Paintball and airsoft are two games centered on shooting your opponents that have grown in popularity over the last few years. Both of them are fun to play and can provide physical benefits, but only one is better than the other.
If you’ve tried both games, you probably have a lot of opinions and have chosen your winner by now. It all depends on what kind of player you are and what preferences you have in a shooting game.
But if you haven’t, here are some reasons why airsoft is a better game.
Why Airsoft Is the Better Choice?
There are lots of reasons why you’d love airsoft. If you’re a gun enthusiast, handling and owning airsoft feels more authentic. Let’s dive in and see why you should engage in an airsoft match.
Airsoft Guns Have More Authentic Features
Airsoft guns are more authentic and look realistic. In fact, if you bring them outside, there’s a chance of being arrested since they look like real guns. This is how authentic airsoft guns are!
1. Airsoft
The most obvious difference between the two games is that airsoft guns are much more realistic in their appearance and feel. These guns are designed to include even the smallest detail from their real gun counterparts.
2. Paintball
While paintball guns have a similar shape to real weapons, they’re made of plastic and have much larger magazines compared to their airsoft rivals. In addition, paintball pistols are often smaller than normal pistols because they’re designed for easy carrying during games.
Just look at the difference between the two guns. Which one would you prefer?
Airsoft Ammunition Is Lighter and Cheaper
If you value money, having a hobby in airsoft definitely wins. It’s also lighter and makes it easier for handling and carrying.
1. Light
Airsoft ammunition weighs less than a paintball. A single airsoft magazine with standard capacity can hold up to 500 rounds of 6mm BBs. That’s more than twice the amount of pellets in a standard paintball hopper!
That means you won’t carry extra weight on your back all day. A major plus for beginner players who may not have much experience running through field environments.
2. Price
The cheaper cost has another advantage:
- You can spend more time playing instead of constantly refilling your ammo supply or
- Paying for expensive refills at the field.
In addition, since airsoft guns use air pressure instead of combustion gasses like those used in firearms, they require very little maintenance.
Airsoft Guns Are Easier to Use
If you’re thinking, is it hard to handle an airsoft gun? The simple answer is no. There are fewer parts on an airsoft gun despite having different kinds of airsoft guns.
1. Parts
Airsoft guns have fewer moving parts because they don’t need a compressed gas system to fire projectiles, unlike paintball guns. This makes airsoft guns easier to maintain in general. Since there is no need for any compressed gases or CO2 capsules, there’s no need for regular maintenance like cleaning and oiling internal components.
If something goes wrong with your gun during play, all you have to do is swap parts until everything works again! This makes it easy and convenient for new users who want an excuse not to clean their gear!
2. Paint
Airsoft also doesn’t splatter on your shirt and gear.
This makes it relatively easy for airsoft players to play lots of games without having dirt on their shirts. Paintball, on the other hand, adds the extra hassle of cleaning your clothes off the paint.
3. Pain
Between the two, airsoft hurts less. The bullets are smaller compared to paintballs. Would you want to be hurt more? Of course not.
If you care about the pain, playing airsoft generally will feel a lot less painful than paintballs. Just be sure to be safe out there!
Airsoft Games Allow More Flexibility in Play Styles
Paintball is much more of a game of luck than airsoft. If you get hit in paintball, the only way to get out is to run away or hope someone else shoots you first.
1. Getting Hit
In airsoft, you can pull off moves that will prevent getting hit while remaining competitively viable by either shooting your opponent before they shoot you or by throwing objects at them such as water bottles so that they have to stop and fix their gear.
2. Skills
Airsoft also allows for more personal skill than paintball because there are so many different guns with different firing rates and ranges.
In contrast, paintball is generally seen as more of a team sport than airsoft since most games require teamwork and communication between teammates to win against other teams who are playing together.
3. Variety of Guns
If you play airsoft, there’s a lot of variety. Pistols, rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, magnums, and even grenades!
This adds to the complexity of the game and allows players to choose their weapons. If you can and if your gear allows, you can bring any weapon you like. Talk about being a real-life Rambo!
Why Is Paintball Better?
Of course, paintball is a lot better in many ways as well. There are things that paintball offers that airsoft can’t. Let’s look at this.
No One Can Cheat
Unlike in Airsoft, cheating is not possible at all in a paintball game. The balls will leave a paintball mark on your body and this indicates being hit.
This makes Paintball games much easier to score than airsoft games. In airsoft, some players would lie about getting hit and still play even after a hit. This calls for the need for a GoPro camera attachment.
The downside is, that any review would be done after the game. Hopefully, the cheater at least gets a penalty. In paintball, this is no big deal.
Durable and Steady
There may be more parts on a paintball but they are most durable. Airsoft guns on the other hand need more maintenance.
Once you buy a paintball, you’re set. Airsofts require attachments, upgrades, and different kinds of gear. All this added information requires knowledge and effort that beginners need to learn.
Paintball is much easier to learn since it’s more of a plug-and-play counterpart of an airsoft gun.
No Severe Injuries
It’s true that paintballs hurt a lot more than a BB. However, there are fewer risks of severe injuries in a paintball match.
Unlike in airsoft, paintball matches are not done in abandoned buildings or open fields that are filled with debris, trees, rocks, and branches. This makes airsoft relatively dangerous and makes players prone to injury.
There are ways you can do to eliminate these risks but this doesn’t mean that they are completely gone. Once you’re out there, you have to keep yourself safe from the environment more than the game itself.
Airsoft is a much more realistic counterpart after all.
Fun and All About the Game
Paintball is more about the fun while airsoft is too technical.
Airsoft guns have to be reloaded, the environment is a threat, the guns require knowledge, shots are based on precision and skill and the guns look exactly like firearms that there are gun laws that apply to it.
Given that airsoft guns are highly customizable and are upgraded to the fullest, the game attracts dozens of showboaters and unruly players. This removes the amusement from the game and it’s not fun for anyone.
In paintball, there is an elimination of almost all these things as it’s more of a game. In fact, if you’ve played a paintball match, it’s more fun to just run around and shoot your opponents than to tactically hide and shoot them.
This makes paintball much more attractive if you’re all about the fun!
Conclusion
The bottom line is that airsoft guns are better than paintball guns if you prefer a real battlefield. They’re more authentic, reliable, lighter, cheaper, and have a great variety of playstyles.
However, if you’re more enthusiastic about having fun, paintball will be a good choice. They’re safer to play, durable to use, and don’t welcome cheaters and showboaters.
Surely both games have their advantage and disadvantages. If you’re keen on shooting games, you’ll enjoy both games despite their differences. Either way, these games are both exciting to play.
The only problem you’ll have is finding out a reason to get out of them. Because once you see what these games offer, there’s no going back!
