🎒 SPEARGUN

Damage & Stats

The Speargun fires a single steel-tipped spear that deals 95 damage on land and a devastating 190 damage underwater, where the weapon's pneumatic propulsion system operates at peak efficiency. This 2x underwater damage multiplier makes it the highest-damage underwater weapon in GTA 6, capable of one-shot killing sharks and any human diver. Reload time is 3.8 seconds as the character manually loads a new spear and re-pressurizes the pneumatic chamber, with no way to speed up the animation. Maximum range is 18 meters underwater and only 12 meters on land, where air resistance and gravity sharply limit the spear's trajectory.

The spear projectile has physical collision properties — it sticks into surfaces it hits, remaining visible as environmental debris, and can pin enemies to walls or objects if the killing blow has sufficient momentum. This pinning effect is cosmetic and has no gameplay impact beyond the visual satisfaction. The weapon carries a maximum reserve of 15 spears, and unlike bullet-based weapons, spent spears can sometimes be recovered from surfaces or bodies they're embedded in, effectively providing partial ammunition recycling during extended diving sessions.

Tactical Analysis

The Speargun is purpose-built for GTA 6's expanded underwater exploration and combat systems. During scuba diving missions in Biscayne Bay, the coral reef dive sites, and the sunken wreck exploration sequences, the Speargun provides the only reliable ranged combat option against hostile divers, aggressive sharks, and the territorial bull sharks that guard certain underwater treasure locations. Its 190 underwater damage one-shots every marine threat except the Great White Shark event boss, which requires two spear hits.

On land, the Speargun is functionally a worse crossbow — slower to reload, shorter range, and lower damage. Its only land-based advantage is the psychological intimidation factor and the novelty of using an underwater weapon on the surface. In GTA Online scenarios, the Speargun has found a niche in beach and dock PvP encounters where combat transitions between land and water, as players who dive to escape gunfire find that their Speargun-equipped pursuer is actually more dangerous in the water than on land, inverting the usual "retreat to water = safety" dynamic.

Attachments & Modifications

Speargun modifications are available at dive shops located at Vice City Marina, the Keys Marina Dock, and the Coral Reef Dive Site equipment shed. A high-pressure tank upgrade ($4,500) increases underwater range from 18 to 25 meters and adds 20 points to base underwater damage, making the weapon capable of one-shotting even armored divers. An extended quiver attachment ($2,200) increases reserve capacity from 15 to 25 spears, crucial for long diving sessions where ammunition resupply requires surfacing.

Spear tip variants provide tactical flexibility: standard tips for general use, barbed tips ($18 each) that cause bleed damage (15 damage over 5 seconds) and cannot be recovered from targets, and explosive tips ($45 each) that detonate 1.5 seconds after impact, dealing an additional 80 blast damage in a small radius effective against clustered enemy divers or armored underwater objectives. A waterproof laser sight ($3,800) projects a green beam visible underwater, providing precise aiming assistance in the murky conditions common in the Everglades and deep bay dive sites where visibility drops below 5 meters.

Best Situations

The Speargun is essential for the submarine parts collectible quest, where 30 components are scattered across Leonida's ocean floor at depths requiring scuba gear. Several collection points are guarded by aggressive wildlife — tiger sharks at the deep reef sites, bull sharks near the sunken freighter, and nurse sharks in the cave systems — making a fully upgraded Speargun the difference between successful collection and expensive hospital respawns. The explosive tip variant is particularly valuable for the armored underwater containers that require breaching before the contents can be collected.

During the "Deep Water" mission chain in the main storyline, the Speargun is provided as mission equipment but can be upgraded beforehand at dive shops for significantly easier completion. The underwater demolition sequence at the Port Gellhorn pier supports specifically benefits from explosive spear tips, and the escort mission through the coral reef cave system requires precise Speargun accuracy to eliminate threats without damaging the cave formations that collapse under explosive damage. For recreational use, the Speargun enhances fishing efficiency by allowing players to spear large game fish directly rather than using the rod-and-reel system.

How to Acquire

The Speargun is available for purchase at dive shops throughout Leonida's coastal areas for $6,500 — a premium price reflecting its specialized nature. The Vice City Marina dive shop carries the standard model after completing any scuba diving tutorial mission. A free Speargun spawns on the equipment rack at the Coral Reef Dive Site ranger station, accessible once the player discovers the location through exploration or the wildlife photographer stranger mission.

A unique "Reef Guardian" variant with a custom coral-pattern finish and pre-installed barbed tips is rewarded for completing the Underwater Exploration collectible category (all 30 submarine parts found). This variant deals 10% bonus underwater damage and has a distinctive turquoise color scheme that makes it easily identifiable. During co-op dive missions in GTA Online, Spearguns can be shared between players by dropping them as pickup items on the ocean floor, enabling teams to equip everyone for underwater combat even if only one player owns the weapon.

Comparison to Similar Weapons

Against the Crossbow (85 damage, 35-meter range, 4.5-second reload), the Speargun offers superior underwater performance but inferior land capability. The Crossbow deals consistent damage regardless of environment and has nearly triple the Speargun's land range, making it the better choice for any surface combat scenario. However, the Crossbow's damage doesn't increase underwater and its bolt trajectory is severely affected by water resistance, making the Speargun the clear winner for aquatic engagements.

Compared to firearms used underwater (which suffer 70-80% damage reduction and extreme range penalties), the Speargun's 190 underwater damage dramatically outperforms even the heaviest pistols and SMGs in submerged combat. The only underwater alternative with comparable effectiveness is the knife melee attack, which deals unreduced damage but requires closing to point-blank range — suicidal against sharks. For players who want ranged underwater combat capability, the Speargun has no real competition; the question is whether to invest in the weapon before or after encountering the content that demands it.

Combat Strategies

The "Depth Advantage" strategy positions the player above underwater targets, firing downward where the spear's gravity-assisted trajectory adds velocity and damage. Diving from the surface toward a target below provides a natural aiming angle that aligns with the spear's trajectory arc, and the downward momentum reduces effective time-to-target by approximately 0.3 seconds compared to horizontal shots at the same range. This technique is particularly effective against sharks, which tend to patrol at consistent depths below the player's diving position.

For the rare land-based Speargun use, the "Harpoon and Swap" technique fires a single high-damage spear to open an engagement, then immediately switches to a firearm for follow-up. The 95 land damage is equivalent to a sniper rifle body shot, so the opening spear hit puts most enemies into critical health before the firefight even begins. This is more effective than using the spear mid-fight due to the 3.8-second reload — the Speargun is strictly a first-shot weapon on land. During dock and marina missions, knock enemies into the water with melee or explosions, then switch to the Speargun for dramatically enhanced damage against swimming targets.

History in the GTA Series

The Speargun is new to the GTA franchise in GTA 6, a direct consequence of the dramatically expanded underwater content that Leonida's coastal geography enables. Previous GTA titles treated underwater environments as traversal spaces rather than combat zones — GTA V's submarine missions used the vehicle's own weapons, and the scuba gear collectible dives were purely non-combat exploration. GTA San Andreas included underwater swimming but no underwater weapons, and GTA Vice City didn't allow submersion at all.

The Speargun's inclusion reflects Rockstar's commitment to making underwater gameplay a substantive pillar rather than a novelty sidebar. The weapon's pinning physics, spear recovery mechanic, and environmental-specific damage multiplier demonstrate technical investment beyond a simple "reskinned gun that works underwater." Community diving guides have emerged as a distinct content category, with Speargun loadout optimization featuring prominently in deep-dive preparation checklists that rival the weapon loadout planning traditionally associated with heist missions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated April 26, 2026.