History Main / AutomaticCrossbows

* In D20 rpg ''TabletopGame/DarkLegacies'', there are standard automatic crossbows out of Dungeons and Dragons, but also there are even more advanced assault crossbows, which are automatic crossbows with an ammo belt to create a constant rate of fire. And a certain class can further mount these assault crossbows on a steam-powered armour and then improve the crossbow with things such as flywheels, high-tension strings and etc. Note that in most fantasy worlds, these assault crossbows would be the highest level of technology. But in ''Dark Legacies'', it's set in our world in the post-apocalypse far future, so the assault crossbows and other tech is a big step down.

* In ''Film/VanHelsing'', its titular hero is given a pressurized gas operated, [[MoreDakka drum magazine fed]], fully automatic crossbow (pictured above) upon his return to the Vatican after the opening fight with Mr Hyde. The Catholic Church gives him the weapon (among other fantastical weapons and gadgets, all of which were made in an underground weapons lab that the Vatican has for some odd reason) to help him in his fight against Dracula and his minions. Sadly though, this weapon is only used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9N8dEdZCQ in one scene out of the entire film]] before he switches to regular firearms.

Automatic Crossbows are crossbows that allow the user to shoot several times before having to reload, just like modern guns do.[[note]]Technically, most examples are ''semi''-automatic crossbows (one bolt per pull of the trigger), while a fully-automatic one would fire several bolts per trigger-squeeze.[[/note]] Many works of fiction are set in a time period when firearms are not available, and crossbows are the nearest equivalent. This is especially true in the fantasy genre, where FantasyGunControl is the default. However, crossbows tend to take a long time to reload, which can be frustrating for people used to the rapid action of modern gunfights. And to those who are used to modern sporting crossbows, which are much faster to reload but also much shorter-ranged and less powerful than the typical medieval version. Sometimes in a work the urge to use some GunsAndGunplayTropes is just too powerful. So the obvious solution to this dilemma is to give crossbows the ability to shoot an entire magazine of ammunition without having to reload. Not only do they add [[RuleOfCool instant awesome]], but they allow having MoreDakka.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' features a bowgun which can fire in three-round bursts, and can hold 18 arrows at a time. ''Code: Veronica'' features a bowgun that can hold every arrow in your inventory at once, and fires one (homing!) bolt at a time semi-auto. Later games feature ''very'' powerful crossbows (usually with [[TrickArrow explosive bolts]]), usually in Ada Wong's hands, but those require a full nock-and-cock reload per bolt. Enemies in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 5]]'' use crossbows that are sort of automatic: they can shoot two bolts in rapid succession but need a reload after that.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Nine}} 9]]'', 5's weapon of choice is a crossbow made of a clock key and a spring. He used it to [[spoiler:crack the Seamstresses eye, which was a Crowning Moment of Awesome for a previously timid character.]]

* In the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' universe, there currently exists exactly ''one'' repeating crossbow--namely, Varric's [[ICallItVera Bianca]], first seen in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. It is unique because it is actually a product of two genius engineers who worked on it at different times, and because Varric had to kill one of them later, while publicly giving him full credit for its creation to protect the other one's ([[spoiler:his OldFlame after whom the crossbow is named]]) identity from the underworld powers [[NoManShouldHaveThisPower that really want to obtain the secret of its manufacture]]. Officially it's creation was a fluke that couldn't be reproduced; in reality they just don't want to.

* The ''[[RPGEpisode Knight Gundam]]''/''[[Anime/SDGundamForce Lacroa]]'' version of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam]] [[MoreDakka Heavyarms]] wields a bizarre weapons that's a combination of his traditional [[GatlingGood Gat']] & a crossbow.

* In ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' the apocalypse seems to have wiped out all the bullets but few of the guns, so the guns have naturally been retooled to shoot pointed sticks.
* A character in ''Anime/AfroSamurai'' has one of these. It also comes with an underslung grenade launcher. And the arrows are poisoned.
* A character in ''LightNovel/VampireHunterD: Bloodlust'' fires quarrels at a rate of roughly seven billion per second out of a ''hand-loaded'' crossbow. No explanation is offered as to how, although it looks like he's pulling a [[Literature/Discworld Detritus]]-loading a bundle of them and letting them [[RainOfArrows diffuse mid-flight]].
** Most of that family were not normal humans. In the book, they're even worse, especially what they do with their sister.

* In ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'', The Roach (in his Punisherroach identity) wields two "pearl handled semi-automatic" belt-fed crossbows that shoot explosive-tipped bolts and have a firing rate similar to a machine gun.

* In the original ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'' movie, the land where the Tarna segment was set did have guns. But automatic bolt-shooters were in exclusive use by those mounted on giant featherless birds. Well, giant featherless birds that also didn't exist in the medieval age.
* In ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Nine}} 9]]'', 5's weapon of choice is a crossbow made of a clock key and a spring. He used it to [[spoiler:crack the Seamstresses eye, which was a Crowning Moment of Awesome for a previously timid character.]]

* In ''Film/VanHelsing'', its titular hero is given a pressurized gas operated, [[MoreDakka drum magazine fed]], fully automatic crossbow (pictured above) upon his return to the Vatican after the opening fight with Mr Hyde. The Catholic Church gives him the weapon (among other fantastical weapons and gadgets, all of which were made in an underground weapons lab that the Vatican has for some odd reason) to help him in his fight against Dracula and his minions. Sadly though, this weapon is only used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9N8dEdZCQ in one scene out of the entire film]] before he switches to regular firearms.

* In ''Film/{{DEBS}}'' Amy keeps a crossbow with a large magazine in her room.
* In ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', when Maximus and his fellow gladiators are fighting the re-enactment of the Battle of Zama, one of the enemy fighters is shown using a repeating crossbow.
* An historically accurate model is seen in use by Sun Quan's army in ''Film/RedCliff''.
* ''Film/{{Daybreakers}}''. Pump-action crossbows (with flick-out bow section) are used by the humans against the vampire military.
* The vampire soldiers use three-stringed crossbows in ''Film/UnderworldRiseOfTheLycans''. Sensible, since the Lycans typically show up in numbers and might be able to shrug off a single bolt.
* Gretel from ''Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters'' carries an over-and-under version of this, which uses its own recoil to cock itself. It can also rotate to shoot bolts in opposite directions.
* In ''Franchise/StarWars Episode VI: Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Chewbacca fires his bowcaster twice in a second without reloading at a fleeing scout trooper. EU materials such as ''The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology'' explain that Chewie's in particular has been modified with an automatic re-cocking system, rendering it semiautomatic.
* In ''Film/SinCityADameToKillFor'', Nancy uses one in the "Nancy's Last Dance" story when she and Marv attack Senator Roark's home.

* In the 2010 movie ''Film/JonahHex'', he uses a [[GunsAkimbo a pair of magazine-fed pistol crossbows]] that fire [[AbnormalAmmo lit sticks of dynamite.]]

* Dark Elves in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' use repeating crossbows as their standard ranged weapon. On top of that, both they and the High Elves have repeating Bolt Throwers (ballistas) as their primary war machines.

* In D20 rpg ''Dark Legacies'', there are standard automatic crossbows out of Dungeons and Dragons, but also there are even more advanced assault crossbows, which are automatic crossbows with an ammo belt to create a constant rate of fire. And a certain class can further mount these assault crossbows on a steam-powered armour and then improve the crossbow with things such as flywheels, high-tension strings and etc. Note that in most fantasy worlds, these assault crossbows would be the highest level of technology. But in ''Dark Legacies'', it's set in our world in the post-apocalypse far future, so the assault crossbows and other tech is a big step down.
* The dwarves in the Swedish RPG ''TabletopGame/{{Eon}}'' invented the Krell-Spaz, a semi-automatic, pump-action crossbow, as well as its derivatives, the Krell-Hon, the Krell-Hon-Spaz, and the Krell-Khan-Hon-Spaz, the last of which is sadly not a viable option in regelar combat as it's actually a ''siege weapon'' weighing in at almost 130 lbs.

