Best Grenades in Tarkov

Grenades decide space, tempo, and information in Tarkov. Done right, a single throw forces enemies off angles, masks a rotate, or converts a tag into a finish. Done wrong, it feeds a trade and deafens your team. Knowledge of fuse delays, blast effects, projectile spread, and environmental impact allows for strategic planning in chaotic situations. Disciplined communication and execution allow each grenade throw to become a strategic asset for area control, denying enemy movement, and securing enclosed spaces. Below we explain how Tarkov grenades work, the strongest use cases by space, impact options, movement friendly lines, loadouts and supply, safety and etiquette, plus ready room-by-room clears.

How Grenades Work in EFT

Consider grenades as tactical assets for shaping raids, carving out space, and sealing kills. Once you understand the nuances of timing, the impact of the explosion versus fragments, and how arc manipulation affects distance, your throws become better.

Fuse time and detonation delay

Fuse time decides if your goal is to prevent an enemy advance, make them shift their position, or achieve a swift takedown. Short fuses explode almost where they land and punish close corners. Longer fuses let you shape a fight across medium distances, set air-burst angles, or mask a reposition. Count the beat from pin to pop and you will feel when to step, throw, and hug cover.

Treat common fuses as timing anchors and count them out loud in your head as you move. For example, VOG-25 around two, VOG-17 around three, RGD-5 and F-1 around three and a half, M67 around five.

Arc and strength scaling

• Arc depends on grenade weight, your throw strength, and the release.
• Light grenades travel farther and bounce more predictably.
• Heavy grenades lose speed quickly and tend to stop where they land.

Use three mental arcs. A short toss clears a doorway and lands just inside a room. A medium toss crosses a hall or stairwell and lands near back corners. A long toss hits open lanes or windows at range. Aim with a fixed visual index and avoid touching movement keys at release to keep bloom tight.

Audio cues and timing

After a throw, you want to hear panic steps, a sprint cancel, or the scrape of a fast cover change. If there is no movement, you either won the space or your target held nerves. Count the fuse, listen for a single clink of metal on floor or desk, and wait half a beat to catch the first panic step before you swing. Do not re-swing while the grenade is still bouncing because the target will be stationary and ready, instead delay your peek for the micro-pause right after detonation when they commit to moving.

Fuse time by type

Typical use per space

The Best Grenades in Tarkov

There are different types of grenades in EFT, and it is practically impossible to single out the best one, as each serves its own purpose and area.

• Small rooms: VOG-25 or RGO to remove reaction time.
• Corridors: F-1 or RGD-5 for area denial and predictable timing.
• Stairwells: F-1 at landings, M67 for delayed top-down arcs.
• Open lanes: M67 for distance banks and air-bursts.

Keep one default grenade type per raid so muscle memory and fuse counting stay consistent when fights escalate.

RGD / RGO: Predictable timing

• Use it for: RGD-5 is your all-rounder for "smoke-out" style clears, where you throw to force movement and take a fair duel. RGO, as an impact, is the snap-clear tool that detonates on contact after a tiny arm window, which is perfect for rats behind close angles or enemies hugging the far wall.
• Avoid when: Long sightlines, high ceilings, and risky bounce geometry punish both. RGO also punishes sloppy throws because a bad carom can pop in front of you.

Drop behind cover with a soft underhand rather than fastballing the corner, and let the timing do the work while you hold crossfire.When you need an immediate pop, quick-aim at the wall just past the angle rather than the floor so the RGO detonates on impact and cannot roll back into you.

VOG line: Aggressive pushes

• Use it for: VOG-25 is the two-second hammer for tight rooms and short corridors where you want a detonation almost at landing. VOG-17 brings a three-second fuse and a right-biased roll that favors banking around right-hand peeks.
• Avoid when: Visibility is poor and your bank will likely clip doorframes or teammates. On long throws VOG-25 detonates mid-air and wastes its blast.

Use a "step-throw-cover" rhythm and aim low into the frame so your grenade does not climb the wall and return.Throw VOG-25 only when you are already in position to swing, because the window from clink to boom is tiny and you will not win the race if you are still moving.

M67: Reliable arc for mid-range rooms

• Use it for: The M67 travels farther, banks truer, and keeps a long fuse that enables air-bursts directly over enemies behind low cover or lockers. It excels in medium rooms and long hallways where you need the grenade to arrive and explode above head height.
• Avoid when: Ultra-tight interiors where you need instant detonation and cannot afford a five-count.

Add a short pre-throw step to pick up inertia, then look high and drop the arc in. Aim nearly skyward and arc an M67 straight up to land just behind the cover piece your target hugs, then swing on the pop while their ears are blown and their camera shakes.

F-1: Classic area denial and stairwells

• Use it for: Denying landings and stair bends, locking a crossing, or covering a revive. The timing is predictable, the concussion feels heavy, and it pairs well with a delayed second throw.
• Avoid when: Ultra-aggressive entries or shallow angles where you need the bomb to pop as it hits the floor.

Throw two with a half-second offset to cut both the dodge and the re-peek.When holding stairs, drop an F-1 at the mid-landing, wait for the first footstep after detonation, then send another to catch the delayed push.

Zarya stun grenade: Information tool

• Use it for: Safe boss check, timing desync before a peek, short denial on a staircase.
• Avoid when: A frag would secure the room faster.

Zarya stun grenade is unreliable as a duel opener and it is hard to confirm a full blind. Use it to provoke voice lines and movement from scavs or bosses and to break a push timing on stairs. It is useful for a safe boss check on Customs or Interchange. Prefer frags for taking space and finishing fights.

