The Best Nerf Guns Available in Canada of 2024

The Zuru X-Shot Royale Hawkeye was the overall favorite of our kid testers because it had the best aim out of all the guns we tested. Both of my kids were consistently able to hit their targets with this gun, which made it their preferred choice—though I'm sure the snazzy gold exterior also won them over. I suspect that the reason the X-Shot Royale Hawkeye has the best aim is due to the detachable scope. We didn't try to shoot without the scope attached, but it did appear to help my kids hit their intended victim (um, target) once they mastered using it.

The X-Shot Royale Hawkeye blaster is easy to prime thanks to the pump action mechanism, and the gun itself is lightweight, so it wasn't too unwieldy for my 7-year-old to run around with. The biggest downside to the X-Shot Royale is that it only holds four bullets at a time, which means you'll have to reload pretty often if you're in a heated competition.

The Zuru X-Shot Reflex 6 is another gold-plated gun, but it's smaller and more compact than the Royale Hawkeye. It also doesn't have the detachable scope, which means that it's not very accurate when it comes to hitting an intended target. In fact, my daughter found it so annoying that she wasn't able to hit her victim (me) that she rated the Reflex 6 "difficult and frustrating."

As far as loading the projectiles, the X-Shot Reflex 6 took the top spot in the "easy to load" category, likely because users can quickly and easily pop the projectiles right into the rotating chamber. The X-Shot Reflex 6 is a good choice for younger Nerf gun obsessives who might otherwise have a hard time figuring out complicated steps in order to get a gun to shoot, since it works with a simple spring and plunge load design. Simply pull back the hook on the rear of the gun and then just push the trigger to shoot the darts.

The Nerf Pharaoh Ultra is a huge gun. While that's certainly a plus when it comes to intimidating your opponents, it is decidedly not a plus for kids. In fact, the Pharaoh Ultra is so long and heavy that it was practically impossible for my 7-year-old daughter to manage, and she needed help holding it up to shoot.

Another huge problem with the Pharaoh Ultra is that's it's very difficult to remove the clip in order to fill it with Nerf darts. Neither of my kids were able to get the clip out without adult help, and even I had such a tough time getting it out that I had to get my husband to help. Our adult testers also had a difficult time with the clip, and rated the Pharaoh Ultra as the most difficult to load of all the guns we tested. Needless to say, this is not a Nerf gun that kids are going to be able to manage independently.

The Pharaoh Ultra did get points for accuracy though, thanks to the integrated scope and how far it can shoot. It also felt durable and like it can withstand lots of hard use, so it could be an ideal choice for older teen Nerf enthusiasts.

The Nerf Dino Squad Rex Rampage is the only Nerf gun we tested that required batteries, which turned out not to be much of a "pro" as it made the gun really heavy. If you're scoring simply on looks, however, the Dino Squad Rex Rampage is a winner thanks to its resemblance to an actual T. rex. The bright red and green colours also help it to stand out, and it was the first gun that my kids wanted to test because they found it so appealing.

Unfortunately, outward appearance is the best thing the Dino Squad Rex Rampage has going for it. Our testers did like that the clip holds 10 darts at a time, but it scored low for accuracy at hitting a target, and every single tester felt that it was underwhelming.

The battery power means that there's no need to prime the blaster—users simply fire up the motor and press the trigger—but no one felt that this feature made up for the Rex Rampage's overall shortcomings.

The only thing memorable about the Uwantme foam dart blaster is the suggestive name. While it's nice that these are sold in a pack of two for instant Nerf battle action, the small guns felt cheap and not very durable. They're easy for kids to shoot, since they have a standard hammer and trigger combo, but they don't have much power, range, or accuracy. The Uwantme blasters also only hold three bullets, so players will have to reload often if they're engaged in a long-lasting Nerf battle.

Both our adult and child testers gave these a low rating in the "fun factor" category, and across the board no one said that they would want to play with the Uwantme again. If you're looking for something that's going to work for very young kids who don't care about things like accuracy and aim, this is an inexpensive option that won't stick around the playroom for long.

Similar in design to the X-Shot Omega, the Crusher features pump action that can blast up to four darts per second. That's definitely a great thing—assuming the gun isn't too heavy for your kids to manage. Our youngest tester could barely lift the Crusher up, and she certainly couldn't hold it steady long enough to take advantage of this trait.

In terms of accuracy, the Crusher scored low, and it wasn't especially easy to pull back the handle to load a dart into the chamber. The 35-dart belt is a pro, however, and we didn't have issues with auto-rotating belt causing the gun to jam like we did with the Omega. The Crusher has a long shooting range—supposedly up to 90 feet—but it's lack of accuracy cancelled out any positive impact that provides.

The feature that sets the Nerf Modulus Recon MKIII blaster apart is the dart shield that can be attached to the top of the gun. While this seems like a cool idea, it's not big enough to shield players from any shots unless their opponent is basically standing four feet in front of them. Great idea, not so great in execution.

The Nerf Modulus Recon MKIII blaster was difficult to shoot for both our kid and adult testers—you have to pump the slide back and forward for each shot—which slowed down how quickly they were able to shoot their opponents. The Recon MKIII blaster also shoots really hard, which led to concern among the parents in our testing group that players could get hurt. The Recon MKIII blaster does have a clip that holds 12 darts, but everyone found that it was hard to remove and took time to load (though not as difficult as the Pharaoh).

As far as accuracy, the Nerf Modulus Recon MKIII blaster scored pretty low, but it does have a long range, making it good for use outside.