The Community Speaks: The Most Overpowered Weapons in Gaming History

Some weapons are overpowered canonically, like Mario’s hammer. However, Mario’s hammer is OP by function - it’s the hammer’s role in Donkey Kong to eliminate potential threats to the portly plumber. However, there are others that were created to exist in the same realm as their peers, but in practicality, they’re anything but equal. We want to examine those weapons that make the enemies, whether human or computer, cry when they’re on the other side of them. We asked gamers from all over the planet for their input, and this is what we came up with together!

10) Chicago Typewriter - Resident Evil 4

The ultimate weapon in Resident Evil 4 is like a hot knife cutting through zombie butter (that sounds...pretty gross.) But seriously, this gun is worth every point it takes to unlock it. Just watch that video above and tell me you wouldn’t want a badass fully automatic weapon in every Resident Evil game.

9) “The Sword” - Halo franchise

Think back to Halo: Combat Evolved, if you will. Remember the first time an enemy Elite smacked you in the face with their energy sword and killed you in one hit? Remember how mad you were that you had to go all the way back to the last checkpoint?

Then, remember how awesome it felt to finally pick that sword up in Halo 2 and get some revenge? It felt good, right? Then, remember how much better it felt smacking other people in the face with your own energy swords, especially your friends while playing at a LAN party? There's a reason the Halo community calls it by simply "The Sword." 

8) AWP - Counter-Strike series

An entire generation of PC gamers just shuttered at those three letters in succession, undoubtedly bringing back the bad memories of this gun. The AWP was the signature gun of the original Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, rewarding players who mastered its shortcomings as a gun. The weapon was so common that AWP-only servers were not uncommon, and are often remembered fondly by players to this day.

7) Pistol - Halo: Combat Evolved

If any series deserves to have two weapons on this list, it’s the Halo series - and if it’s any weapon to be featured here, it’s the Pistol. Look, you expect a rocket launcher to be badass, but for a pistol to be badass, it has to be pretty crazy. Halo series veteran Zach P. called it “practically a pocket sniper.” It’s so legendary that 343 Studios brought it back as a Mythic Weapon for Halo 5: Guardians.  Plus, it’s got the most satisfying pistol whip noise ever.

6) Ryno Gun - Ratchet and Clank series

Now, I have to be honest - I’ve never played a Ratchet and Clank game in my life. So when I had so many fans of the series tell me this gun was legit, I had to check it out for myself. One fan of the series described it best. “When fully upgraded, it would turn the screen white and all enemies in the immediate area stopped existing.”

Suffice to say, the Ryno weapons are really legit. Watching Ratchet mow down that boss with that weapon gave me all the evidence I needed to include it on this list. Plus, there’s almost two decades worth of these weapons, so they have to be pretty good if they keep coming back.

5) Akimbo Model 1887s - Call of Duty series

Another multi-purpose weapon, the Akimbo Model 1887s from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 were legendary for their combination of range and power. Dan “SYN|Jaegar” McMahon said of the guns, “Even if you were looking at enemies from 100 feet away they died instantly. Mind you these are shotguns.” To make things even more ridiculous, these weapons could be dual-wielded, leading to the most ridiculous kills of all time. The weapons were still present in Modern Warfare 3, but were definitely toned down a bit from their previous incarnation. In any case, we’ll always have the times with our MW2 Akimbos, both good and bad.

4) Golden Gun - Goldeneye

I’m gonna get killed for putting it this low on the list, but the fact of the matter is that this weapon is from a game released in 1996 and there have been more ridiculous weapons than this since then. That being said, this is definitely the precursor to these other weapons and the bar to which every overpowered weapon is held. The Golden Gun killed enemies in one hit, regardless of where you hit them, and became legendary for that reason - especially in multiplayer matches. When Goldeneye was re-made for the Wii, a whole new generation of players were able to experience its greatness, and the weapon made a trip to uncharted waters - online. Suffice to say, the Golden Gun is a classic and will always be on lists like these for years to come.

3) Chronoscepter - Turok: Dinosaur Hunter 

**Spoiler alert - this is the final boss fight of the game. Do NOT watch if you’re interested in playing or care about the story.**

Now we get to the “crazy explody” part of the list, and what better way to start than with a weapon most people reading this list have never seen? The player had to assemble the Chronoscepter by finding parts of it throughout the various levels of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (to be honest, I only knew it existed because I did the “all weapons” cheat as a kid and blew stuff up with it.) Once finished, the weapon could be taken into the final boss fight where...it kills him in three hits. Seriously. You play this entire game just to kill the final boss in three hits. But that’s how awesome this weapon was - and why it’s just as fun blowing up weenies with it, too.

2 - BFG - Doom series -

We all know what it is, we all know what it stands for, and we all know what it can do. Just enjoy watching stuff explode.

1) Gjallarhorn - Destiny

Let me paint a picture for you, if I may. After seeing so many reports of how much of a mess Destiny 2 has been, I went back to Destiny on Xbox One, where my character hasn’t been played since the mid-point of Rise of Iron, so his Light level is around 360. I jumped into a Daily Story mission, which recommends a Light level of 380 to partake. I jump in, and find myself to be a bit overmatched. I reach the ending fight - against a giant Knight - and think I’m pretty well done for. Then I hit him with my Gjallarhorn 6 times and he dies. That’s the kind of weapon we’re talking about here. The kind of weapon that inspires you to rank overpowered weapons -  the kind of weapon that tops the “Most Overpowered Weapons” list.

The Gjallarhorn was a weapon that forced Bungie to change boss encounters in the original Destiny into The Taken King. This is a weapon that was so powerful, that six of them together destroyed the biggest and baddest enemies Bungie could throw at us in moments. It’s also the reason fans wanted it back in Rise of Iron so badly. I was one of them, because I received Gjallarhorn for my birthday back in 2015. Yes, Gjallarhorn Day was my birthday, and Bungie gave me the best present out of anyone. So while I might be biased when I put Gjallarhorn here, it’s with good reason - I love this weapon, and I appreciate its pure might and destructive force. That’s why I chose it as the most overpowered weapon in video game history.

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