* The Bowguns in the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series are functionally guns except that they have a self-drawing bow mechanism (the actual 'Bow' weapon type has to be drawn in a separate action before firing) and firing rate that is affected by ammo type. ''World'' introduces a special ammo known as the Wyvernheart, which basically [[GatlingGood turns your Heavy Bowgun into a minigun]] and fires repeatedly.
* Edgar's Auto Crossbow tool in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. [[DiscOneNuke It's available less than an hour into the game, and remains useful for a long time.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' has the Attica, a Tenno made crossbow that fires high-damage bolts at decent rate. A later patch doubles its firing rate and allows it to equip the [[StuffBlowingUp Thunderbolt mod]], essentially turning it into a fast-firing automatic rocket launcher. A later update introduced the Zhuge, which is more of a crit-based weapon.
* In the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' universe, there currently exists exactly ''one'' repeating crossbow--namely, Varric's [[ICallItVera Bianca]], first seen in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. It is unique because it is actually a product of two genius engineers who worked on it at different times, and because Varric had to kill one of them later, while publicly giving him full credit for its creation to protect the other one's ([[spoiler:his OldFlame after whom the crossbow is named]]) identity from the underworld powers [[NoManShouldHaveThisPower that really want to obtain the secret of its manufacture]]. Officially it's creation was a fluke that couldn't be reproduced; in reality they just don't want to.

* Interestingly, the official lightgun attachment for the Nintendo Wii, known as the Wii Zapper, comes with ''VideoGame/LinksCrossbowTraining''. Link's Crossbow never needs to be reloaded, and can be powered up with 100 bolts of automatic rapid-fire. The idea was later expanded upon with Linkle's dual crossbows in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors Legends'', which combines this trope with some mild GunKata.
* Kai's primary weapon from ''VideoGame/HeavenlySword'' is a repeating crossbow that shoots bolts whose flight path the player can control.
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' [[{{nerf}} used to]] have bows and crossbows that fired absurdly fast; a dwarf who really leveled up the relevant skill could fire off seven or eight bolts before the first one hit. This was extremely CoolButInefficient, as ranged weapons were also somewhat overpowered at the time and the odds were good that the first arrow or bolt had scored a OneHitKill, so the remainder were wasted. The problem has since been fixed by not allowing units to loose a second shot until the first has landed.
** All that being said however, actual rates of fire are slightly difficult to determine, as VideoGame/DwarfFortress is a rather extreme example of VideoGameTime.
* ''VideoGame/FableII'' features repeating crossbows, which fire much faster than a normal crossbow, but are inferior in terms of speed to pistols, and in terms of power to rifles. And nothing beats a good clockwork or turret rifle.
* In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, the character Xigbar [[GunsAkimbo dual wields]] an EnergyBow variant of the concept: Arrowguns, crossbows that shoot magical spatial darts and can combine to form a sniper rifle, the Arrowguns from ''VideoGame/BirthBySleep'' are even shaped like crossbows.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', most of the 1-handed Crossbows [[http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Clockwork_crossbow describe themselves as automatic]]. All the other crossbows are typically two-handed. It also has a GatlingGood version called the Repeating Crossbow, which is advertised as "Firing up to ONE ROUND PER SECOND! Devastating!"
** Trying to be funny, or referencing the RL slow fire rate? [[MathematiciansAnswer Yes]].
* In ''Videogame/HalfLife'', the player can use a five-round crossbow that fires almost as quickly as a shotgun. Swapping out the crossbow's magazine is painfully slow, unfortunately.
** The crossbow in ''Videogame/HalfLife2'' is no longer automatic, and you can only carry twelve shots, but becomes the most damaging non-explosive weapon in the game. While it's no longer magazine-fed, it still has some automatic parts, allowing it to rearm itself while the user reaches for a new projectile.
** ''VideoGame/SvenCoop'' remedies this by making the fire rate longer between each shot
* Badrach and Janus from ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' both use "crossbows" that seem to have more in common with guns from ''{{VideoGame/Contra}}'' than actual medieval weaponry. Badrach's in particularly is clearly a gun based on the game's art. It's likely they just gave him the crossbow weapon set so they wouldn't have to make entirely new equipment for just one character.
* Fairy queen Mercedes from ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'' wields a magic crossbow called Tasla (later reforged into Riblam). Being a magical weapon it rapid-fires bolts of flaming energy rather than arrows and can charge up and release a powerful homing spread shot. Despite this, she still needs to reload it when she runs out of energy (the point where other characters would run out of breath) although she can absorb phozons instead to recharge it.
* Coincidentally there's ''another'' Queen Mercedes (this one an elf) in ''VideoGame/MapleStory'', who [[DualWielding dual-wields]] a pair of 'bowguns', which can be best described as this trope with a dash of GatlingGood. In her case, she never has to reload because her arrows are made of magic. Given her rate of fire, conventional ammunition would probably be impossible to reload quick enough unless it was belt-fed.
** Also from Maplestory there is the Wild Hunter class who is from a very Steampunk inspired faction and thus can use mechanisms to fire their crossbow at a rate comparable to Mercedes, without magic!
* The Crossbow in ''VideoGame/{{Medievil}}'' actually has rapid fire listed as one of its abilities by its original owner. Justified since every weapon you get in the Hall of Heroes is at least somewhat magical in nature.

* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'', the Chinese use Chu-Ko-Nus as their special unit. Despite having shorter range, it could fire several bolts at once.
** ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' has them too. Again, they're weaker than European crossbows, but they fire three times in rapid succession, they're cheap, and when you build them, you also get melee units to protect them. Even a small group of Chu-Ko-Nus is more than capable of MoreDakka, spraying the enemy with a constant hail of AnnoyingArrows.

* The Orc monsters in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness'' have these.

* The Princess from the "Princess 30" game in ''VideoGame/HalfMinuteHero'' inherits a crossbow from her dying father (the King), and it can shoot hundreds of arrows per ''second''.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Strife}}'', the crossbow automatically loads the next shot. Despite this, the fire rate isn't faster than other FPS crossbows.
* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' has a crossbow with five bolts and a fairly fast rate of fire. The reload animation did take a while, but luckily it could be interrupted in a pinch, which left you with fewer bolts but allowed you to keep firing. It also doubled as a tranquilizer gun, and it has a useful instant kill function.
* ''VideoGame/HypeTheTimeQuest'' has some quick crossbows, one of which actually could rapid fire three arrows!
* The Ethereal Crossbow from ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' fires faster than a round per second. With a Tome of Power active, it fires even faster. Justified in that [[AWizardDidIt it's magical.]]
* Similarly, the Assassin class in ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}} II'' has a magical crossbow that gets its ammo from the player's blue mana pool.
* ''VideoGame/OddworldStrangersWrath'' has the main character use an arm-mounted double-barrel crossbow that fire [[BeeBeeGun bees]] like machine-gun as well as various other critters.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Rappelz}}'' the only class to use a crossbow as its primary weapon, the Shadow Hunter, can reach attack speeds high enough to fire an arrow or, with proper buffs, two every second.
* The Sniper Crossbow in ''VideoGame/WillRock'' can shot up to 6 ArrowsOnFire in a row. The fire rate however is slightly slower than the usual Automatic Crossbow.

