SMG

Lore & Background

In the Serious Sam universe, the SMG is a standard-issue compact firearm carried by military and security forces across the exotic locales Sam encounters. It is not a prototype or a legendary relic; it is the kind of workhorse weapon you find on a dead guard or in a supply crate, reliable and unremarkable until you are buried under a tide of alien infantry.

Croteam's design philosophy for the SMG across the series has been consistent: it should feel snappy and responsive, with a high rate of fire that lets the player suppress groups of weaker enemies before they close the distance. It is deliberately outclassed by the minigun in sustained DPS and by the shotgun in single-target burst, but it fills the gap of a weapon that is more controllable than the fully automatic rifle and more versatile than the pistol.

In later entries such as Serious Sam 3: BFE and Serious Sam 4, the SMG benefits from the series' evolving physics and visual fidelity, but its core identity remains the same: a fast, forgiving, close-range tool that keeps the player moving and firing without the recoil management of heavier guns.

In Their Own Story

The corridor reeks of ozone and alien ichor. Sam's pistol is dry, the shotgun's shells spent, and the next wave is already rounding the corner—hundreds of them, chittering. He grabs the SMG off a dead guard's hip, feels the compact polymer grip, and pulls the trigger. The gun barks in a tight, staccato rhythm, bullets chewing through the front ranks before they can swarm him. He weaves through the spray, the SMG humming in his hands, and the corridor empties. He ejects the magazine, slaps in a fresh one, and keeps moving. The next weapon is still three rooms away. For now, this little gun is all he's got.

Reader's Guide

Silhouette and feel: The SMG is a short, compact gun with a slim barrel and a boxy magazine. It kicks very little, so sustained fire stays on target with minimal correction. It feels light and snappy in the hands, almost toy-like compared to the minigun or the rifle, but that lightness is the point—you swing it quickly and keep it locked on a target.

Damage profile: Each round deals modest damage, so single enemies with high health pools will take longer to drop than with a shotgun or rifle. However, the high fire rate means that against groups of lower-health aliens the SMG shreds them efficiently. It is a volume-of-fire weapon, not a precision weapon.

Ammo: Standard bullets, shared with the pistol and other light firearms. You will not run out of a dedicated SMG ammo pool; it draws from the general bullet reserve.

First pickup: The SMG typically appears in the early levels of each Serious Sam title, often within the first one or two stages, as the player's first step up from the starting pistol.

Fan verdict: A solid early-game workhorse that most players use briefly before the minigun or grenade launcher arrives. It is not a crowd-pleaser in the way the minigun is, but it is a dependable, low-friction pick that never punishes you for missing a shot.

Version notes: The SMG's core stats (fire rate, damage per round, magazine capacity) have remained broadly consistent across First Encounter, Serious Sam II, BFE, and Serious Sam 4, with visual and audio polish improving in each iteration rather than a fundamental rebalance.

Did You Know?

• The SMG is a standard, non-unique weapon in every major Serious Sam title, meaning it can appear in multiple levels of the same game rather than being a one-time pickup.
• Its high fire rate and low per-round damage make it particularly effective against the swarms of weaker alien infantry that define many Serious Sam levels, whereas it struggles against high-health bosses compared to the
• In Serious Sam 4, the SMG benefits from the series' upgraded physics engine, giving it a more tactile feel and visible shell ejection, though its core role in the weapon hierarchy is unchanged.
• The SMG shares its bullet pool with the starting pistol, so a player who conserves pistol ammo early will have more reserve for the SMG once they pick it up.