Grand Theft Auto V Guide#
Grand Theft Auto V is Rockstar Games’ open-world crime epic, set in Los Santos — a sun-soaked city of opportunity and danger. The fates of three protagonists — Michael, Franklin, and Trevor — intertwine into the grandest crime saga in modern gaming history. This guide covers every main mission and ending branch, a full Los Santos exploration guide, everything GTA Online has to offer, and complete vehicle and weapon data.
Platforms: PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC | Release Date: September 17, 2013
Game Information#
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Rockstar North |
| Publisher | Rockstar Games |
| Genre | Open-world action-adventure |
| Engine | RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine) |
| Main Missions | 69 (including optional) |
| Strangers & Freaks | 20 |
| Collectibles | Letter Scraps (50), Nuclear Waste (30), Cayo Perico Signal Jammers (10) |
| Endings | 3 |
| GTA Online | Launched October 2013 |
Core Features#
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Three protagonists | Switch between them in real time — Michael (professional criminal), Franklin (street hustler), and Trevor (madman) |
| Los Santos | An open world based on Los Angeles — city, countryside, desert, and ocean |
| Cinematic storytelling | From bank heists to FIB infiltration — a three-act crime saga |
| GTA Online | A constantly updated multiplayer world — heists, races, businesses, and PvP |
| Vehicle culture | Hundreds of vehicles to collect, tune, and race |
| Stock market | Missions move stock prices — insider trading can net you billions |
Getting Started Tips#
| # | Tip | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rush the story to “Blitz Play” | Unlocks the heist system — every heist can be approached with different strategies that change the payout |
| 2 | Play the stock market | Buying designated stocks before certain missions can return 300%+ — invest per this guide |
| 3 | Explore after the story | All three protagonists are fully free only after completion — save collectibles and side content for then |
| 4 | Invest in property | Each protagonist can buy property — some come with special features (helipads, garages) |
| 5 | Level your skills | Driving, shooting, stamina, strength, stealth, and flying all climb toward 100% the more you use them |
| 6 | Insure and mod your cars | Always insure vehicles bought in GTA Online — uninsured rides are lost for good |
| 7 | Use Passive Mode | Turn on Passive Mode in Online whenever you don’t want other players killing you |
| 8 | Fast travel | Hail a taxi and choose the fast-travel option to jump to your waypoint — skip the boring drives |
Stock Market Guide#
| Mission | Buy | Sell | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hotel Assassination | Betta Pharmaceuticals | Wait for the post-mission peak | 50%+ |
| The Multi-Target Assassination | Debonaire Cigarettes | Sell once it rises to 80% | 80%+ |
| The Vice Assassination | Fruit Computers | Sell once it rises to 300% | 300%+ |
| The Bus Assassination | Tinkle | Sell once it rises to 100% | 100%+ |
| The Construction Assassination | Gold Coast Development | Sell at the post-mission peak | 80%+ |
| The Merryweather Heist | Take the Freighter (“sea”) approach first for a bigger payout | — | — |
| Before the ending | Invest all assassination profits in the right stocks | — | 2 billion+ across all three protagonists |
100% Completion#
| Category | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Main missions | Complete all 69 |
| Strangers & Freaks | Complete all 20 |
| Random events | Complete all 14 types (57 events total) |
| Collectibles | Letter Scraps (50) + Nuclear Waste (30) + Cayo Perico Signal Jammers (10) |
| Sports and leisure | Golf (9 holes), tennis (win a match), darts (win a match), all golds at the shooting range, and more |
| Vehicle activities | Complete all street races (10) + helicopter challenges (5) |
| Epsilon Program | Complete all 10 Epsilon missions |
| Stealth kills | At least 1 stealth kill |
| Ending | Choose C — “The Third Way” |
Difficulty and Gold Medals#
GTA 5 has no traditional difficulty options — the challenge comes from each mission’s fail states.
| Difficulty Source | Details |
|---|---|
| Mission checkpoints | Most missions let you retry from a checkpoint after failing |
| Gold medals | Every mission has gold-medal conditions (time, accuracy, or special objectives) |
| Online PvP | Player-versus-player in GTA Online is the real difficulty test |
| Heist difficulty | Heists let you pick the approach and prep missions — each choice changes the difficulty and the payout |
All-gold tips:
- Accuracy requirements usually sit at 70-80% — favor headshots over spraying
- Time goals are usually “finish within X minutes” — learn the route, then sprint
- Some gold conditions require switching protagonists — mind your switching timing
FAQ#
Do you need PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass for GTA Online?#
On PS5 you need PS Plus; on Xbox you need Game Pass Core. PC players can play online for free.