* A rapid-fire crossbow in one of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII Vaan's]] [[MultiMeleeMaster (ma]][[MultiRangedMaster ny)]] BRV attacks in ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Duodecim 012]]''.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' features a bowgun which can fire in three-round bursts, and can hold 18 arrows at a time. ''Code: Veronica'' features a bowgun that can hold every arrow in your inventory at once, and fires one (homing!) bolt at a time semi-auto. Later games feature ''very'' powerful crossbows (usually with [[TrickArrow explosive bolts]]), usually in Ada Wong's hands, but those require a full nock-and-cock reload per bolt. Enemies in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 5]]'' use crossbows that are sort of automatic: they can shoot two bolts in rapid succession but need a reload after that.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonNest'', the Archer's crossbow acts for all intents and purposes like a three-round burst submachine gun.
* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', for most of the pre-release period, took this even further by having a fully-automatic ''longbow''. If you had enough arrows stored up, you could just point at a horde of enemies, hold down the right mouse button, and mow them down like you're wielding an assault rifle. And as an added bonus, missed shots didn't waste arrows because they could (and still can) be gathered up and reused later. Beta 1.8 finally retooled the bow to behave more like a traditional video game longbow (i.e. hold the button in to pull back slowly, release to... well, release; damage and accuracy increases based on how far back the bowstring was drawn) but also do more damage if used properly.
** Some Minecraft griefing clients not only restore the fully automatic nature of the bow, but can make it fire ''even faster''.
* ''VideoGame/DragonSaga'' implements this trope in an odd way. The crossbows of the Ranger classes fire ''slower'' than the huge bows used by their Hunter counterparts but deal more damage. They have the same firing rate in shared skills but discard the crossbow in their class-specific skills and switch to a ridiculous array of firearms and explosives.
* In ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'', the Demon Hunter class can {{Dual Wield|ing}} single shot hand crossbows like a pair of semi-auto pistols without ever apparently reloading. The Rapid Fire skill lets them fire like fully automatic machine guns, even from an old-fashioned bow and arrow.
* ''VideoGame/DungeonDefenders'' has several examples, most of which can be upgraded to fire even faster.
* ''VideoGame/OrcsMustDie'' has a magical crossbow which can fire indefinitely, and is capable of automatic fire with the use of macros.
* In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' Twitch has an extremely high base attack speed, and usually gets items to increase it, so that he fires crossbow bolts at a rate greater than one a second.
* Lu in ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'' has an Auto Crossbow styled vaguely like a [[CoolGuns/SubmachineGuns Tommy Gun]], which is actually four crossbows in one.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', you can purchase a fast reloading device, which takes only a fraction of a second to reload your crossbow. (However, even without this device, it still takes only about a second and a half to reload it; and you can reload one-handed.)
* In ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar II: Retribution's'' Imperial Guard campaign, one possible upgrade for Inquisitor Adrastia is a hand crossbow that can fire [[TrickArrow explosive-tipped, armor-piercing quarrels]] either singly or in [[RainOfArrows spreads]].

* ''Videogame/PlanetSide 2'' features the "Hunter" quad-armed crossbow. It can silently fire up to 4 bolts (or 3 explosive bolts) from an internal magazine, though it must be pumped (like a shotgun) after each shot to cycle in a new bolt from the magazine. The crossbow is reloaded via break-action. It's particularly useful for an Infiltrator with the [[InvisibilityCloak Stalker cloaking device]], as the Hunter is one of the most powerful secondary weapons and makes almost no noise.
* The Avelyn in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' fires three crossbow bolts in rapid succession, and is reloaded all at once. Unlike many other depictions of automatic crossbows, the Avelyn has three separate bowstrings instead of a single string with a magazine of bolts, but how exactly it is loaded is unclear.
** The Repeater Crossbow created by Transposing [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael]]'s soul in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' is a drum-fed crossbow.
* ''VideoGame/JoeDeversLoneWolf'' Leandra's crossbow. It's also her invention.
* Invoked with the Helsing in ''Videogame/{{Metro 2033}}'' and the [[Videogame/MetroLastLight sequel]], a 6-shot pneumatic rifle that fires crossbow bolts at lethal speed, which is reloaded like a revolver, and pumped-up to pressure by hand. Killing a mutant with it [[ShoutOut grants the "Van Helsing" achievement]].
* ''{{Videogame/Terraria}}'' has repeating crossbows that are crafted from Cobalt, Palladium, {{Mythril}}, {{Orichalcum}}, Adamantite, Titanium and Hallowed metal that fire automatically compared to previous bows that had to be fired with each click of the mouse. When you get access to Chlorophyte, you can craft a Chlorophyte Shotbow that [[{{MultiShot}} fires three arrows for the cost of one (or zero if you have a chance not to consume ammo)]]. There's also a Halloween themed Stake Launcher that fires wooden stakes automatically like the repeaters and, as expected, it's a OneHitKill against vampires in the Solar Eclipse event.
* In ''{{VideoGame/Nosgoth}}'' the Hunter -class is equipped with these, several variants actually - repeaters (the straightest example of the trope), multi-bow that shoots in three arrow bursts, slower but powerful siege bows... Each have a magazine from 16 to 36 arrows.
* ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'' has an automatic crossbow, as well as splinter guns, which are basically mini shotgun-crossbows. Taken UpToEleven with the Heavy Auto-Crossbow, which rapid-fires bolts capable of taking down walking tanks in one hit.
* A modern automatic crossbow that feeds from a large drum magazine is Ajay Ghale's go-to stealth WeaponOfChoice in ''VideoGame/FarCry4'', although the standard bow from the last game is still available as well, it really comes down to player preference.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'', the common Crossbow weapon your characters could pick has a firing rate as fast as the player's trigger finger. There's also the semi-rare Cranequin crossbow, which has a slightly slower rate of fire, but comes with a SpreadShot.
* In ''Videogame/EndlessLegend'', the comparatively high-tech Vaulters use magazine-fed crossbows as their standard infantry weapon. Amusingly, the Vaulters flee the planet Auriga [[SchizoTech on a spaceship before they even invent firearms]]. When they reappear in ''VideoGame/EndlessSpace'', they upgrade to ballistics and directed energy weapons.
* Emperor Zemeckis of Esgares Empire from ''VideoGame/{{Brigandine}}'' wields a big crossbow called 'Tempest Bow', where he can call out lightning to enhance its bolts. In the vanilla game, he can shoot while moving, but in ''Grand Edition'', [[{{Nerf}} he cannot move and shoot.]]
* ''VideoGame/WarhammerTheEndTimesVermintide'': Victor Saltzpyre can acquire a Repeater Crossbow in Drachenfels, which has a burst-fire mode that shoots out three bolts in rapid succession. It's a bitch to reload, but the rapid artillery is more than worth it.

* The Delta 900 Mag from ''VideoGame/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' is a pump-action crossbow. It can hold up to 5 bolts in the magazine, it has a telescopic sight attached to it and it has a pretty fast rate of fire. It takes very long to reload it however, meaning it is probably best to switch to a backup weapon when close to an empty magazine.
* The Guardians in ''VideoGame/Uncharted2AmongThieves'' wield crossbows that can fire several bolts in quick succession. A full volley from one of these can easily kill the player. You can pick up one of these crossbows to use yourself, but [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard they need to be reloaded after every shot when in a player's hands]].

* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' features several instances of automatic, semi-automatic, wrist mounted and sniper-scoped crossbow weapons. Some are entirely mechanical, others may have [[{{magitek}} magical cores]] to help the motions. Generally speaking, the Drow in the setting are both adept at {{magitek}}-anything and are excellent craftsmen.

* Ranulf's handy piece of villain-slaying hardware in 1980's camp sword and sorcery classic, ''Film/HawkTheSlayer''.

* In ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', Zhuge Liang is credited with inventing these, although they aren't used until after his death because of problems of implementation.

* ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' (the novel) attributes the original creation of an automatic crossbow to Zhuge Liang, circa 200 AD. While this is not exactly historical fact, the existence of the weapon in that time frame is confirmed. While certainly weaker and less accurate than a typical bow, it was much quicker and used effectively in mass combat against lightly armored foes. Also in his fantasy short story "Dragon's Teeth," in the mid-fourth century AD.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' features a bowgun which can fire in three-round bursts, and can hold 18 arrows at a time. ''Code: Veronica'' features a bowgun that can hold every arrow in your inventory at once, and fires one (homing!) bolt at a time semi-auto. Later games feature ''very'' powerful crossbows (usually with [[TrickArrow explosive bolts]]), usually in Ada Wong's hands, but those require a full nock-and-cock reload per bolt.

* The Bowguns in the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series are functionally guns except that they have a self-drawing bow mechanism (the actual 'Bow' weapon type has to be drawn in a separate action before firing) and firing rate that is affected by ammo type.

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%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1379086343027411300
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[[quoteright:320:[[Film/VanHelsing http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vhcrossbowcrop_2761.png]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:320: Some [[VampireHunter vampire hunters]] put a lot [[WoodenStake on the stake]]. Others use [[MoreDakka more stakes.]]]]-]

->''"Now, this isn't really a problem, but something else I noticed is that in the world of ''Dungeon Siege'', bows fire more slowly and do more damage than ''cross''bows, which fire ''faster'', but do ''less'' damage. I honestly have to wonder if the programmers misread the design documents or something, since this is the ''exact opposite'' of reality."''
-->-- ''WebVideo/RosssGameDungeon'' on ''VideoGame/DungeonSiege''

Automatic Crossbows are crossbows that allow the user to shoot several times before having to reload, just like modern guns do.[[note]]Technically, most examples are ''semi''-automatic crossbows (one bolt per pull of the trigger), while a fully-automatic one would fire several bolts per trigger-squeeze.[[/note]] Many works of fiction are set in a time period when firearms are not available, and crossbows are the nearest equivalent. This is especially true in the fantasy genre, where FantasyGunControl is the default. However, crossbows tend to take a long time to reload, which can be frustrating for people used to the rapid action of modern gunfights. And to those who are used to modern sporting crossbows, which are much faster to reload but also much shorter-ranged and less powerful than the typical medieval version. Sometimes in a work the urge to use some GunsAndGunplayTropes is just too powerful. So the obvious solution to this dilemma is to give crossbows the ability to shoot an entire magazine of ammunition without having to reload. Not only do they add [[RuleOfCool instant awesome]], but they allow having MoreDakka.

In real life, it is [[RealityEnsues much more difficult]] to create such a weapon than many works assume. Automatic firearms work by using excess energy from the detonation of the propellant to reload and recock the weapon. In a bow powered by elasticity, there is no such simple source of excess energy. This is no fun, as you still want said automatic weapon. There are several ways this might be accomplished. The most realistic options use various types of hand-powered mechanical device to produce repeating bows that are similar to RealLife [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow historical examples]] but [[UpToEleven dialed up to eleven]]. Others might use SchizoTech or magic to accomplish this purposes. If it is the latter, the use of magically justified BottomlessMagazines might make the Automatic Crossbow even more powerful.

