Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

What’s the best Sniper Rifle in Cold War Season 5? Every gun ranked & tier list

Andrew Highton
portnova aiming with sniper rifle in black ops cold war

There’s nothing more intimidating in a game of Call of Duty than someone that can pop you with one squeeze off their Sniper Rifle’s trigger. So here is all the Black Ops Cold War Season 5 Sniper Rifles split into tiers and ranked from worst to best.

Sniper Rifles have a long history with Call of Duty and have been a popular mainstay since the series debuted. Their defining period came during the Modern Warfare 2 days when the rise of social media and YouTube turned methodical marksmen into 360, no-scoping, human-highlight reels.

Fast-forward to 2021, and Black Ops Cold War continues to buck the trend with some powerful guns for players to master. Despite offering a more limited serving of Sniper Rifles compared to other primary classes, the game’s snipers can still offer as much accuracy and firepower as any gun that Cold War or Warzone has to offer.

Also check Black Ops Cold War Season 5’s best Assault Rifles, best SMGs, best Pistols, best LMGs, best Tactical Rifles, and best Shotguns ranked too!

cold war player aiming down a sniper rifle

CoD: Black Ops Cold War: Sniper Rifle tier list

We’re going to take a moment to assign each of Cold War’s Sniper Rifles an official tier before we place them in order.

Just to explain our tier system first:

  • S-Tier weapons are the top-of-the-line powerhouses
  • A-Tier are amazing
  • B-Tier weapons are just missing something
  • C-Tier ones are not worth your time

Here is our official tier list of all of Black Ops Cold War’s Sniper Rifles:

  • S-Tier: LW3 Tundra, Swiss K31, ZRG 20mm
  • A-Tier: Pelington 703
  • B-Tier: 
  • C-Tier: M82

CoD: Black Ops Cold War best Sniper Rifles

5. M82

cod black ops cold war m82 sniper rifle

The only semi-auto Sniper Rifle in the game at present, and it comes with the usual ups and downs that these varieties of Sniper Rifle usually have.

If you’re someone who struggles with accuracy, then the M82 will not help with that too much. Yes, you can fire multiple shots, but with the gun flying all over the place after each shot, it’ll be pointless.

Its erratic recoil from repeated, consecutive shots in a short span of time makes it hard to control. It certainly has the firepower to make it an effective gun, but its element of unpredictability ranks it unfavorably compared to everything else.

4. Pelington 703

cod black ops cold war pelington 703 sniper rifle

It’s snappy, has great range, and reasonably quick ADS, so what’s wrong with it?

For one thing, it’s not always a one-shotter like you hope it would be. It favors hit-markers instead of boosting your kill stats. Given that Assault Rifles like the Krig 6 can just keep peppering a target with shots if the first few haven’t gotten the job done, a bolt-action Sniper Rifle quickly becomes impractical if it’s not efficient.

Also, its desirable ADS attribute has now been superseded by the Swiss K31.

3. LW3 Tundra

cod black ops cold war lw3 tundra sniper rifle

At the end of the day, if you’re using a Sniper Rifle, you want something punchy and satisfying to use, and the Tundra LW3 meets these criteria with ease.

Whereas the Pelington is less likely to one-shot an opponent, especially below the midriff, the LW3 is a far more consistent K/D raiser. It gives you more confidence and belief that if you land your shot then the enemy will crumble instantly. Speed isn’t the friend of the LW3 though, and this is obviously a crucial aspect in fights, hence its lower standing in our ranking.

2. ZRG 20mm

cod cold war sniper rifle ZRG

When it turned up on the scene, it was instantly the most powerful Sniper Rifle in Black Ops Cold War, bar none.

Getting hit by this thing will put an end to anyone that has the gaul to face off against it. It’s the kind of gun that everyone wants to use, and no one wants to face. If we had to be critical, it’s that its reload speed and time between shots is a tiny bit too slow.

When you’re using a Sniper Rifle, you want next-to-no limitations and disadvantages, especially when it goes up against automatic weapons. A TEC-9 might have the edge in a 1v1 for instance if you miss a shot.

Also, check out how to unlock the ZRG 20mm Sniper Rifle in Black Ops Cold War.

1. Swiss K31 – Best Sniper Rifle in Black Ops Cold War

swiss k31 cod cold war sniper rifle

Whereas the Swiss K31 has pretty much no problems of which to speak. Any faults with the previous Sniper Rifles on this list are all solved by one single gun.

This Swiss absolutely smashes the opposition to bits, but unlike any other brutes on this ranked list, the K31 is quick. Very quick. Not only can you use this from any distance, but it can even be used up close as its speed allows for supreme quickscoping potential too.

Check out how to unlock the Swiss K31 in Warzone & Cold War.

That completes our list. These are the best Sniper Rifles ranked in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Be sure to check out the best guns in Cold War and the best guns in Warzone too!

Do you disagree with any of our selections? Be sure to let us know on our CharlieINTEL Facebook Page and CharlieINTEL Twitter Page!

Image Credit: Activision / Treyarch

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