Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Arc Raiders characters with shotgun and revolver
Third Person Shooters Best Arc Raiders weapons and meta tier list (Dec 2025)
Arc Raiders characters with shotgun and revolver
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders gear tiers get even messier as one gunsmith finds low-rarity mods are by far the best bang for your buck, and suddenly I don't feel bad about my uncommon blueprints
Helldivers 2 Python Commandos Warbond weapons
Third Person Shooters Christmas comes early for Helldivers 2 players as Arrowhead adds a minigun, flamethrower drone, and a chain sword all in one glorious Warbond
Helldivers 2 Python Commandos warbond
Third Person Shooters Everything in the Helldivers 2 Python Commandos Warbond and is it worth it?
where winds meet weapons
Action RPGs Where Winds Meet weapons tier list for the best offensive options
Helldivers 2 best weapons Coyote assault rifle being fired at several Terminids
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 weapons tier list and the best guns to use
Silent Hill 2 Remake weapons
Survival Horror Games All Silent Hill 2 Remake weapons and where to get them
Hand holding G'AIM'E Time Crisis Lightgun connected to console with TV running game in backdrop.
Retro The G'AIM'E Time Crisis Lightgun console has gloriously revived my favorite arcade shooter, but I'm worried about the genre's future
A screenshot of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, one of the best PS3 games.
Stealth Games Metal Gear Solid 4 remake would be "pretty difficult" says series veteran, admitting the team used "quite unique solutions" when developing the stealth game's code
Arc Raiders automaton medical vendor Lance
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders has a weird problem for a shooter: the worst guns in the game are really good
Captain Wayne screenshot showing the titular character
FPS Games This nautical take on the boomer shooter is filled with 90s cartoon absurdity, and it's already one of my favourite games of the year after only playing an hour
A selection of the best water guns, with the GamesRadar+ cross in the middle
Toys & Collectibles Best water guns 2025: Save on must-have Super Soakers and water pistols
Stalker 2 Poppy field speaking to pomor deciding whether to give him or Mityay the religious icon
FPS Games STALKER 2 Poppy Field walkthrough and best choices
Stalker 2 Heart of Chornobyl Drowned gun
FPS Games How to find the Stalker 2 Drowned gun and should you keep it?
escape from duckov weapons
Action Games How To Find The Best Weapons In Escape From Duckov
Trending
  • Fallout Season 2
  • New Games for 2025
  • Gift Guides
  1. Games
  2. Stealth
  3. Metal Gear
  4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Wait, MGS 5's water pistol isn't useless?

News
By Leon Hurley published 10 September 2015

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

It can hold up guards

It can hold up guards

Look, Johhny Soldier can't tell if you're using a water pistol or not when you jump out and tell them to stick 'em up. It means the squirt gun is a viable way to shake them down for info, or make them get on the floor.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
It works as a distraction

It works as a distraction

Like tranqs and other silenced weapons, the water pistol will alert guards if you shoot near them. It doesn't register as an attack either, so you can fire away and drive them nuts.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
It soaks, it stuns

It soaks, it stuns

The range can make this tricky but a direct shot to the face will stop an alerted guard. Giving you precious seconds to get in and hammer them with CQC

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
It can put out fires

It can put out fires

What, are you surprised?

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
You can take out electronics

You can take out electronics

Destroying enemy radar and radio equipment can make your life a lot easier by making it harder for the enemy to organise. But it does tend to make a lot of noise. Not a problem with the water pistol, which can short out delicate electronics with no more than a few quiet sparks.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
It can blow up mines

It can blow up mines

Just in case you don't want to get too close.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms
Leon Hurley
Leon Hurley
Social Links Navigation
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.

Don't worry, there are no spoilers here. Just a nod of respect to Akutare on Steam for discovering that the water pistol you can unlock in MGS5 isn't a joke weapon - it has uses. From holding up guards to taking out enemy electronics with out alarm-raising explosions, the thing actually looks like it's asset, not just a goofy novelty.

Check out how in the gallery (picture credits to Akutare).

Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!