Compare with {{Multishot}} when one gets similar results with a regular bow.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* The ''[[RPGEpisode Knight Gundam]]''/''[[Anime/SDGundamForce Lacroa]]'' version of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam]] [[MoreDakka Heavyarms]] wields a bizarre weapons that's a combination of his traditional [[GatlingGood Gat']] & a crossbow.
* In ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'', Guts's primary ranged weapon is a wrist-mounted repeating crossbow operated by turning a crank, which he primarily uses against humans. His ''other'' ranged weapon is a [[ArmCannon steampunk gunpowder cannon built into the replacement for his left arm]], which he uses to turn the tide against demons. Later in the series, Rickert invents a machinegun-sized repeating crossbow to protect his refugee group against monsters.
* Pajiramon of ''Anime/DigimonTamers.'' When one arrow is fired, the next immediately slides into place. It's only seen to hold three, but anytime it's offscreen for an instant, it's fully reloaded when we see it again.
* In ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' the apocalypse seems to have wiped out all the bullets but few of the guns, so the guns have naturally been retooled to shoot pointed sticks.
* A character in ''Anime/AfroSamurai'' has one of these. It also comes with an underslung grenade launcher. And the arrows are poisoned.
* A character in ''LightNovel/VampireHunterD: Bloodlust'' fires quarrels at a rate of roughly seven billion per second out of a ''hand-loaded'' crossbow. No explanation is offered as to how, although it looks like he's pulling a [[Literature/Discworld Detritus]]-loading a bundle of them and letting them [[RainOfArrows diffuse mid-flight]].
** Most of that family were not normal humans. In the book, they're even worse, especially what they do with their sister.
* Favaro's crossbow in ''Anime/RageOfBahamutGenesis'' has multiple arrows loaded in it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In one issue of ''ComicBook/TheMask'', The Mask pulled out a repeating crossbow with an ammo belt like a machine gun.
* In ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'', The Roach (in his Punisherroach identity) wields two "pearl handled semi-automatic" belt-fed crossbows that shoot explosive-tipped bolts and have a firing rate similar to a machine gun.
* In ''ComicBook/ScareTactics'', members of the vampire hunting Graveyard Shift tote multi-shot, stake firing crossbows.
* Amy in ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' has one of these as her main weapon that she built herself.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek 2}}'' features crossbows which can be loaded with multiple arrows and fired one by one in a manner similar to a revolver and held like a Tommy Gun. Probably done partly because of RuleOfCool and mostly because the shooting would be very slow and less dramatic if they had to keep stopping to reload. They prove wildly inaccurate.
* In the original ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'' movie, the land where the Tarna segment was set did have guns. But automatic bolt-shooters were in exclusive use by those mounted on giant featherless birds. Well, giant featherless birds that also didn't exist in the medieval age.
* In ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Nine}} 9]]'', 5's weapon of choice is a crossbow made of a clock key and a spring. He used it to [[spoiler:crack the Seamstresses eye, which was a Crowning Moment of Awesome for a previously timid character.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* Ranulf's handy piece of villain-slaying hardware in 1980's camp sword and sorcery classic, ''Film/HawkTheSlayer''.
* In ''Film/VanHelsing'', its titular hero is given a pressurized gas operated, [[MoreDakka drum magazine fed]], fully automatic crossbow (pictured above) upon his return to the Vatican after the opening fight with Mr Hyde. The Catholic Church gives him the weapon (among other fantastical weapons and gadgets, all of which were made in an underground weapons lab that the Vatican has for some odd reason) to help him in his fight against Dracula and his minions. Sadly though, this weapon is only used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9N8dEdZCQ in one scene out of the entire film]] before he switches to regular firearms.
* Captain Navarre (played by Rutger Hauer) in the movie ''Film/{{Ladyhawke}}'' has a double crossbow as one of his two signature weapons.
* In ''Film/{{DEBS}}'' Amy keeps a crossbow with a large magazine in her room.
* In ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', when Maximus and his fellow gladiators are fighting the re-enactment of the Battle of Zama, one of the enemy fighters is shown using a repeating crossbow.
* An historically accurate model is seen in use by Sun Quan's army in ''Film/RedCliff''.
* ''Film/{{Daybreakers}}''. Pump-action crossbows (with flick-out bow section) are used by the humans against the vampire military.
* The vampire soldiers use three-stringed crossbows in ''Film/UnderworldRiseOfTheLycans''. Sensible, since the Lycans typically show up in numbers and might be able to shrug off a single bolt.
* Gretel from ''Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters'' carries an over-and-under version of this, which uses its own recoil to cock itself. It can also rotate to shoot bolts in opposite directions.
* In ''Franchise/StarWars Episode VI: Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Chewbacca fires his bowcaster twice in a second without reloading at a fleeing scout trooper. EU materials such as ''The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology'' explain that Chewie's in particular has been modified with an automatic re-cocking system, rendering it semiautomatic.
* In ''Film/SinCityADameToKillFor'', Nancy uses one in the "Nancy's Last Dance" story when she and Marv attack Senator Roark's home.
* In the movie adaptation of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Two Towers]]'', [[EliteMooks Uruk-hai]] marksmen use quick-reloading, lever-action crossbows during the siege of Helm's Deep. It's a detail that doesn't really come up in the film itself, but the design team at Weta Workshop included it because [[RuleOfCool it's cool]] and establishes the advanced technology used by Saruman's forces.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels use this quite a bit. ''Discworld/TheTruth'' and ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'' even feature a small spring-powered crossbow that's been so heavily modified that it's a gun in everything but the most technical sense. There's also Sergeant Detritus's "Piecemaker," a giant siege weapon that fires six foot long arrows, which he converted into [[{{BFG}} biggest handheld weapon on the Disc]]. Although both are described, most emphatically, as being ''slow'' to reload.
** The issue with the Piecemaker is that it doesn't ''need'' to be fired more than once. Or even ever. In its latest incarnation/modification it's practically the equivalent of waving a rocket-launcher in somebody's face, in proportion to the technology level of the Disc.
*** The Piecemaker is exemplary of Vimes' [[WeaponForIntimidation philosophy on weapon use]], as ''no one'' would dare antagonise Detritus while he has the thing ready to go (not that many would want to anyway, him being a troll). Vimes even mentions that he got holed-up criminals to surrender on multiple occasions simply by ordering one of the other Watch members to fetch Detritus. Thus far, it's only been used to destroy non-living targets, like buildings. But it's not strictly automatic, less because of reload time than that it uses ''all'' of its ammo in one shot.
*** The Piecemaker has actually been fired, it applies so much force that the arrows instantly shatter. The target is then hit with a spray of fast moving wood and metal chips of what used to be arrows. It has the same effect as a shotgun, dialed up to 11. Often being used to vaporize pesky obstacles that block their path.
** Automatic or multi-shot crossbows are alluded in at least ''Discworld/MenAtArms'' and ''Discworld/TheLastContinent''. ''The Last Continent'' even used a crossbow to parody ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness''' famous ThisIsMyBoomstick scene.
** Crossbows in ''Discworld/NightWatch'' carry a magazine of several bolts, but the string still has to be pulled back.
** Lampshaded a bit in the end of ''Discworld/GuardsGuards!''. The protagonists storm the palace to catch the villain, and when the gate is locked, Captain Vimes, drunk on authority and briefly forgetting he's only ''acting'' like Dirty Harry, orders Sergeant Colon to "[[ShootOutTheLock shoot it open!]]" Colon is not sure how he's supposed to accomplish that with a bow and arrow.
** In ''Discworld/GoingPostal'', Moist, on several occasions, finds himself staring down the barrel of Miss Dearheart's... automatic crossbow, taking the place of the shotgun that a shopkeeper would normally have.
* In Creator/DavidGemmell's ''Literature/{{Drenai}}'' novels, the anti-heroic assassin Waylander the Slayer used a weapon normally referred to as a "double crossbow" -- effectively two small crossbows stuck one on top of the other, allowing two shots without reloading. The second shot often takes people by surprise, which is handy because he's a mediocre swordsman.
* In ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', Zhuge Liang is credited with inventing these, although they aren't used until after his death because of problems of implementation.
* The introduction of this type of crossbow gives Mat a serious advantage in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series. They are used realistically, noting how they lack the range, accuracy, and power of longbows and traditional crossbows, but make up for it through sheer numbers. It also points out that anyone can use them with minimal training, making them ideal for irregular forces.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Dark Elves in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' use repeating crossbows as their standard ranged weapon. On top of that, both they and the High Elves have repeating Bolt Throwers (ballistas) as their primary war machines.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''
** The repeating crossbow, which can fire 5 bolts before needing a reload. The next shot is readied by pulling a lever.
** A spoof article in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'', "Gangsters of the Underdark", featured an automatic crossbow powered by a handcrank, known as the Torque-Operated Mauling Machine, or [[FunWithAcronyms T.O.M.M.Y.]]
* These are commonly used by the Haslanti League and the Mountain Folk in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}''. The Mountain Folk have a version that can fire ''crystalline bolts'' with such speed that it's basically an assault rifle. For bonus points, it can fire [[FlechetteStorm flechette rounds]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}''
** ''GURPS Martial Arts'' has a repeating crossbow that gets ten shots before reloading, but doesn't fire any faster than a normal crossbow.
** The ''Dungeon Fantasy'' setting has a spring-loaded artifact that works almost exactly like an SMG.
** The ''TabletopGame/DiscworldRoleplayingGame'' also has a repeating crossbow that is unreliable but still popular in the Brown Islands, if only for the [[DramaticGunCock impressive noise it makes in use]].
* ''[[TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}} Munchkin Fu]]'' has a repeating crossbow. Called--what else would ''Munchkin'' call it--the Repeating Crossbow Crossbow Crossbow.
* In D20 rpg ''Dark Legacies'', there are standard automatic crossbows out of Dungeons and Dragons, but also there are even more advanced assault crossbows, which are automatic crossbows with an ammo belt to create a constant rate of fire. And a certain class can further mount these assault crossbows on a steam-powered armour and then improve the crossbow with things such as flywheels, high-tension strings and etc. Note that in most fantasy worlds, these assault crossbows would be the highest level of technology. But in ''Dark Legacies'', it's set in our world in the post-apocalypse far future, so the assault crossbows and other tech is a big step down.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The Bowguns in the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series are functionally guns except that they have a self-drawing bow mechanism (the actual 'Bow' weapon type has to be drawn in a separate action before firing) and firing rate that is affected by ammo type.
