Key Takeaways
The MG is a sustained-fire machine gun in Grand Theft Auto V, with separate Story Mode and GTA Online availability and upgrade rules.
Automatic machine-gun role
The MG is built for sustained automatic fire, making it suited to keeping pressure on targets rather than carefully placed single shots.
Mode-specific availability
The weapon appears in both Story Mode and GTA Online, but its purchase and progression conditions should be checked separately rather than treated as one shared route.
Sustained-fire strength
Its automatic fire supports repeated attacks against groups or durable targets, particularly when the user can maintain a stable firing position.
Accuracy trade-off
The MG's sustained-fire role comes with a handling trade-off: controlled bursts are more practical at distance than treating it like a precision rifle.
GTA Online Mk II path
In GTA Online, the MG can be converted to the through the , where additional attachments and special-ammunition options become relevant.
Compared with assault rifles
Compared with an assault rifle, the MG is the more natural choice when sustained automatic pressure matters, while an assault rifle is the closer alternative for a more general-purpose role.
Overview
MG is ’s standard machine gun: a sustained-fire firearm built for putting repeated rounds downrange rather than matching the precision or compact handling of a rifle or SMG.
Its role sits between GTA V’s assault rifles and heavier specialist weapons. The MG is suited to prolonged engagements, vehicle encounters, and situations where maintaining pressure matters more than making carefully spaced shots. That role gives it a distinct place in the weapon roster even when another firearm may be preferable for controlled fire or close-quarters movement.
The weapon’s defining behaviour is its machine-gun firing pattern. It rewards keeping the target area covered and managing accuracy during continued fire, rather than treating every shot as an isolated precision attempt. In practical use, the MG is therefore most comfortable when the player has room to track targets and can accept less refined handling than a conventional rifle.
MG appears as a standard weapon in the arsenal, with its availability needing to be read separately for Story Mode and GTA Online. The two modes do not share identical weapon access, progression, or purchasing conditions, so an overview of the MG should not treat one mode’s route as universal. Its ordinary designation also distinguishes it from the separately named Combat MG family.
The MG is a straightforward choice for players who want sustained automatic fire without moving to a heavy weapon category. Its main trade-off is that the qualities making it useful for pressure and extended exchanges do not automatically make it the best option for stealth, precision, or highly mobile close-range play. Those distinctions are why it remains a meaningful standard weapon rather than merely a higher-damage replacement for every automatic firearm.
Stats & Performance
| Stat | Performance | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 26 | |
| Fire Rate | 70 | |
| Accuracy | 45 | |
| Range | 45 | |
| Reload Speed | 30 | |
| Movement Speed | 55 |
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Class | MG |
| Weapon type | Firearm |
| Fire mode | Automatic |
| Mk II conversion | Not available |
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Category | SMGs/Machine Guns |
| Magazine | 54 |
Moveset & Combat Behavior
Fully automatic fire
The MG is a fully automatic machine gun with no selectable semi-automatic or burst mode. Holding the fire input produces sustained fire, making it well suited to keeping pressure on exposed targets and controlling groups at short-to-medium distance. Its handling is less forgiving at longer range than a precision-oriented rifle: sustained fire can spread shots away from the point of aim, so brief controlled bursts are more reliable when accuracy matters.
Aiming and recoil control
Aimed fire gives the MG a more manageable sight picture than firing from the hip, but it does not remove the weapon's automatic-fire spread. The practical trade-off is between maintaining continuous pressure and releasing the trigger often enough to keep the weapon on target. At close range, the broader automatic pattern is usually less restrictive; at distance, use cover and fire in shorter bursts rather than treating the MG like a marksman weapon.
Reload behaviour and ammunition
The standard MG uses a detachable magazine and must be reloaded after its magazine is expended. Its sustained-fire role therefore depends on choosing safe reload windows instead of waiting until an exposed target is nearly defeated. Reloading is also a meaningful interruption during prolonged engagements, particularly when several enemies can still return fire. The weapon uses its normal MG ammunition system in Story Mode and in its base Online form; the exact ammunition capacity belongs to the applicable mode and weapon configuration rather than to this handling description.
MG Mk II distinction
In GTA Online, the MG can be converted to the through a . The conversion is a functional weapon-system upgrade rather than a cosmetic rename: it opens a separate attachment and ammunition configuration, including special-ammunition options where the required configuration is available. Those choices change the weapon's combat behaviour and resource use, so the base MG and MG Mk II should be treated as distinct loadout states.
