Calculate sustained DPS including reload time. Enter magazine size, damage per shot, fire rate, and reload time for real sustained output.
Sustained DPS measures your real damage output over time, including the downtime caused by reloading. While raw DPS assumes infinite ammo, sustained DPS accounts for magazine size and reload duration to give you a practical damage rate over extended fights.
In games like Destiny 2, Warframe, or Apex Legends, long encounters with bosses, tanks, or multiple enemies make sustained DPS critical. A weapon with incredible raw DPS but a tiny magazine and long reload may underperform a moderate-DPS weapon with a large magazine and quick reload.
This calculator computes the damage dealt per magazine, the total cycle time (fire time + reload time), and your effective sustained DPS. Use it for PvE content optimization, LMG vs rifle comparisons, and any scenario where you need to output damage over more than one magazine.
Gamers, streamers, and content creators benefit from precise sustained dps data when optimizing their setup, planning purchases, or maximizing performance and value. Bookmark this tool and return whenever your hardware, games, or streaming requirements change.
Raw DPS ignores one of the biggest damage interruptions in any shooter: reloading. A weapon that deals 500 DPS but requires a 3-second reload every 2 seconds of firing has a sustained DPS of only 200. This calculator reveals the true long-form damage potential of every weapon, making it essential for PvE optimization and extended PvP engagements.
Magazine Damage = Damage Per Shot × Magazine Size Fire Time = Magazine Size / Fire Rate Cycle Time = Fire Time + Reload Time Sustained DPS = Magazine Damage / Cycle Time
Result: 163.64 Sustained DPS
Magazine damage = 30 × 30 = 900. Fire time = 30 / 10 = 3.0s. Cycle time = 3.0 + 2.5 = 5.5s. Sustained DPS = 900 / 5.5 = 163.64. Compare to raw DPS of 300 — reload cuts effective output by nearly half.
Every reload is dead time where you deal zero damage. The longer and more frequent your reloads, the more your sustained DPS drops below raw DPS. A 2-second reload on a 3-second fire cycle means you're inactive 40% of the time.
Invest in reload speed perks, extended magazines, or weapons with naturally fast reloads to maximize sustained DPS. In team settings, consider staggering reloads so someone is always dealing damage.
Boss fights, horde modes, and objective defense scenarios all reward sustained DPS. If you need to hold a position or burn down a high-HP target, sustained DPS is the metric to optimize. In contrast, quick PvP duels favor burst damage and TTK.
Sustained DPS is your average damage per second over multiple magazine cycles, including reload downtime. Unlike raw DPS, it gives a realistic picture of your damage output over extended fights.
Larger magazines increase the ratio of fire time to total cycle time. A 50-round mag with 2s reload is more efficient than a 20-round mag with the same reload because you spend proportionally less time reloading.
Not always. In PvP, fights are often shorter than one magazine, making burst damage and TTK more important. Sustained DPS matters most in PvE, boss fights, and prolonged engagements.
No. This calculator assumes all shots hit. For a fully adjusted calculation, multiply sustained DPS by your accuracy percentage.
If your game supports animation canceling, use the effective reload time instead of the listed reload time. This is the time until you can actually fire again after initiating a reload.
For heat-based weapons, use the time firing before overheat as fire time and cooldown duration as reload time. For belt-fed weapons that don't reload, sustained DPS equals raw DPS.