* Edgar's Auto Crossbow tool in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. [[DiscOneNuke It's available less than an hour into the game, and remains useful for a long time.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' has the Attica, a Tenno made crossbow that fires high-damage bolts at decent rate. A later patch doubles its firing rate and allows it to equip the [[StuffBlowingUp Thunderbolt mod]], essentially turning it into a fast-firing automatic rocket launcher. A later update introduced the Zhuge, which is more of a crit-based weapon.
* In the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' universe, there currently exists exactly ''one'' repeating crossbow--namely, Varric's [[ICallItVera Bianca]], first seen in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. It is unique because it is actually a product of two genius engineers who worked on it at different times, and because Varric had to kill one of them later, while publicly giving him full credit for its creation to protect the other one's ([[spoiler:his OldFlame after whom the crossbow is named]]) identity from the underworld powers [[NoManShouldHaveThisPower that really want to obtain the secret of its manufacture]]. Officially it's creation was a fluke that couldn't be reproduced; in reality they just don't want to.
* The PC RPG ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' tells the story of an Earth astronaut who crash lands on an alien planet that's part alien jungle and part fantasy land. The local civilization hasn't developed guns, but later in the game repeating Automatic Crossbows (referred to as bolt guns) become available as weapons.
* Interestingly, the official lightgun attachment for the Nintendo Wii, known as the Wii Zapper, comes with ''VideoGame/LinksCrossbowTraining''. Link's Crossbow never needs to be reloaded, and can be powered up with 100 bolts of automatic rapid-fire. The idea was later expanded upon with Linkle's dual crossbows in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors Legends'', which combines this trope with some mild GunKata.
* Kai's primary weapon from ''VideoGame/HeavenlySword'' is a repeating crossbow that shoots bolts whose flight path the player can control.
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' [[{{nerf}} used to]] have bows and crossbows that fired absurdly fast; a dwarf who really leveled up the relevant skill could fire off seven or eight bolts before the first one hit. This was extremely CoolButInefficient, as ranged weapons were also somewhat overpowered at the time and the odds were good that the first arrow or bolt had scored a OneHitKill, so the remainder were wasted. The problem has since been fixed by not allowing units to loose a second shot until the first has landed.
** All that being said however, actual rates of fire are slightly difficult to determine, as VideoGame/DwarfFortress is a rather extreme example of VideoGameTime.
* ''VideoGame/FableII'' features repeating crossbows, which fire much faster than a normal crossbow, but are inferior in terms of speed to pistols, and in terms of power to rifles. And nothing beats a good clockwork or turret rifle.
* In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, the character Xigbar [[GunsAkimbo dual wields]] an EnergyBow variant of the concept: Arrowguns, crossbows that shoot magical spatial darts and can combine to form a sniper rifle, the Arrowguns from ''VideoGame/BirthBySleep'' are even shaped like crossbows.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', most of the 1-handed Crossbows [[http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Clockwork_crossbow describe themselves as automatic]]. All the other crossbows are typically two-handed. It also has a GatlingGood version called the Repeating Crossbow, which is advertised as "Firing up to ONE ROUND PER SECOND! Devastating!"
** Trying to be funny, or referencing the RL slow fire rate? [[MathematiciansAnswer Yes]].
* In ''Videogame/HalfLife'', the player can use a five-round crossbow that fires almost as quickly as a shotgun. Swapping out the crossbow's magazine is painfully slow, unfortunately.
** The crossbow in ''Videogame/HalfLife2'' is no longer automatic, and you can only carry twelve shots, but becomes the most damaging non-explosive weapon in the game. While it's no longer magazine-fed, it still has some automatic parts, allowing it to rearm itself while the user reaches for a new projectile.
** ''VideoGame/SvenCoop'' remedies this by making the fire rate longer between each shot
* Badrach and Janus from ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' both use "crossbows" that seem to have more in common with guns from ''{{VideoGame/Contra}}'' than actual medieval weaponry. Badrach's in particularly is clearly a gun based on the game's art. It's likely they just gave him the crossbow weapon set so they wouldn't have to make entirely new equipment for just one character.
* Fairy queen Mercedes from ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'' wields a magic crossbow called Tasla (later reforged into Riblam). Being a magical weapon it rapid-fires bolts of flaming energy rather than arrows and can charge up and release a powerful homing spread shot. Despite this, she still needs to reload it when she runs out of energy (the point where other characters would run out of breath) although she can absorb phozons instead to recharge it.
* Coincidentally there's ''another'' Queen Mercedes (this one an elf) in ''VideoGame/MapleStory'', who [[DualWielding dual-wields]] a pair of 'bowguns', which can be best described as this trope with a dash of GatlingGood. In her case, she never has to reload because her arrows are made of magic. Given her rate of fire, conventional ammunition would probably be impossible to reload quick enough unless it was belt-fed.
* The Crossbow in ''VideoGame/{{Medievil}}'' actually has rapid fire listed as one of its abilities by its original owner. Justified since every weapon you get in the Hall of Heroes is at least somewhat magical in nature.
* ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} IV'' has the Chinese Cho-Ku-Nu specialty unit. While not stronger then a normal crossbow, it has the added advantage of causing collateral damage to a stack of units.
** They return in ''V''. Here, the Cho-Ku-Nu is actually weaker than the normal crossbow, but can fire two times per turn.
* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'', the Chinese use Chu-Ko-Nus as their special unit. Despite having shorter range, it could fire several bolts at once.
** ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' has them too. Again, they're weaker than European crossbows, but they fire three times in rapid succession, they're cheap, and when you build them, you also get melee units to protect them. Even a small group of Chu-Ko-Nus is more than capable of MoreDakka, spraying the enemy with a constant hail of AnnoyingArrows.
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' has miniature automatic crossbows that are loaded with box-shaped magazines of darts, and strapped to the back of the wrist.
* The Orc monsters in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness'' have these.
* ''VideoGame/DungeonFighterOnline'' features the Gunner class, who can use this type of weapon. Like all the other gun types, [[GunsAkimbo he holds one in each hand]].
* The Princess from the "Princess 30" game in ''VideoGame/HalfMinuteHero'' inherits a crossbow from her dying father (the King), and it can shoot hundreds of arrows per ''second''.
* In ''VideoGame/DungeonSiege: Throne of Agony'', crossbows are all automatic, and only slightly slower than regular bows. They are apparently fired by yarding on a firing crank.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Strife}}'', the crossbow automatically loads the next shot. Despite this, the fire rate isn't faster than other FPS crossbows.
* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' has a crossbow with five bolts and a fairly fast rate of fire. The reload animation did take a while, but luckily it could be interrupted in a pinch, which left you with fewer bolts but allowed you to keep firing. It also doubled as a tranquilizer gun, and it has a useful instant kill function.
* ''VideoGame/HypeTheTimeQuest'' has some quick crossbows, one of which actually could rapid fire three arrows!
* The Ethereal Crossbow from ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' fires faster than a round per second. With a Tome of Power active, it fires even faster. Justified in that [[AWizardDidIt it's magical.]]
* Similarly, the Assassin class in ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}} II'' has a magical crossbow that gets its ammo from the player's blue mana pool.
* ''VideoGame/OddworldStrangersWrath'' has the main character use an arm-mounted double-barrel crossbow that fire [[BeeBeeGun bees]] like machine-gun as well as various other critters.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Rappelz}}'' the only class to use a crossbow as its primary weapon, the Shadow Hunter, can reach attack speeds high enough to fire an arrow or, with proper buffs, two every second.
* The Sniper Crossbow in ''VideoGame/WillRock'' can shot up to 6 ArrowsOnFire in a row. The fire rate however is slightly slower than the usual Automatic Crossbow.
* Maybe with a little nod tuned UpToEleven to the Chinese chu-ko-nu in the RealLife section below, ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 7'' players have access to highly-accurate ballistas in some missions. Its {{gatling good}}ness and [[ImprobableAimingSkills never-miss accuracy]] make for some [[CurbStompBattle easy army leveling]].
** In the same game Lianshi has a normal crossbow as her signature weapon. It functions more like a shotgun than a machine gun, though she never really has to worry about reloading it.
** The eighth game takes this [[UpToEleven to a ludicrous extent]] with the DownloadableContent "Revolving Crossbow", which is basically a portable gatling cannon that fires arrows.
** Similarly, the third ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' games introduces Motonari Mori, who uses a wrist-mounted version of this that he can even stab people with.
** Considering the above examples, it is notable that ''BladestormTheHundredYearsWar'' - also by KOEI - completely [[AvertedTrope AVERTS]] this. Crossbow-units have to reload after each shot, taking several seconds - and Heavy Crossbows take even longer since they have to use a hand-crank to do so. Of course, this makes them rather less than practical to actually USE, especially if you don't have some allied units around to run interference while you're busy reloading...
* A rapid-fire crossbow in one of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII Vaan's]] [[MultiMeleeMaster (ma]][[MultiRangedMaster ny)]] BRV attacks in ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Duodecim 012]]''.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' features a bowgun which can fire in three-round bursts, and can hold 18 arrows at a time. ''Code: Veronica'' features a bowgun that can hold every arrow in your inventory at once, and fires one (homing!) bolt at a time semi-auto. Later games feature ''very'' powerful crossbows (usually with [[TrickArrow explosive bolts]]), usually in Ada Wong's hands, but those require a full nock-and-cock reload per bolt.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonNest'', the Archer's crossbow acts for all intents and purposes like a three-round burst submachine gun.
* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', for most of the pre-release period, took this even further by having a fully-automatic ''longbow''. If you had enough arrows stored up, you could just point at a horde of enemies, hold down the right mouse button, and mow them down like you're wielding an assault rifle. And as an added bonus, missed shots didn't waste arrows because they could (and still can) be gathered up and reused later. Beta 1.8 finally retooled the bow to behave more like a traditional video game longbow (i.e. hold the button in to pull back slowly, release to... well, release; damage and accuracy increases based on how far back the bowstring was drawn) but also do more damage if used properly.