Passive Effects
Upgrades & Customization
| Option | Effect | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Extended Clip | Increases the MG's magazine capacity compared with its standard magazine. The specific capacity is mode- and version-sensitive and is omitted here. | Available through the MG's weapon customization options where supported. |
| Option | Effect | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Adds an optical aiming view for more deliberate target acquisition at medium or longer distances. | Available through the MG's customization options where supported. |
| Flashlight | Adds a weapon-mounted light for visibility in dark areas without changing the MG's core firing role. | Available through the MG's customization options where supported. |
| Option | Effect | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Suppressor | Reduces the weapon's firing report and muzzle signature. It does not turn the MG into a stealth-only weapon; sustained fire and visible impacts can still reveal the shooter. | Available through the MG's customization options where supported. |
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Standard MG | The MG is a standard machine gun rather than a Mk II-convertible member of the MG family. Its attachments are configuration options, not a separate upgraded weapon variant. |
How to Get MG
- Story Mode requires completion of The Paleto Score.
- GTA Online requires Rank 50.
- The Story Mode and GTA Online unlocks are separate; the MG is not a DLC-only or NG+ weapon.
- The MG is purchased from Ammu-Nation in both modes once its applicable unlock condition is met.
- 01Story Mode: Complete The Paleto Score to unlock the MG for purchase, then visit any Ammu-Nation store and buy it from the firearms counter. The purchase is a permanent store unlock rather than a mission reward or enemy drop.
- 02GTA Online: Reach Rank 50, then visit any Ammu-Nation store and purchase the MG. It is bought directly from the store, so obtaining it is not tied to a particular mission, drop, character, or one-time reward.
Story Mode
- Status
- Available from Ammu-Nation after The Paleto Score
- Requires
- Complete The Paleto Score
Base-game weapon; Story Mode availability is separate from GTA Online progression.
GTA Online
- Requires
- Reach Rank 50
Base-game weapon; no Gun Van rotation or DLC gate is required for its standard availability.
Builds & Best Uses
Strengths
- Automatic fire lets MG maintain pressure on targets without repeated trigger inputs.
- Its machine-gun role suits sustained engagements better than weapons that depend on short bursts or individual shots.
- The weapon is useful when several exposed targets must be engaged in succession, because its handling is built around continued fire rather than single-shot precision.
Weaknesses
- Sustained automatic fire is harder to place accurately at longer distances than controlled fire from a rifle or precision weapon.
- Recoil and spread make prolonged firing less reliable when the target is small, distant, or only briefly exposed.
- The MG is a poor fit for stealthy or precision-focused encounters, where its automatic fire and handling offer little advantage.
- In GTA Online, the standard MG should be assessed separately from the MG Mk II: Mk II conversion and its available modifications are mode- and upgrade-dependent.
Best uses
- Use it for medium-range fights where targets remain exposed long enough for sustained automatic fire to matter.
- Choose it when suppressing or pressuring multiple enemies is more important than landing carefully spaced precision shots.
- Pair it with a more accurate weapon for distant targets or situations requiring controlled single-target fire.
Weapon Comparisons
| Attribute |  MG | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
| Fire Rate | 70 | 78 | 95 | 85 | 88 |
| Accuracy | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 42 |
| Range | 45 | 22 | 35 | 20 | 22 |
| Magazine | 54 | 30 | 50 | 20 | 30 |
| Attribute | MG |  Combat MG |  Assault Rifle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class and scope | Sustained automatic fire for close-to-mid-range engagements | More combat-focused machine-gun alternative for sustained automatic fire | More general-purpose rifle alternative when a less machine-gun-focused option is preferred |
| Role distinction | Base weapon; does not use the Combat MG Mk II conversion system | Direct same-class comparison; GTA Online also has a separate Combat MG Mk II variant | Adjacent-class comparison; uses rifle handling and upgrade options rather than the MG family’s configuration |
| Handling and progression | — | — | — |
Used In
- The Paleto ScoreIn Story Mode, the MG is associated with this mission and becomes available for purchase afterward.
- Ammu-NationAmmu-Nation is the retail vendor for the MG in Story Mode and GTA Online, subject to each mode's availability rules.
- Weapon WorkshopIn GTA Online, the base MG can be associated with a Weapon Workshop for its Mk II conversion where that upgrade is available.
Trivia
- In Grand Theft Auto V, “MG” is the weapon’s complete in-game name rather than a generic category label. It is a separate weapon from the Combat MG family, and GTA Online provides a Combat MG Mk II but no corresponding MG Mk II conversion.
- The MG’s abbreviated name distinguishes it from the more fully named Combat MG and avoids implying that it is an earlier or lower-tier Mk II form of that weapon.
