The shotgun meta inWarzoneappears to be over, at least for the time being. TheOrigin-12 took over Verdanskfor several weeks before it was nerfed and theFamas shotgun madeWarzoneunplayablefor just over a week. In December 2020,the R9 fire shotgun was finally nerfed, and balance was restored to the shotguns inWarzone. Unfortunately, players discovered how powerful the FFAR was later that month.
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It has been nearly four months of FFAR dominance in Warzone. Until Raven makes substantive changes to the gun, many of the shotguns in this list will be difficult to use. If shotguns do become viable again, players will want to use one of the three top options at the bottom of this list. That said, here’s an updated look at the best shotguns you should be using post the R-9 nerf.
Updated on June 13, 2025 by Payton Lott:The only real changes in the shotgun category are the Streetsweeper nerfs. A couple of Seasons ago, the Streetsweeper wreaked havoc in Warzone. The Streetsweeper’s incredible hip fire accuracy and damage made the shotty one of the most annoying weapons in the game. Fast forward a couple of months and the Streetsweeper is still good. However, we contend that the Jak-12 and Gallo are now even better. Very few players are usingthe best shotguns in Warzonethis season. They may have a stigma, but the shotguns at the bottom of this list get the job done. This article includes a stat comparison between the top three shotguns in the game. It will also go into more detail and explain why the rankings have changed slightly after the Streetsweeper nerfs.
9Hauer 77
The Hauer is more inconsistent than the 680, and it has a wider hip fire spread. Players should stay away from the ground loot Hauer if possible, as it appears to have hit detection issues and it often takes three shots to kill an enemy. Evenwith the best attachments, the Hauer is a bottom-tier weapon inWarzone.
8Model 680
The Model 680 is a tinge better than the Hauer, but it is still difficult to use inWarzone. Players that hit two headshots will still have a relatively slow time to kill. There are several more effective shotguns to use inWarzone.
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Gamers that are stuck with the Model 680 early in a match should fire it behind cover to maximize the effectiveness of the gun. The Model can be a good weapon if players are able to seek cover after firing each shell.
7725
While the slug shotgun is a fun weapon to troll opponents with, the 725 is not a viable option inWarzone.The slug 725 can down enemies with just one headshot, and players that use the weapon correctly will have a lot of fun with it. However, the 725’s slow reload speed coupled with only two shotgun shells make it arduous to use in any mode.
IfWarzoneplayers miss one shot, they will be lucky to survive any gunfight. While the 725 does have more range than most of the shotguns, the weapon’s damage drop-off values are quite bad. Gamers will have more success with the shotguns below.
6VLK Rogue
The VLK Rogue has been an under-the-radar shotgun sinceWarzonewas launched last year. The VLK is still a powerful shotgun, and thankfully,Infinity Ward fixed the weapon’s slug rounds.
The shotgun deals a lot of damage up close and players can down enemies in two shots. However, since it is a pump-action shotgun, if players miss just one shot the VLK’s time to kill drops drastically. The VLK is certainly viable, but the semi-automatic shotguns are more forgiving.
5R9-0
The R9-0 with dragon’s breath rounds is still a powerful shotgun inWarzone, but the gun is far less forgiving after Raven nerfed the weapon last month. Players can no longer get a two-pump down with dragon’s breath rounds at more than a couple of meters.
While the shotgun is still dominant, the two-shell pump is too slow if players fail to down an enemy in two shots. Players that use the R9 shouldunlock dragon’s breath roundsfor the weapon. The R9-0 is now out of the meta, and there are better options for players that like close-quarters combat in Season 1.
4Origin 12
Even after the Origin was nerfed, it is still a very good shotgun to use inWarzone. At point-blank range, the semi-automatic shotgun takes three shots to kill an opponent. Anyone that has used the Origin 12 blueprint knows how good the weapon can be in tight gunfights.
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With the option for a drum magazine, the gun has enough ammo to take on multiple enemies. The Origin is also one of the easiest weapons to use in the game, and inexperienced players will have no issues using the hip fire shotgun. The Origin is not quite as good as the Gallo SA12, however, due to the fact that players can increase the fire rate of the Gallo.
3Streetsweeper
The Streetsweeper has a fast fire rate and players can equip a large drum magazine. The shotgun also has a fast time to kill at around five meters. Nerfs to both the range and hip fire spread of the Streetsweeper keep it out of the top two in the rankings. It is still a very good shotgun to use, but the gun is ineffective outside of 5.8 meters.Both the Gallo and Jak-12 have better 3 shot ranges. At 10 meters, the shotguns below are much better in terms of TTK. Factoring in the reduced range and slow reload, it would be a mistake to pick the Streetsweeper over the Gallo or Jak-12.
2Gallo SA12
The Gallo would be the best shotgun in the game if it had a larger magazine. The gun actually has a better time to kill than the Jak-12 at around 10 meters, and it is noticeably better than the Streetsweeper. However, with only 12 shells, players will have trouble using the gun in squads.
In solos and duos, the Gallo can erase opponents with only two or three shells. The semi-automatic shotgun will go through rounds quickly, but it will also down players faster than the previous guns on this list. It is a neck and neck race between the Gallo and Jack-12 for the top spot.For aggressive players, the Gallo is by far the better option. It has a better time to kill beyond 7 meters and players will move considerably quicker with the Gallo. People pushing buildings will have much more success with the Gallo when compared to any other shotgun. It may be controversial, but the Jak-12 is still thebest shotgun inWarzonefor the reasons explained in the next section.
1Jak-12
The Jak-12 has the same base fire rate as the Streetsweeper, and both have a base time to kill of 400 milliseconds.With the proper attachments, the Jak-12 isthebest shotgun to use inWarzonebecause it has the tightest hip fire spread of all the shotguns. Players may have a slower time to kill using the Jak-12 compared to the increased fire rate Streetsweeper, but the Streetsweeper’s reload animation takes forever. Also, the Jak-12’s 3 shot kill range is one meter further. Yes, the Gallo will kill enemies past 7.1 meters faster, but this shotgun is a Jak of all trades. It has the range, spread, and magazine to perform well in every single mode. Perhaps even more importantly, it has a quicker reload than both the Gallo and Streetsweeper. While it is close, players should consider trying the Jak-12 over the Gallo. The slow movement speed of the shotgun can be overlooked because it provides all of the excellent benefits shown below.
