There have been a lot of Call of Duty games over the years, from classics like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to bizarre duds like the sci-fi themed Infinite Warfare. And though the campaigns get plenty of attention from fans and critics, we all know that multiplayer is where the series really made its name.

Call of Duty was the shooter franchise that popularized the concept of persistent multiplayer progression, i.e. locking many of its guns, perks, and cosmetics behind a progression system that incentivized players to keep gaming well into the wee hours. Though the dopamine rush of unlocking a new weapon never quite faded, multiplayer FPS games always have their fair share of overpowered guns, especially early on.

However, while Modern Warfare 2's akimbo Model 1887 shotguns and Black Ops 1's pre-nerf Famas will go down in the annals of meta-defining weapons, there are quite a few guns from the series that belong on the other side of the ledger. These are the guns that you wouldn't be caught dead using in a serious deathmatch--unless, of course, you wanted to give your opponent a significant advantage.

Mini-Uzi, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

The humble Uzi has become a common weapon in many first-person shooters, but it's rarely worth using compared to other submachine guns, particularly the MP5s and UMPs of the world. The Mini-Uzi from the original Modern Warfare is akin to the famously-inept Klobb from GoldenEye 007--it chews through ammo, it has a downright bizarre recoil pattern, and it barely does any damage. It also has a very bright muzzle flash, which is just unpleasant. Compared to its more viable counterpart, the Skorpion, it's not even worth considering.

M1 Garand, Call of Duty 1

Yes, we're taking it all the way back to the original Call of Duty on PC, before most fans had even heard of the series. Despite being one of the most iconic and effective weapons of World War II, the plink-happy M1 Garand just isn't very good in the OG. The familiar Thompson (or "Tommy gun") is much better at close range, the Springfield sniper has the advantage of a scope, and the BAR has the advantage of automatic fire. Unfortunately, there's simply no reason to use the Garand. Fortunately, its later incarnation in Call of Duty: World at War is much better.

Dragunov, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

Sniper rifles are generally an expert's weapon in the Call of Duty games--when they're done well, at least--but the Dragunov borders on unusable in Modern Warfare 2019. It suffers from fairly serious damage falloff, which makes it less than useful at long range, but its recoil is so severe that two-shotting enemies is significantly harder than it should be. Though it does kill with a headshot at nearly any range, it's so much worse than other snipers in the game (or even standard rifles) that it's not worth considering as a primary weapon.

Uzi, Call of Duty: Black Ops

Unfortunately for the iconic Uzi, straddling the line between pistol and SMG almost always puts machine pistols in a weird place, and Black Ops' version is perhaps even worse than COD 4's. While it has plenty of ammo, it lacks in every other category: recoil pattern, accuracy, and especially damage. Close-range combat fans were better-suited to shotguns or other SMGs in this game.

Sawed-Off Shotgun, Call of Duty: WWII

Speaking of shotguns, they tend to be famine-or-feast weapons in Call of Duty games--either they're so powerful that they need a nerf, or they're not worth using at all. Sadly, while the idea of a shotgun blowing opponents away in one shot at point-blank range is definitely appealing, the Sawed-Off from Call of Duty: WWII fails to deliver on that promise. What's more, its surprisingly lengthy reload time will almost certainly lead to your demise. Several fans have called this the worst shotgun in COD history, and we tend to agree.

China Lake, Call of Duty: Black Ops

Explosive weapons like COD 4's "noob tube" rocket launcher have led to many frustrated opponents over the years, but the China Lake grenade launcher is more likely to leave you cursing than your foes. Based on a very cool real-life weapon, the pump-action grenade launcher only seems to kill the bad guys if you hit them dead on, and it's not exactly a precision weapon to begin with. There are way better uses of your secondary slot in Black Ops 1, that's for sure.

F2000, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

One of those weapons that you probably used once back in the day and immediately forgot about, the F2000 assault rifle is the definition of "underwhelming." Not only does it have one of the worst iron sights in the game, but it also has pitiful damage, a bizarre recoil pattern, and one of the slowest reload speeds in its class. As a whole, the F2000 isn't quite as bad as some weapons on this list, but there's no reason to use it when guns like the ACR and the FAMAS exist.

MK14, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Once upon a time, the MK14 was considered a decent, but not spectacular semi-auto rifle in Advanced Warfare. After a number of patches, however, the weapon was rendered a footnote in the game's competitive meta thanks to its brutal reload time, low rate of fire, low magazine capacity, and pitiful damage. Though the MK14's ridiculous headshot multiplier means that an expert marksman could theoretically rack up many kills with it, the truth is that it's too situational to use in a real fight, and that's why it's on this list. However, the MK14 is useful in Hardcore mode, where it kills very quickly at any range.

SO-14, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

The newest weapon on this list is also one of the most divisive, with some fans singing its praises on social media. However, you don't have to look very far to find legions of players complaining about its ridiculous recoil, slow single-fire speed, and underwhelming damage. Though the right loadout selection can make the SO-14 viable in certain situations, the fact that it's a semi-auto gun that requires two headshots to kill an opponent makes it a non-starter, and one of the worst weapons in Modern Warfare 2.

Machine Pistol, Call of Duty: WWII

Call of Duty: WWII isn't talked about much anymore, and that's probably why the humble Machine Pistol has remained under the radar to franchise fans. It's an inaccurate automatic pistol with only 10 shots, which means that it's unlikely that it'll be able to kill even a single attacker without the Extended Mags attachment. Oh, and its damage was also nerfed in a patch. Though the Machine Pistol can certainly get kills in a pinch, and it might be useful as a sniper's sidearm, it's undoubtedly one of the worst pistols in the series.