The Forever Winter: Rifle Guide and Which Ones are Worth Using

Here's a breakdown of every rifle and which ones are worth using in The Forever Winter.

Rifles in The Forever Winter cover a wide range of real-world inspirations, and performance varies a lot between the base version of a gun and its fully upgraded form. Judging each one on its own merits, rather than ranking them against each other, gives a clearer picture of what's actually worth the investment.

Surplus Rifle

The Surplus Rifle is the default starting weapon, based on the Draco pistol, and it's available in unlimited supply from the very start. It comes with no customization options at all, meaning perks are the only thing separating an unperked and perked version of this gun.

Even with a large 10-round magazine, it can generally only take down one standard soldier per magazine, making it a poor choice against groups or timed extractions. Since it uses 5.45 ammo, it has access to both the free 5.45 Surplus ammo and 5.45 Cryo, the latter craftable from cigarette packs or whiskey.

Cryo ammo allows execution moves on frozen enemies, though the freezing effect stops working reliably after a certain point.

AK

The AK, based on the AK-74, is the natural upgrade from the Surplus Rifle and can be bought from Aramaki in sets of five. Unlike the surplus version, it supports proper customization. Even unperked and unmodified, it performs solidly enough to take on squads without much trouble.

Fully perked and upgraded, the AK holds up even better, with upgrade parts easy to find directly off downed enemies. It also retains access to Cryo ammo. This is one of the clear standout rifles in The Forever Winter, performing well in both its base and upgraded forms.

RPK

The RPK shares most of its customization parts with the AK, though it can't swap barrels and uses a different gas tube. Based on the Soviet RPK light machine gun, it's classified as a rifle in-game despite its real-world role as a squad support weapon.

Chambered in 7.62 instead of 5.45, it trades away Cryo and Surplus ammo access for an extra 25 damage per shot. Available from Aramaki in limited quantities of three and at a higher price than the AK, it performs noticeably better even unperked.

The perked version, while similar to the AK, doesn't add enough to separate the two meaningfully. Both are strong, reliable choices.

SA58

The SA58, based on the real FAL, is the first 7.62 rifle sold by Grillo, available only in batches of 200 rounds at a time. It starts in full auto and offers a fair amount of room for customization.

Unperked, it feels similar to a base RPK but with half the magazine capacity, making it capable against one or two enemies but overwhelmed quickly by more.

Fully upgraded, particularly with the accuracy perks and a magazine upgrade, it improves considerably, though Grillo won't sell that magazine upgrade until reaching a certain level with the weapon first. It's a decent, usable rifle rather than an exceptional one.

R11

The R11, based on the real-world R11 sniper rifle, is sold one at a time by Grillo. Even unperked, it has functional sights, and while its base damage and rate of fire are both low, landing headshots consistently lets it tear through even elite enemies thanks to its damage multiplier.

The main upgrade worth chasing is a magnified scope, specifically the True Aimer 4x, currently the only 4x scope available in the game. With that scope attached, the R11 becomes a genuinely competitive rifle, rewarding accurate play heavily while punishing poor aim just as severely.

VKS

The VKS, based on the real Vykhlop, is the only rifle in the game chambered for 12.7x55, matching its real-world role as a suppressed bolt-action rifle, despite being semi-automatic here and unable to actually mount a suppressor.

Its damage output is disappointingly low, to the point where even headshots aren't consistently reliable. Adding a bipod and a magnified scope with an actual focal plane, a rare feature for optics in The Forever Winter, helps somewhat, but the rifle remains one of the weaker options in the game even after upgrading.

TKB-0146

The TKB-0146, based on the real Stechkin Abakan prototype, uses a three-round burst in-game rather than the two-round burst some real prototypes featured. Its rate of fire doesn't quite match what the concept behind the gun suggests, and functionally it plays like a slightly better AK thanks to working sights.

Upgrading it is a mixed bag, with some upgrade paths making stats worse and others removing the front sight entirely. A suppressor is about the only clearly beneficial upgrade, leaving this rifle in a serviceable but unremarkable spot overall.

SVD

The SVD, based on the Dragunov, is sold by Aramaki and stands out as the only rifle chambered in 7.62x54R. It ships without a front sight, and the rear sight reticle doesn't line up where expected, making headshots a requirement to use it effectively at all.

Scopes can only be mounted on C-variant receivers and above, with the B-variant instead offering a simpler reticle without a properly aligned optic. Despite its rough handling, the SVD's damage output stands out clearly against tougher enemies once the point of impact is adjusted for, making it a genuinely strong rifle in The Forever Winter once its quirks are understood.

G36

The G36, based on the real Bundeswehr rifle, is the first 5.56 option available, sold by Grillo. Its sights nearly line up correctly, though the authentic integrated optic upgrade is notably worse than the default. It performs on par with the AK, competent without excelling, aside from a high rate of ammo consumption, a common tradeoff for 5.56 weapons in The Forever Winter.

Upgrades mostly worsen its stats except for a handguard that allows foregrip attachments, and there are no magazine capacity upgrades available for it, only a smaller-capacity alternative.

M16

The M16 is the lightest rifle in the game, sold by Grillo, and closely mirrors the real weapon's handling. Its sights are slightly misaligned by default, and it plays like an improved G36 held back by reduced magazine capacity.

Fully upgraded with a scope, it becomes noticeably better suited for longer engagements, making it a solid pick for anyone prioritizing low weight and stamina management over close-range volume of fire.

M4

The M4, sold one at a time by Grillo, is technically a cut-down version of the M16 in real life, though it ends up weighing more in-game. Out of the box, its sights work properly and it shares the M16's upgraded magazine capacity as a base stat, making it noticeably stronger than the M16 right from the start.

Fully upgraded with a suppressor and magazine improvements, it becomes one of the stronger rifles available, landing near the top of the list without quite reaching AK or RPK levels of reliability.

Which Rifles to Prioritize

For anyone starting out, the R11, AK, RPK, and G36 all perform well even without any upgrades. Once perks and upgrades are factored in, the SVD and R11 stand out for headshot-focused play, while the AK and RPK remain the safer, more consistent picks for most other playstyles in The Forever Winter.

Also, check out our other guides below :

• The Forever Winter: Character Guide and Which One to Pick
• The Forever Winter: How to Level Up and Farm Weapon XP Fast
• The Forever Winter: How the Tunnel System Works