Which ending should you choose?#
Choose C — “The Third Way.” It unlocks everything and keeps all three protagonists alive.
How do you make big money on the stock market?#
Buy the designated stocks before specific main missions, then sell after the mission completes. Lester’s assassination plays can return up to 300%+.
Is GTA 5 still being updated?#
The story mode is finalized, but GTA Online keeps receiving updates — new content is still arriving in 2026.
What does 100% completion reward?#
A completion report during the end credits, infinite ammo, and a $500,000 cash bonus.
What are the PC system requirements?#
A GTX 1060-class GPU is the recommended bar. Optimization is excellent — the game still runs on decade-old hardware.
Quick Reference#
| Item | Info |
|---|---|
| Developer | Rockstar North |
| Engine | RAGE |
| Launch | September 17, 2013 |
| Main missions | 69 |
| Endings | 3 |
| GTA Online | Launched October 2013 |
| Sales (all versions) | 190 million+ (second-best-selling game of all time) |
| Collectibles | Letters (50) + Spaceship Parts (30) + Signal Jammers (10) + Signs (15) |
Tips and Tricks#
| # | Tip | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Time your investments around assassinations | Lester’s assassinations move stock prices — buy before the mission, sell at the peak for 300%+ profits |
| 2 | Rush the story to the Jewel Store Job | The heist system is where real money begins — reaching The Jewel Store Job is your top priority |
| 3 | Clear Trevor’s flight school | Gold across flight school maxes your flying skill and pays cash — both help with later missions and collectibles |
| 4 | Save collectibles for the post-game | After the campaign all three protagonists are free to roam without conflict — collectible hunting gets much easier |
| 5 | Buy a CEO office first in Online | The CEO office is the foundation of Online money-making — buy it before anything else |
| 6 | Toggle Passive Mode in Online | Turn on Passive Mode to escape PvP — but you won’t be able to use weapons |
Version History#
| Version | Platform | Highlights | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | PS3, Xbox 360 | Launch — story mode plus early GTA Online | September 2013 |
| PS4 / Xbox One | PS4, Xbox One | Visual upgrade, first-person mode, new weapons and missions | November 2014 |
| PC | PC | 4K60fps, ultrawide support, more graphics options | April 2015 |
| PS5 / Xbox Series | PS5, Xbox Series | 4K60fps, ray tracing, SSD-speed loading | March 2022 |
Tip: Finish the story mode before diving into GTA Online — learn Los Santos and the controls first, then take on Online’s complex economy.
Core Gameplay Summary#
The core of Grand Theft Auto V comes down to three things. First, three-protagonist switching drives a multi-threaded narrative — Michael, Franklin, and Trevor differ in personality and ability, which directly changes how each mission plays. Second, Los Santos is a high-freedom open world — main missions, side content, collectibles, and random events all bend to “play it your way.” Third, GTA Online is a long-term grind — from heists to businesses to a vehicle collection, it builds a growth loop that can last dozens of hours.
If you only do one thing, push the story to the Jewel Store Job heist to unlock the heist system — that’s where the money-making really starts. If you just want to relax, cruising down San Andreas Avenue or shooting a round of golf is its own kind of fun. The game’s true magic is that it writes a crime epic into every corner you’re free to explore.
Your First Two Hours in Los Santos#
Just getting started? Don’t rush into missions. Follow this order and you’ll skip a lot of wasted time:
| Step | Action | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switch to Franklin and head east to the gun shop to buy a pistol and a shotgun | Early firefights stop being bare-handed affairs |
| 2 | Drive Franklin’s car and complete the taxi random events (yellow icons on the map) | Quick cash and driving experience |
| 3 | Visit the barber for a new haircut and buy body armor | Better looks, plus extra damage reduction |
| 4 | Buy heavy boots at the clothing store | Quieter sprinting, better for stealth |
| 5 | Use the phone’s internet function to buy an armor upgrade from the mod shop | Strengthen your ride ahead of later escape missions |
Key reminder: During your first two hours, leave the heist arc’s opening mission alone — complete at least three random street events first (recovering a stolen wallet, helping an injured passerby, and so on). Each one pays cash and reputation points, and the more reputation you build, the more free clothing and weapon allowances you unlock later.
