| Weapons | 12 usable weapons plus the Car Bomb and Detonator |
|---|---|
| Shop | Ammu-Nation, marked on the radar as a pistol on a green background |
| Free weapons | Hideouts, after you collect hidden packages or put out fires |
| Slots | None: you carry everything you own |
Mike can carry every weapon in the game at once. You buy most of them at Ammu-Nation, and the rest turn up at your hideouts as rewards for collecting hidden packages and finishing the Firefighter job. Switching weapons works on foot and inside a vehicle.
Quick reference
| Weapon | Where you get it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Fist | Always with you | Weakest option. Fine for the first minutes and for stunned pedestrians. |
 Baseball Bat | Ammu-Nation, $100 | Cheapest melee weapon. A bat is the weapon for one of the early Rampages. |
 Katana | Ammu-Nation | Handed to you in Down the River to round up Mafia members. Good for close-range Rampages. |
 Pistol | Ammu-Nation, $250, or at a hideout after 10 hidden packages | Your first gun. Police officers carry one too. |
 Uz-I | Ammu-Nation, $800, or at a hideout after 20 hidden packages | Fast fire at close range. SWAT teams use it at four stars. |
 Shotgun | Ammu-Nation, $1,000 | Short range, hits hard. |
 Assault Rifle | Ammu-Nation, $3,000, or at a hideout after 70 hidden packages | Best everyday gun for gang Rampages. FBI agents use it at five stars. |
 Flamethrower | Hideouts, after 20 fires on each island in the Firefighter job | Holds a very small number of charges (6 at most), so use it for a Rampage or a crowd. |
 Molotov Cocktails | Ammu-Nation, $2,000 | Thrown, not fired. Fire spreads, so stay back. |
 Grenades | Ammu-Nation, $2,000, or at a hideout after 50 hidden packages | Thrown. Good against groups of thugs. |
 Minigun | Ammu-Nation, $15,000 | Holds up to 150 rounds. The most expensive item in the shop. |
 Rocket Launcher | Given to you in Bad Pimpin’ | Use it from a distance; the blast is large. |
 Car Bomb | Bomb shops in Portland Beach, Torrington and Wichita Gardens | Works only from inside a vehicle: select it and place it. |
 Detonator | Used with the Car Bomb | Triggers a bomb you have planted. Press it when you are clear of the blast. |
Ammu-Nation
Your first visit is in “Dirty Laundry”, when Vinnie hands you cash and tells you to go get a pistol. Pull up at the shop to open the menu. You can buy a weapon again and again until its ammunition is full or your money runs out, and the B button closes the menu. The minigun is the item that needs real saving.
Hideouts also restock your ammunition, so a quick stop at a hideout saves money.
Free weapons from hideouts
Several guns appear at your hideouts without a shop trip. Collecting 10 hidden packages puts a pistol at each hideout, 20 adds the Uz-I, 50 adds grenades and 70 adds the assault rifle. The game shows a message when a reward unlocks. See Hidden Packages for the route. The flamethrower is a different case: it appears after you put out 20 fires on each island.
Weapons in use
Rampages tell you which weapon to use, so they are the best place to learn each one. The assault rifle clears 15 gang members in under two minutes if you keep moving. The flamethrower needs you right next to the target but ends a 20-thug Rampage fast. The katana is slower, so use it in tight streets where thugs come to you. Try each one on a Rampage before you rely on it in a mission.
Car Bomb, Detonator and the cut Oil Slick
The Car Bomb is the one weapon you can use only from a vehicle. You buy it from a bomb shop, plant it, then use the Detonator once you are clear. The list of weapons also contains an Oil Slick, but it was removed from the final game and does nothing.
Oil Slick: not obtainable in normal play.