You probably won’t find yourself picking up too many pistols off the ground in Warzone Season 5, but pistols are still an essential part of the game experience. This is because Loadout Drops don’t allow you to equip two primary weapons unless you are running the Overkill perk. So you are probably going to end up running a pistol as your sidearm, at least part of the time.

Good players can make even the worst pistols in Warzone work for them, however, some pistols are definitely preferable to others. We made a tier list ranking all the Warzone Season 5 pistols from best to worst, so that you can make the most informed decision about your Warzone sidearm.

S-Tier

• Sykov
• .357 
• Renetti

Sykov

The Sykov pistol by default is nothing special, but once you put the right loadout on it, this pistol becomes the best in the game by a significant margin. By equipping the Sorokin 140 mm Automatic barrel attachment, the Akimbo perk, and the 80 Rnd Drum magazine, you can create a deadly akimbo pistol loadout that tears through anyone nearby. Even after the damage nerf to this setup, it still dominates all other pistols in Warzone Season 5.

.357

The .357 pistol was the go-to sidearm in Warzone Season 2, and it though it has fallen off a bit, it remains a very good pick in Warzone Season 5. What makes this pistol so dominant is its extremely high close-range damage capabilities when equipped with the Snake Shot ammo and the Akimbo option that lets you run around with two pistols instead of one. It's kind of like the shotgun version of Sykov's akimbo setup!

Renetti

The Renetti is the best all-around pistol in Warzone for those who are looking for a more traditional pistol experience. While the .357 can dominate in close range, the Renetti is capable of holding its own in close and middle-range fights, especially when it is equipped with the proper attachments. 

At short range, you can use the burst fire mode on this gun to quickly down enemies. For longer-range engagements, you can use the single fire mode to pick off targets. If you are looking for a reliable pistol that can be used in a variety of contexts, this is one of your best bets in Warzone Season 5.

A-Tier

• Desert Eagle (.50 GS)
• Diamatti 

.50 GS (Desert Eagle)

The .50 GS is the hardest-hitting pistol in all of Warzone Season 5. When equipped with the lightweight trigger, 10 round magazine, and fully loaded attachments, this weapon is capable of downing a fully armored opponent in four shots to the chest at close range, and maxes out at six shots at any range.

Considering its low fire rate and terrible hip-fire accuracy, this weapon is best at longer range and is particularly useful to snipers who are looking for a high damage sidearm, or anyone who is running an SMG in their primary slot and needs a long-range threat to round out their loadout.

Diamatti

The Diamatti is a Cold War weapon that has really come into its own last season. This burst pistol excels in Akimbo form. Up Close, the Akimbo Diamatti setup can delete enemies from the game in an instant. With a base damage of 45 per shot and three shots per burst, in theory, you can kill a fully armored enemy in only two bursts. Definitely try this one out in Warzone Season 5.

B-Tier

• Magnum
• 1911 (Cold War and Modern Warfare)

Magnum

The Magnum was added to the Warzone after the release of Cold War. This gun can be set up to perform at long range, or it can be used in its Akimbo form to deal devastating damage up close.  

The Akimbo set up on the Magnum has been rising in popularity in Warzone lately. The dual-wielding Magnums aren’t quite as strong as the Akimbo versions of the Diamatti and .357, but the setup is still more than viable and looks really cool. Anyone who is a fan of the Magnum in past COD titles is sure to enjoy using them in either the standard or the Akimbo form in Warzone Season 5.

1911 (Cold War and Modern Warfare)

The 1911 in Warzone comes in both a Modern Warfare version and an updated Cold War version. The two versions of this gun operate pretty similarly, with only minor differences to their handling and firerate. 

The M1911 feels the most like a “standard” pistol in Warzone Season 5. It features middle-of-the-road stats for its fire rate, damage model, and damage drop-off at range. While it won’t excel at much, it is also quite useful in a wide variety of situations.

When the 1911 is equipped with a suppressor and the Match Grade Trigger, you will be surprised how satisfying and easy it is to use. It's not the deadliest pistol in the game, but it is a go-to for many players due to how fun and useful it is.

C- Tier

• X16

X16

While the X16 isn’t totally useless in Warzone Season 5, it is still one of the worst pistols in the game. This weapon has an okay fire rate and features an easy-to-control recoil pattern, but the damage drop off is significant, making this gun only useful in close range. You can try the Akimbo option for this weapon, which is a slight improvement to its usefulness, but there are just better pistol options out there whether you want to use it in standard or Akimbo form.

D - Tier

• M19

M19

The M19 is the worst pistol in the game. While it has the same damage model as the X-16 and 1911, it features a longer reload time and a harder to control recoil. You can help make up for the limitations by adding an extended mag and suppressor, but even with those improvements, this weapon is outclassed by the other pistols. So unless you have a specific affinity for the look and feel of this gun, consider using any other gun instead.

WARZONE SEASON 5 TIER LISTS

Sniper Rifle tier list — Warzone Season 5
Assault Rifle tier list — Warzone Season 5
SMG tier list — Warzone Season 5