Welcome to Los Santos, the sun-burnt playground where Grand Theft Auto V lets you steal supercars, plan cinematic heists, and decide whether to play hero, rogue, or something in between. This guide-course gives you a clear, step-by-step path from the very first mission to advanced money farming and online domination—without the endless surfing of wikis. If you want to squeeze every drop of fun out of GTA V, read on.
Think of this text as a GPS for both story and GTA Online. Follow it, and you will know which guns to grab, which skills to train, and which activities give you the best cash per minute. Ready? Buckle up; the cops are already on the way.
Main Guide
1. Setting Up & First Steps
1.1 Pick Your Platform. PC offers mods and 60 fps; PlayStation and Xbox guarantee fast matchmaking for Online. 1.2 Adjust Controls. Inside the first pause menu: turn down driving sensitivity and raise aim acceleration for smoother headshots. 1.3 Use the Prologue. Rockstar designed the opening shootout to teach cover, weapon switching, and the snap-to aim assist—do not rush it. 1.4 Save Frequently. Manual saves in story mode protect you from auto-save regrets after blowing your money on a random helicopter.
2. Story Mode Essentials
2.1 Meet the Trio. Michael (shooting bullet-time), Franklin (driving focus), Trevor (rage mode) all have special skills. Level them by using them often and by finishing the side challenges that pop up after the first heist.
2.2 Golden Path Missions. If you play only the campaign highlights, finish: The Jewel Store Job, Three’s Company, The Merryweather Heist, Paleto Score, The Big Score, and the final choice. These unlock maximum map activities and cash.
2.3 Character Switching. Rotate whenever the portrait in the bottom corner flashes. This gives you extra angles in fights and steals more valuables during heists.
2.4 Smart Spending. Buy one Los Santos Customs (Franklin) and the Downtown Cab Co. (Michael) early—good passive income with low upkeep. Avoid the Golf Course until late-game; the price tag delays bigger investments.
3. Open-World Activities Worth Your Time
- Random Events: Blue dots on the radar. Return a stolen wallet for instant reputation and easy money.
- Strangers & Freaks: Green “?” icons. Franklin’s Tonya Tow Truck chain is fast XP, while Trevor’s Rampages boost his shooting stat.
- Collectibles: Letter Scraps, Spaceship Parts, and Submarine Pieces unlock special vehicles like the Space Docker—perfect for show-off crusing in Online’s invite-only lobbies.
- Challenge Modes: Flight School reduces insurance costs on aircraft in Online and improves Michael’s flying stat offline.
4. Combat & Weapons Crash-Course
4.1 Early Game: Grab the Special Carbine from Ammu-Nation as soon as it appears. It balances fire rate and recoil better than the Assault Rifle.
4.2 Mid Game: Buy Extended Mags and Suppressors. Stealth kills save ammo and avoid police heat in open-world free-roam.
4.3 Late Game: The Heavy Sniper with explosive rounds (post-research in Online) is the all-round boss destroyer, from helicopters to armored clans.
4.4 Keep Armor Up. Body armor stacks underneath health; refill after every big firefight for cheap survivability.
5. Driving, Flying, and Other Ways to Travel
5.1 Franklin’s Skill Abuse. During races press both sticks to slow time, then cut corners hard; release just before acceleration zones.
5.2 Helicopters over Jets. A chopper can land almost anywhere and needs less runway. Steal one from the hospital’s roof early for pain-free collectible hunting.
5.3 Train Your Stamina. Hold Sprint + Tap repeatedly while running a triathlon to max stamina in one sitting—no more passing out during foot chases.
6. Making Money Fast in Story Mode
6.1 Lester’s Assassination Missions. Save them until after The Big Score. Invest everything in the hinted company before you start each job and dump shares at peak (usually 24-48 in-game hours).
6.2 Armored Vans. Park a car in front, shoot the lock, grab cash, then quick-save to refresh spawns.
6.3 Stock Market Basics. Use the BAWSAQ (needs internet connection) to piggyback on global player trends; look for 1-day dips and sell at +10 % profit.
7. GTA Online Roadmap (Solo-Friendly)
7.1 Character Creation. Allocate more points to Stamina and Shooting; these are slow to level later.
7.2 Early Cash Path (Rank 1-20)
- Do Gerald and Simeon contact missions on Normal for 1.25× cash.
- Grab the free Elegy RH8 from Legendary Motorsport and fully insure it.
- Spin the Diamond Casino wheel once daily—clothing rewards can sell for chips.
7.3 Mid-Game Economy (Rank 20-60)
- Buy an Executive Office in Del Perro for free access to the CEO VIP Work “Sightseer” and “Headhunter.” 10 minutes each, ~$25k.
- Add a Terrorbyte and a Bunker. AFK supply runs + Semi-AFK Gunrunning sales mean money while you watch Netflix.
7.4 Late-Game Empire (Rank 60-120)
- Purchase an Arcade and host The Diamond Casino Heist; the Big Con approach nets up to $2.2 m per hour with a good crew.
- Invest in a Kosatka submarine for the solo-friendly Cayo Perico Heist—average $1.3 m every 90 minutes.
7.5 Avoiding Griefers
- Use Invite-Only sessions for CEO sales; they still count after the 2021 patch.
- Enable Passive Mode during setup runs to avoid Orbital Cannon trolls.
8. Mods & Quality-of-Life Tweaks (PC Only)
Install OpenIV first, then Script Hook V. Must-have mods include:
- LSPDFR – play as a cop for a fresh angle.
- Realism Dispatch Enhanced – smarter police AI.
- NVE or QuantV – next-gen lighting, though they hit FPS hard.
Always create a “mods” folder to keep vanilla files safe and disable mods before entering Online—Rockstar bans modified clients.
Conclusion & Quick Tips
GTA V is giant, but a simple rule keeps you winning: plan, invest, and practice. Finish high-payoff story missions first, delay Lester’s hits, and funnel funds into assets that earn while you roam. Train shooting in Ammu-Nation challenges, level driving in street races, and fly through Flight School rings for near-invincible pilots.
Final cheat-sheet:
- Quick cash: Cayo Perico solo, 1.3 m in 90 min.
- Quick XP: “Rooftop Rumble” or Survival modes on Double XP weeks.
- Best starter car: Armored Kuruma—bullet-proof glass saves lives.
- Police escape trick: Dive underwater near Del Perro Pier; the wanted level drops fast.
Follow these steps and Los Santos becomes less a warzone and more a personal playground. See you at the finish line—preferably in a golden Oppressor Mk II.
