15 Best Reload Animations in Games

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077’s boundaryless ambition was its initial undoing. Whilst CD Projekt Red toil away at filling the void between promise and reality, the game’s glorious weapon reload animations – of which there are at least six detailed variations for each – continue to appease players who’ve taken the plunge into Night City. These aren’t subtle variations either. Take the M221 Saratoga sub-machine gun: when the magazine is empty, it might be flicked outwards, to the side, or slammed to the ground, with the magazine catch chopped or punched back into place. Visually pleasing and always interesting, Cyberpunk 2077’s hand movements and gun mechanisms frequently overlap too. For instance, the M-179 Achilles’ servo motors continue to whir as the guns barrel splits into a pentagon shape after the replacement clip is loaded.