Protagonist Special Abilities#
| Character | Ability | Unlocked By | Combat Tips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | Bullet-Time Driving | Complete the story mission “Friends Like Brothers” | Hold the left stick (controller) or Shift (keyboard) during high-speed chases to slow time and thread through traffic — perfect for The Lost missions |
| Michael | Bullet-Time Shooting | Complete the story mission “Father and Son” | Activate it while shooting and the reticle locks onto enemy heads — ideal for assassination work, and it halves ammo consumption |
| Trevor | Rage Mode | Complete the story mission “Crazy Trevor” | Triples melee damage and removes flinch when hit — built for gang firefights, but you can’t use weapons while raging |
Ability stacking: In the character-switch wheel (hold down on the D-pad), when two characters’ ability meters are both full, switching lets you fire off an ability immediately — but the switch itself wipes your combo energy. Switch before entering combat, not during.
Hidden Vehicle Locations#
All of these vehicles sit in fixed spots — no purchase required — and outperform ordinary street cars:
- Pegassi Zentorno (supercar): spawns in the parking lot west of Weazel Plaza during the day. Bring Trevor — if it isn’t there, drive a lap around the block and come back.
- Bravado Dibuda (armored sedan): at night, in the cargo area of Los Santos International Airport next to the large freight container — the doors are unlocked, just drive off. Excellent bullet resistance.
- Karin Akuma (motorcycle): in the alley behind the Jericho warehouse; requires completing the “gang deal” random event first. Extremely fast acceleration, ideal for narrow streets.
- Obey Omnis (off-road SUV): at the end of the dirt road east of Grapeseed. Ram the parked farm tractor three times with any off-road vehicle and the car rises from underground.
Mod-shop pitfall: When upgrading the turbo at a Los Santos mod shop, note that the racing turbo costs about $20,000 more than the street turbo but adds only around 3% more acceleration — take the street turbo and put the savings into bulletproof tires (cheap, and just as effective).
Weapon Loadouts#
| Scenario | Primary | Secondary | Throwable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban gunfights | Carbine Rifle | AP Pistol | Grenade | The Carbine Rifle is stable at mid-range; the AP Pistol handles bulletproof enemies |
| Wilderness chases | Combat MG | Pump Shotgun | Molotov | Spray with the MG while driving; the shotgun handles cars that get too close |
| Stealth assassinations | Heavy Sniper | Suppressed Pistol | Tear Gas | The Heavy Sniper punches through glass; the suppressed pistol clears guards |
| Gang firefights | RPG | Micro SMG | Sticky Bombs | Blow up cover with the RPG; sticky bombs seal off retreat routes |
Ammo tip: Buying an ammo drop at a gun store is about 20% cheaper than buying bullets individually — but you can only carry three at a time, so burn all three before starting a mission.
Properties and Passive Income#
| Property | Location | Price | Weekly Income | Bonus Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small garage | Elgin Avenue | ~$90,000 | None | Stores vehicles, prevents impounding |
| Mid-tier apartment | Del Perro Heights | ~$120,000 | ~$2,000 | Unlocks the heist planning board |
| Auto repair shop | Burton | ~$250,000 | ~$4,000 | Opens valet-parking side jobs |
| Basic nightclub | Downtown | ~$450,000 | ~$8,000 | Unlocks the club-management minigame |
Passive income rules: With an apartment and an auto repair shop, weekly income accrues automatically to your bank account. Nightclub income, though, must be collected in person at the door — otherwise it resets after two weeks, so pick it up regularly.
Recovering from Failed Missions#
- The Lost mission (Trevor): If police cars box you in during the final escape, quicksave via the phone menu and reload — then loop behind the police cars, blow the blockade apart with sticky bombs, and flee north along the freeway instead of through city streets.
- The Pacific Standard Job: If a helicopter spots you during the underwater escape, don’t fight it — dive into the pipe network below, where the helicopter can’t detect you, and wait for your wanted level to drop below three stars before surfacing.
- The fugitive-chase mission (Michael): The target vehicle U-turns constantly. Get out early at the marked intersection, switch to the Heavy Sniper, and wait for the car to pass — one shot through the driver’s window finishes it.
Related Games#
- Starfield — a space-fantasy open-world RPG
- Red Dead Redemption 2 — the pinnacle of Western-themed open-world action-adventure
- Horizon Forbidden West — the sci-fi open-world action RPG sequel
- Elden Ring — the pinnacle of open-world souls-like action RPGs
- Horizon Zero Dawn — the sci-fi open-world action RPG
Related Rankings#
Best Open-World Games, Ranked · Best Open-World Games of All Time: Top 10 · Open World Map Size Comparison: Every Game Ranked by Area
Full Guides#
In-depth sub-guides — the full main story and all three endings, heist walkthroughs, GTA Online, Los Santos exploration, collectibles, and complete vehicle and weapon stats — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Grand Theft Auto V section.