RDG-2B smoke grenade: Slow tactic

• Use it for: Longer lane denial while you reposition or extract, and covering revives when you can wait a moment for the screen to build.
• Avoid when: You need instant cover for a snap cross, and in tight rooms where smoke at your feet blinds you more than the enemy.

RDG-2B blooms slowly and holds a thicker screen for sustained control. Throw to cut the opponent's sightline downrange rather than at your toes. Aim one step past the choke so the canister rests where the vision break matters. If glass is in the way, clear it first so the grenade keeps its angle and roll.

M18 smoke grenade: Fast pushes

• Use it for: Fast crosses and emergency pulls under fire. Also good for breaking double angles where quick visual disruption decides the push.
• Avoid when: Long static holds that benefit from a slower, denser screen.

M18 blooms quicker and is ideal when seconds matter. Pre-break glass and throw low so the canister skips and settles on the lane you want to block. Expect a faster build and generally shorter useful life compared to RDG-2B, so move as soon as coverage forms.

What Are Impact Grenades

Impact grenades in EFT, like RGN and RGO, arm almost immediately then detonate on the first solid contact. They are the tool of surprise, best used at very short distances where you want zero reaction time. Remember, a bad impact can pop in your face.

• Where to get them: Check traders and barters, the Flea, grenade boxes, boss and scav pockets, plus late-wipe Hideout routes as supply grows.

Many players also throw Zarya flashes to test for scav boss spawns because AI will yell and move on any grenade type, which doubles as a safe boss detector on Customs and Interchange. If you hear repeated flash pops in boss zones, assume a skilled hunter is nearby and take a wider route.

Throwing Features: Distances, Bounces and Angles

Small changes before release produce big changes after impact. Use surfaces on purpose, synchronize with teammates, and always verify the space you just created before moving through it.

Soft vs hard bounces

A hard, chest-high fastball makes long, lively rebounds that are risky in close quarters. A soft, low "place" off the frame or floor keeps the grenade behind cover and prevents return rolls. Practice both releases so you can decide which path gives a safer detonation point for your push. In narrow corridors, throw at the baseboard with low power so the grenade kisses the wall, loses speed, and stops exactly where you want it.

Peek and throw

Do not stand in the open while you line up the arc. Pre-aim from cover, lean out just enough to clear the frame, throw, and snap back. Your goal is a tiny exposure window and a ready gun. If your teammate is the entry, sync the count so the pop lands as their shoulder hits the doorway. You also can bind a dedicated grenade key and rehearse a "lean-throw-lean" combo so your throw takes less than a second of exposure.

After-throw checks

The throw is not the finish. Pause for a breath, listen to confirm noise or silence, and check for a side exit before you step in. If you do not hear sprint or furniture bumps, slice the pie rather than sprinting through your own fragment path. Add a half-second of stillness after detonation to catch the first panic step, then clear with your crosshair already at knee height for the expected crouch.

Fake pin and push denial

You can weaponize the pin-pull sound to disrupt an opponent's timing. Ready a grenade to broadcast the sound, cancel to keep it, and watch for an early rotate or a panic swing you can punish with bullets instead of a throw. You can bait the sound when you want to stop a hard pusher on stairs, then pre-aim the corner and hold your shot for their shoulder rather than committing to a real throw.

Loadouts And Supply

You can obtain grenades through trader stock, barter routes, quest rewards, scav pockets, grenade boxes, cases, and late-wipe craft chains.

• Early wipe, run common frags and learn safe arcs.
• Mid wipe, add a single VOG-25 for close fights and keep one M67 in the backpack for niche banks.
• Late wipe, carry impacts for scalpel plays in ratty corners.

Do not mix five different grenade types in your pockets because random draw ruins timing. Pick one main type per raid and stash niche picks in your bag to equip only when needed.

Early / Mid / Late wipe sets

Keep your main throwables in your rig for hot access and place impacts in a specific slot so your muscle memory finds them instantly when a point-blank pop is required. Bind a backpack slot to a quick key so you can drag an M67 out, hot-bind it, and throw in two seconds when the niche air-burst line presents itself.

Make Every Tarkov Grenade Count

To correctly use grenades in Tarkov, you should first think of each toss as a clear purpose. Each grenade in the game has its own effect and can help in different situations, so you can't do without them. Concern the area you're affecting, the precise instant of deployment, and the knowledge you have at your disposal. Also shape arcs with surfaces, not luck, and verify the room you created with disciplined audio checks. Smokes and stuns serve plans, not hopes. Follow the tips above and your throws will start winning fights before the first bullet flies.

FAQ

What's the safest way to learn throwing arcs for Tarkov grenades?

Drill a fixed offline route and repeat the same stance, aim index, and release until your arcs land within a one-meter circle, then take those exact motions into raids.

Which are the best grenades in EFT for tight rooms and dorm pushes?

VOG-25 or impacts like RGO remove reaction time, while F-1 at landings punishes late swings in stairwells.

Are Tarkov impact grenades worth carrying on open maps?

Impacts are niche outdoors and shine indoors where contact detonation beats rolls and bounces, so carry one for scalpel plays rather than as your main.

How do I obtain more VOG/RGD in early wipe?

Check routine trader restocks and barter chains, hit grenade boxes, and loot scav pockets when your economy is tight.

Do bosses react differently to grenades?

Bosses and scavs call out and shift on any thrown grenade, which is why repeated Zarya pops in boss zones often signal a hunter checking spawns.