** Some Minecraft griefing clients not only restore the fully automatic nature of the bow, but can make it fire ''even faster''.
* ''VideoGame/DragonSaga'' implements this trope in an odd way. The crossbows of the Ranger classes fire ''slower'' than the huge bows used by their Hunter counterparts but deal more damage. They have the same firing rate in shared skills but discard the crossbow in their class-specific skills and switch to a ridiculous array of firearms and explosives.
* In ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'', the Demon Hunter class can {{Dual Wield|ing}} single shot hand crossbows like a pair of semi-auto pistols without ever apparently reloading. The Rapid Fire skill lets them fire like fully automatic machine guns, even from an old-fashioned bow and arrow.
* ''VideoGame/DungeonDefenders'' has several examples, most of which can be upgraded to fire even faster.
* ''VideoGame/OrcsMustDie'' has a magical crossbow which can fire indefinitely, and is capable of automatic fire with the use of macros.
* In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' Twitch has an extremely high base attack speed, and usually gets items to increase it, so that he fires crossbow bolts at a rate greater than one a second.
* Lu in ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'' has an Auto Crossbow styled vaguely like a [[CoolGuns/SubmachineGuns Tommy Gun]], which is actually four crossbows in one.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', you can purchase a fast reloading device, which takes only a fraction of a second to reload your crossbow. (However, even without this device, it still takes only about a second and a half to reload it; and you can reload one-handed.)
* In ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar II: Retribution's'' Imperial Guard campaign, one possible upgrade for Inquisitor Adrastia is a hand crossbow that can fire [[TrickArrow explosive-tipped, armor-piercing quarrels]] either singly or in [[RainOfArrows spreads]].
* ''VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarKensRage'' gives Mamiya (and later Bat and Lin) automatic crossbows as weapons. All three of them can deal a barrage of rapid-fire shots as part of their moveset, but given the setting, these are downgraded to AnnoyingArrows individually--it usually takes the better part of its bolt magazine to kill a squad of generic {{Mook}}s that a dedicated fighter like Kenshiro or Rei could annihilate without a second thought, but these crossbows carry around ''50'' shots and can be reload in roughly two seconds. They also become ''much'' more lethal when used in [[LimitBreak Signature Moves]].
* ''Videogame/PlanetSide 2'' features the "Hunter" quad-armed crossbow. It can silently fire up to 4 bolts (or 3 explosive bolts) from an internal magazine, though it must be pumped (like a shotgun) after each shot to cycle in a new bolt from the magazine. The crossbow is reloaded via break-action. It's particularly useful for an Infiltrator with the [[InvisibilityCloak Stalker cloaking device]], as the Hunter is one of the most powerful secondary weapons and makes almost no noise.
* The Avelyn in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' fires three crossbow bolts in rapid succession, and is reloaded all at once. Unlike many other depictions of automatic crossbows, the Avelyn has three separate bowstrings instead of a single string with a magazine of bolts, but how exactly it is loaded is unclear.
** The Repeater Crossbow created by Transposing [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael]]'s soul in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' is a drum-fed crossbow.
* ''VideoGame/JoeDeversLoneWolf'' Leandra's crossbow. It's also her invention.
* Invoked with the Helsing in ''Videogame/{{Metro 2033}}'' and the [[Videogame/MetroLastLight sequel]], a 6-shot pneumatic rifle that fires crossbow bolts at lethal speed, which is reloaded like a revolver, and pumped-up to pressure by hand. Killing a mutant with it [[ShoutOut grants the "Van Helsing" achievement]].
* ''{{Videogame/Terraria}}'' has repeating crossbows that are crafted from Cobalt, Palladium, {{Mythril}}, {{Orichalcum}}, Adamantite, Titanium and Hallowed metal that fire automatically compared to previous bows that had to be fired with each click of the mouse. When you get access to Chlorophyte, you can craft a Chlorophyte Shotbow that [[{{MultiShot}} fires three arrows for the cost of one (or zero if you have a chance not to consume ammo)]]. There's also a Halloween themed Stake Launcher that fires wooden stakes automatically like the repeaters and, as expected, it's a OneHitKill against vampires in the Solar Eclipse event.
* In ''{{VideoGame/Nosgoth}}'' the Hunter -class is equipped with these, several variants actually - repeaters (the straightest example of the trope), multi-bow that shoots in three arrow bursts, slower but powerful siege bows... Each have a magazine from 16 to 36 arrows.
* ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'' has an automatic crossbow, as well as splinter guns, which are basically mini shotgun-crossbows. Taken UpToEleven with the Heavy Auto-Crossbow, which rapid-fires bolts capable of taking down walking tanks in one hit.
* A modern automatic crossbow that feeds from a large drum magazine is Ajay Ghale's go-to stealth WeaponOfChoice in ''VideoGame/FarCry4'', although the standard bow from the last game is still available as well, it really comes down to player preference.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'', the common Crossbow weapon your characters could pick has a firing rate as fast as the player's trigger finger. There's also the semi-rare Cranequin crossbow, which has a slightly slower rate of fire, but comes with a SpreadShot.
* In ''Videogame/EndlessLegend'', the comparatively high-tech Vaulters use magazine-fed crossbows as their standard infantry weapon. Amusingly, the Vaulters flee the planet Auriga [[SchizoTech on a spaceship before they even invent firearms]]. When they reappear in ''VideoGame/EndlessSpace'', they upgrade to ballistics and directed energy weapons.
* Emperor Zemeckis of Esgares Empire from ''VideoGame/{{Brigandine}}'' wields a big crossbow called 'Tempest Bow', where he can call out lightning to enhance its bolts. In the vanilla game, he can shoot while moving, but in ''Grand Edition'', [[{{Nerf}} he cannot move and shoot.]]
* ''VideoGame/WarhammerTheEndTimesVermintide'': Victor Saltzpyre can acquire a Repeater Crossbow in Drachenfels, which has a burst-fire mode that shoots out three bolts in rapid succession. It's a bitch to reload, but the rapid artillery is more than worth it.
* Imani from ''VideoGame/{{Gigantic}}'' uses a giant crossbow which can fire rapid bursts of bolts.
* The Delta 900 Mag from ''VideoGame/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' is a pump-action crossbow. It can hold up to 5 bolts in the magazine, it has a telescopic sight attached to it and it has a pretty fast rate of fire. It takes very long to reload it however, meaning it is probably best to switch to a backup weapon when close to an empty magazine.
* The Guardians in ''VideoGame/Uncharted2AmongThieves'' wield crossbows that can fire several bolts in quick succession. A full volley from one of these can easily kill the player. You can pick up one of these crossbows to use yourself, but [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard they need to be reloaded after every shot when in a player's hands]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', the pitiless Dwarf paladin Kore is equipped with ferocious multi-strung pistol crossbows each capable of firing ''eight'' bolts before needing to be reloaded. He also has the strength to insert them one-handed into their reloading mechanism, cocking all eight strings apiece by sheer arm strength.
* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' features several instances of automatic, semi-automatic, wrist mounted and sniper-scoped crossbow weapons. Some are entirely mechanical, others may have [[{{magitek}} magical cores]] to help the motions. Generally speaking, the Drow in the setting are both adept at {{magitek}}-anything and are excellent craftsmen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'', Tsun 'Kalu wields a crossbow that fires three bolts at once.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' (the novel) attributes the original creation of an automatic crossbow to Zhuge Liang, circa 200 AD. While this is not exactly historical fact, the existence of the weapon in that time frame is confirmed. While certainly weaker and less accurate than a typical bow, it was much quicker and used effectively in mass combat against lightly armored foes. Also in his fantasy short story "Dragon's Teeth," in the mid-fourth century AD.
* An artillery version was developed by the Roman Empire (the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheiroballistra cheiroballistra]]), while some Roman auxiliaries carried bullet-firing crossbows. However, the repeating variants were much weaker than the regular crossbows and it was necessary to tip the bolts with poison to make them more lethal.
** However, a body recovered from the site of a Roman siege in south-western England showed that a bolt-head typical of a Roman repeating crossbow had enough force to go right through a human body from the front and lodge in the luckless target's spine, with the point penetrating out of his back. Ref. Adam Hart-Davis, below.
** Those make a showing in Creator/DavidDrake's ''Literature/RanksOfBronze'', used by the defenders during a siege since they had the height advantage on their walls.
* The Series/MythBusters actually made one. It tended to jam often, but it worked.
** A large problem with the jamming turned out to be just how it was fired. With the right cranking technique it worked fairly well.
** Adam Hart-Davies, eccentric presenter of the 2000 British history reconstruction show ''What The Romans Did For Us?'', reconstructed a Roman automatic crossbow design. It fired repeatedly, quickly, penetrated an impressive assortment of materials, and didn't jam or fail once.
* This crossbow was one of the weapons improved upon on the Military Channel show ''Weapon Masters''. Chad made a pneumatic steel-framed crossbow that was deadly accurate and powerful at all ranges tested, and could quickly reload itself in seconds from a top-mounted magazine.
* When ''Series/ScrapheapChallenge'' did an episode on repeater bows, they showed a full-size but down-powered model of an original Chinese design dating to 200 AD. It essentially had an ammo hopper on top which was gravity-fed, and a wheel on the side which pulled the string back once with each rotation. It could fire pretty much as fast as you could turn the wheel, getting through maybe 40 shots per minute.
** Historic repeating crossbows all had the same problem, they lacked the range and penetrating power of their slower firing brethren. Great for volume of fire, less then spectacular when it comes to precision marksmanship, long range target shooting, and armor penetration. Which is why the bolts were often [[PoisonedWeapon poisoned]], or scaled up to the size of artillery.
* The Polybolos described by Philo of Byzantium (but more often attributed originally to Dionysius of Alexandria) also counts.
* Wikipedia article on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow Repeating crossbows.]]
** This particular weapon was demonstrated in real life on ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'', during the show pitting Sun-Tzu against Vlad the Impaler. It worked better than they expected.
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS4RKoRyTik&NR=1 This guy made an auto-electric crossbow.]]
* While this guy built a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxtHtPK2MH8&feature=related Gatling slingshot crossbow!]]
* A few other folks on Youtube have made [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter pump-action]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR0FXZe2_64 repeating]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAyCVTV8-lM crossbows.]]
** The same guy in the first example above also built an auto crossbow capable of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw6VBJ_o3AQ one-handed shooting.]]
[[/folder]]

