• Damage: 25.1 - 12.0

The ZK-383 is redeemed for 1700 Company Coins. This submachine gun is unique in the sense that it provides a fairly balanced performance in close and mid-range combat with minimal damage drop-off thanks to its high stability and accuracy. The bipod attachment is just another added benefit that greatly decreases weapon sway. A weakness of ZK-383, however, falls in the territory of ROF (514 rpm), but this can be improved drastically by acquiring the Light Bolt specialization for 720 rpm. Players who continue on this left path of the specialization tree can increase ZK-383’s effectiveness in close-ranged encounters with Quick Reload and Lightened Stock.

Conversely, players can opt for better results in mid-distance shootouts by investing in Barrel Bedding and High Bullet Velocity (560 m/s) specializations for greater control and firing accuracy. This versatility between close and medium-distance firefights makes the ZK-383 a true jack of all trades in the SMG class of weapons.

1 Type 2A

Shortest Time-To-Kill And Fast Reloads

• Rate of Fire: 1,028 RPM
• Damage: 20.1 - 10.1

Upon spending 1700 Company Coins in Battlefield 5, players can get their hands on the fastest weapon in the game: Type 2A. It blows away every other weapon, let alone SMG, in the game with an insanely high max fire rate of 1200 rpm (with Light Bolt specialization). Coupling this ROF with a generous magazine size of 31 bullets (50 with Extended Magazine specialization), the Type 2A can rack up kills rather quickly, especially in tight spaces with hordes of enemies. Even with an empty clip, the reload is fast enough to never disturb the momentum of firing the weapon in intense battles.

The understandable drawbacks of Type 2A, like any other fast SMG, are its damage drop-off past a small distance (20 meters) and horizontal recoil. Players who want to master Type 2A should watch out for the kickback to the left and adjust accordingly for the most consistent results. The Battlefield community is pretty unanimous when it comes to the best SMG in the game to the point where the developers nerfed Type 2A, and yet it still remains a very viable option.