Call of Duty: Warzone's newest sniper rifle is an overpowered death laser

cod warzone spr 208
(Image credit: Activision)

If you’ve hopped into Call of Duty: Warzone Season 6 in the past few days, you’ve probably witnessed the terror of the SP-R 208. The new sniper rifle, seemingly based on the classic R700 sniper from Call of Duty 4, is already proving to be the best weapon in its class. Combining high damage with impressive mobility, fire rate, and bullet velocity, the SP-R is a quickscoper’s dream. It basically has no downsides, which probably means Infinity Ward should knock it down a peg.

Right from level 1 with zero attachments, the SP-R feels remarkably good. A single chest shot is enough to fully break armor. If you add on the 26” barrel and tack on a .337 Lapua magazine, the rifle can maintain high damage over such a long range that it’s a 1-shot headshot. Other sniper rifles can do that, but they’re sluggish and require heavy target leading. The SP-R’s default bullet velocity is so high that it still feels like hitscan from 40-50 meters away.

The gun is so versatile and fun that keeping it in my Warzone loadouts paired with an SMG or assault rifle feels like a no-brainer. Based on how much I’m seeing the gun pop out of player corpses, I’d say the community agrees so far.

On the standard multiplayer side, the SP-R’s strengths are even more pronounced. Like the lever-action MK2 Carbine, the SP-R is always a 1-shot-kill to the chest or higher. Whereas the Carbine’s low velocity requires some on-the-fly target leading, the SP-R is more-or-less a deadly laser pointer. Over the last two days, every single match I’ve played has been full sharpshooters flexing on each other with 1-taps (seriously, I hear them yell at each other over mic).

With such a deadly rifle in the wild, many Play of the Games have looked like this:

So yes, even by Call of Duty’s loose standards of balance, the SP-R probably deserves a nerf. A marksman rifle with virtually no downsides shouldn’t be outclassing behemoth .50 caliber rifles at long-range. Cynically, Infinity Ward might’ve gone a bit overboard with the SP-R to entice players into buying the more expensive $20 battle pass that unlocks the weapon instantly. On the other hand, the rifle is a pitch-perfect throwback to a bygone era of CoD—when sniper rifles were dominant at every range imaginable, especially by those who mastered quickscoping.

If that was/is you, then you’re probably excited to hear that the SP-R also reminds me of the snipers I’ve messed with in Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War—fast, easy, and extremely deadly. Oh boy.

Morgan Park
Staff Writer

Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don't, though.

Latest in Call of Duty
A soldier looks out over the Verdansk map, as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
The original Verdansk map is returning to Call of Duty: Warzone, to celebrate which we get a soldier crying to Nat King Cole
black ops 6 season 1
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 has been delayed, as the devs say they're 'taking the time to deliver a great experience' for what will be a 'big moment' for Call of Duty
A zombie santa with six fingers leaps at the screen.
Call of Duty admits it's using generative AI to 'help develop some in-game assets', and suddenly all those poorly made calling cards make sense
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover costs like $90 and even the die-hards are in shellshock: 'Cash cow-abunga!'
Ghost, from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022), looks bleakly at a fellow passenger in a transport.
For COD’s sake: One player’s 763-day legal quest to make Activision unban their account ends in total success: ‘Worth the effort’
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2 will let players battle on boats and bullet-trains, with the Terminator entering the fray 'shortly after launch'
Latest in News
Three sheep with big guns in Palworld.
It was 'super popular to hate Palworld' after launch, says community manager: 'A lot of companies might crumble under the threats, under the pressure'
Palworld Ancient Civilization Parts - Grizzbolt with a minigun
'It was a very depressing day': Palworld community manager reveals studio's reaction to Nintendo lawsuit
CS 1.6 remade in CS: Legacy.
A gorgeous ground-up remake of Counter-Strike 1.6 is on its way to Steam, and one of the game's original creators says 'it really gives me old vibes'
Portal P3 pinball table
There's a new Portal game and it costs $12,500
MrBeast posing in front of a stack of cashing, promoting Beast Games season 2
Beast Games opens casting for season 2: MrBeast lost a ton of money on season 1 but apparently not enough that he won't do it again
Image for
Rise of the Ronin's PC troubles continue as players report disappearing saves on Steam