You may like
  • Stalker 2 Heart of Chornobyl Drowned gun How to find the Stalker 2 Drowned gun and should you keep it?
  • 007: First Light Hitman and 007: First Light developers know their James Bond gadgets need to be "more than just gimmicks"
  • Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater snake aiming pistol If 20 years and a Metal Gear Solid Delta playthrough have taught me anything, it's that Snake Eater remains one of the greatest, stupidest games ever made
Read more
Stalker 2 Heart of Chornobyl Drowned gun
How to find the Stalker 2 Drowned gun and should you keep it?
 
 
007: First Light
Hitman and 007: First Light developers know their James Bond gadgets need to be "more than just gimmicks"
 
 
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater snake aiming pistol
If 20 years and a Metal Gear Solid Delta playthrough have taught me anything, it's that Snake Eater remains one of the greatest, stupidest games ever made
 
 
On the Radar cover image showing a customizable protagonist in The Outer Worlds 2 who has purple hair and star tattoo decals on their cheek
My stealth build in The Outer Worlds 2 has me obsessed with a particular gadget, but every single one has "multiple purposes" because Obsidian didn't want them to be "singular use tools"
 
 
escape from duckov weapons
How To Find The Best Weapons In Escape From Duckov
 
 
Metal Gear Solid movie
Metal Gear Solid 5's unfinished mission has finally had its cutscene partially ported into the game, adding what's arguably the true ending after 10 years
 
 
Latest in Metal Gear
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Konami sounds pleased with Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater and Silent Hill f as it reports a jump in game sales: "Beautiful yet terrifying"
 
 
Hideo Kojima speaking at Sydney Film Festival about Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says "no one ever told me" Konami turned down a Matrix game – but maybe there "could’ve been a way to make it work" despite Metal Gear Solid 2
 
 
Hideo Kojima waving near a Sam Porter Bridges statue
Hideo Kojima says Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding wouldn't exist without the Osaka World's Fair he attended 55 years ago
 
 
Metal Gear Solid movie
Metal Gear Solid 5's unfinished mission has finally had its cutscene partially ported into the game, adding what's arguably the true ending after 10 years
 
 
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Konami finally gives an update on Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2, assuring that development is moving forward, and I hope that means Metal Gear Solid 4's escape from PS3 is close at hand
 
 
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Konami is seemingly interested in more Metal Gear remakes as a new survey asks fans which mainline entry they want to see get the Delta treatment next
 
 
Latest in News
Owen Cooper in Adolescence
Hideo Kojima has picked his favorite TV show of 2025, and it's a surprise hit Netflix limited series
 
 
A screenshot from the Path of Exile 2 opening cinematic trailer, showing a woman shouting.
Path of Exile 2 director doesn't think his action RPG will leave early access in March 2026 after all, and while "I certainly wouldn't want to slip into 2027," he doesn't want to "promise anything"
 
 
Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Josh Hutcherson in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
When is Five Nights at Freddy's 2 on streaming? Speculation on the horror sequel's release date
 
 
The Brotherhood of Steel Power Armor in Fallout season 2
Fallout season 2 isn't taking the green screen route with its Deathclaw: "There are puppeteers manning this thing"
 
 
A character holds a tiny pig with goggles in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Monster Hunter Wilds' next big update and turn-based spin-off RPG Monster Hunter Stories 3 get a dedicated showcase set for next week
 
 
Screenshot from Hytale, showing three warriors with a sword, bow, and staff sighting a big, icy dragon.
Hytale lead isn't putting his Minecraft competitor on Steam at launch because "everything is wrong" with it, and Palworld lead "totally" understands his hesitance
 
 
  1. Art from Octopath Traveler 0 showing the hero being haunted by the images of those who burned his hometown, with ghostly images of the three surrounding an image of a town on fire behind him as he walks forward
    1
    Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"
  2. 2
    Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"
  3. 3
    Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers"
  4. 4
    Routine review: "This imperfect but wonderfully atmospheric moon-based horror leaves a strong impression"
  5. 5
    Marvel Cosmic Invasion review: "Excellent '90s-tinged superhero brawling across a punchy campaign falls just short of arcade bliss"
  1. Freddy Fazbear in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
    1
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  2. 2
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  3. 3
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  4. 4
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  5. 5
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  1. Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
    1
    Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
  2. 2
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  3. 3
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  4. 4
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  5. 5
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...