----

* Wikipedia article on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow Repeating crossbows]]

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS4RKoRyTik&NR=1 This guy made an auto-electric crossbow]]
* While this guy built a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxtHtPK2MH8&feature=related Gatling slingshot crossbow]]!
* A few other folks on Youtube have made [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter pump-action]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR0FXZe2_64 repeating]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAyCVTV8-lM crossbows]].

* In the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' universe, there currently exists exactly ''one'' repeating crossbow--namely, Varric's [[ICallItVera Bianca]], first seen in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. It is unique because it is actually a product of two genius engineers who worked on it at different times, and because Varric had to kill one of them later, while publicly giving him full credit for its creation to protect the other one's ([[spoiler:his OldFlame after whom the crossbow is named]]) identity from the underworld powers [[NoManShouldHaveThisPower that really want to obtain the secret of its manufacture]].

* These are commonly used by the Haslanti League and the Mountain Folk in the tabletop RPG ''{{Exalted}}''. The Mountain Folk have a version that can fire ''crystalline bolts'' with such speed that it's basically an assault rifle. For bonus points, it can fire [[FlechetteStorm flechette rounds]].

* ''[[Game/{{Munchkin}} Munchkin Fu]]'' has a repeating crossbow. Called--what else would ''Munchkin'' call it--the Repeating Crossbow Crossbow Crossbow.

* Badrach and Janus from ''ValkyrieProfile'' both use "crossbows" that seem to have more in common with guns from ''{{VideoGame/Contra}}'' than actual medieval weaponry. Badrach's in particularly is clearly a gun based on the game's art. It's likely they just gave him the crossbow weapon set so they wouldn't have to make entirely new equipment for just one character.

** The Repeater Crossbow created by Transposing [[spoiler: Slave Knight Gael]]'s soul is a drum-fed crossbow.

* ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'' Has an automatic crossbow, as well as splinterers, which are basically shotgun-crossbows. Taken up to eleven with the Heavy auto-crossbow, which rapid-fires bolts capable of taking down walking tanks in one hit.

* In ''Film/VanHelsing'', its titular hero is given a pressurized gas operated, [[MoreDakka drum magazine fed]], fully automatic crossbow (pictured above) upon returning to the Vatican, after the opening fight with Mr Hyde. The Catholic Church gives him the weapon (among other fantastical weapons and gadgets, all of which were made in an underground weapons lab that the Vatican has for some odd reason) to help him in his fight against Dracula and his minions. Sadly though, this weapon is only used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9N8dEdZCQ in one scene out of the entire film]] before he switches to regular firearms.

* In ''Film/VanHelsing'', its titular hero is given a pressurized gas operated, [[MoreDakka drum magazine fed]], fully automatic crossbow (pictured above) upon returning to the Vatican, after the opening fight with Mr Hyde. The Catholic Church gives him the weapon (among other fantastical weapons and gadgets, all of which were made in an underground weapons lab that the Vatican has for some odd reason) to help him in his fight against Dracula and his minions. Sadly though, this weapon is only used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS9N8dEdZCQ in one scene throughout the entire film]] before he switches to regular firearms.