Navigate GTA V's story mode like a pro and make the most of your gameplay.
Welcome to our GTA V Tips and Tricks guide, where we've compiled hundreds of practical tips to help you master the vast world of Los Santos and Blaine County.
From essential gameplay mechanics to hidden secrets and efficient ways to navigate the open world, our tips cover a wide range of topics that cater to players of all skill levels. We'll guide you through the intricacies of the game, such as maximizing your character's abilities, acquiring rare vehicles, and discovering hidden locations scattered throughout the map.
You'll also find tips on how to tackle missions more effectively, earn quick cash, and unlock exclusive content. Whether you're looking to perfect your driving skills, become a master marksman, or explore the secrets hidden within the vast open world, we've got you covered.
You may not know this, but, in addition to our 100% Completion Guide, there is a checklist at the Rockstar Social Club that automatically shows you how far away from 100% you are, and also what outstanding missions/things you'll need to do in order to get there. To access it simply head to https://socialclub.rockstargames.com/, go to your profile page and then find the "View Stats" — click it, and then look for the "Checklist" link. On that page you'll see everything you need to do in the game, and if a mission/object/thing has a green line down the left side of it that means you need to complete it in order to get 100% in the game.
Thanks to picodroid we have the following list of cars in GTA V that are all wheel drive. The first number next to each vehicle represents the percentage of the vehicle's power that goes to the front wheels, the second number is the power in the back wheels. Enjoy the list!
If for some reason you want/need to aim on a very steep angle then try walking backwards. When you are walking front-ways-forwards the angle is limited. Simply turn around 180 and walk backwards and you should have a much greater angle to work with.
When you have some Police on you and are near an Ammu-Nation Store, head inside and the shop owner *might* pull out a Carbine and take out some of the cops for you.
Armored Trucks show up on your mini-map as a blue dot and you should also know that you can rob them. Doing so will usually result in getting a Wanted Level, but follow this guide and you'll be able to rob any parked (yes it must be parked) Armored Truck without getting a Wanted Level.
Get a motorbike and drive towards the truck, then bump the guard who is carrying the case with your bike. You shouldn't try and full-on ram him, it should just be enough of a knock so that the guard stumbles and drops the case.
When he does, jump off the bike and grab the case yourself. This will cause the guards to tell you to drop it before they shoot you. Instead, get back on your bike and ride off into the sunset — with no Wanted Level.
If you pre-ordered GTA V on PS3 and were meant to have received a code to access the Atomic Blimp in-game, but are finding you get the message "Invalid Code or Code Already Being Used" when trying to activate it, read on.
You simply need to login and redeem your code via the official Sony Entertainment Network website. Make sure you arelogged into your PSN account first, and then simply head here and redeem the code.
Once you've successfully redeemed it, go to the Playstation Store, search for the Atomic Blimp DLC and download and install it.
To avoid getting a wanted level every time you enter the airport purchase a plane hangar.
When driving as Franklin, if you activate his special ability (slow motion driving) and hit the brakes then it's possible to come to a complete stop. This great for avoiding slamming into that brick wall at 100mph and also head-on collisions with other cars.
Also if you don't want to get air when going over a jump you can do the same thing — activate Franklin's ability.
The reticle in GTA V can be a little small and hard to see sometimes, follow this quick guide though and you can improve it.
First off, the reticle is always smack-bang in the middle of the your screen, so what you need to do is hold the aim button and then take a marker/piece of cellotape/post-it and mark where the reticle is on your screen.
Fashion the marker into whatever you want/however you want it to look and there you go — a bigger, better reticle!
Just make sure you can remove it if necessary.
While riding a BMX you should hold the left thumbstick up and then press (or hold and press) the relevant button for your system to do a bunny hop. Once you build up enough speed you can start tapping the ride button in order to increase the distance — you'll be able to work out the timing required.
While you are in cover, press the left analog stick upwards and the target reticule will appear. Alternatively if you're at the "edge" of some cover, press left or right as appropriate.
This will let you see where your first shot lands! Beware though, it will also cause your character's head to pop out of cover a little bit, so you might get hit.
Wanna know the spot you need to shoot to cause cars to blow up?
It's the gas tank of course, which is generally placed just in front of the rear wheels on the left hand side of the vehicle.
Shoot where indicated in the image below and you should be blowing up cars left, right and center!
If you want to choose the color of your new BMX then you need to purchase it during the same browser session as you purchase a car. The BMX color will be the same as the color of the car you choose.
Now that we've got the BMX spawn cheat (see below) you should definitely check out some of the skate parks, ramps and quarterpipes in Los Santos.
Luckily thepoka from Reddit make this handy map. Enjoy.
If you're looking for bulldozers in the city then head to the location indicated on the map below and you should find there's usually about four bulldozers there waiting for you to take joyriding!
They Canis Mesa is a very cool off-road vehicle that is impossible to purchase in GTA V. In fact you're not meant to acquire it, but there is a way...
As part of the mission "The Wrap Up" you'll be given access to a Canis Mesa in order to escape a shoot-out.
However don't drive it on the road. Take the left that you see down a hill to another road. There will be a chopper chasing you but you should be able to outrun it.
Where you are heading for is Michael's garage (the 4 vehicle one). Park the Canis Mesa in the garage and then grab any other vehicle in order to complete The Wrap Up.
Once you've got the Canis Mesa saved, you can modify it until your heart's content!
Thanks Jolcon.
If you want to know all the different ways the characters in GTA V are intertwined then check out this very cool character relationship map.
Thanks johnleeislegend.
Here's a neat tip. If you want to get a character all the way over the other size of Los Santos (Trevor, for example) then while playing as Trevor set a new waypoint on the map and then switch to another character. Then while you're playing as that new character, Trevor will drive over to the waypoint you marked.
You can pay less for your vehicles by purchasing them over the in-game internet and incorporating this special trick...
Thanks ShadowPaws.
At some stage during the game you'll need a password to access to the in-game website "www.childrenofthemountain.com". You'll know when because Franklin will receive a mysterious "My Divine Within" text. It's all part of the Children of the Mountain mission-line.
The password to the website is: futility
Also, later on as part of this mission-line you'll need to answer a word puzzle. The answers are as follows: Divine, Completeness, Orthodoxy, Process, Realization.
This is a pretty cool feature/piece of detail included by Rockstar in GTAV. Simply grab a fire truck and then aim the water cannon at a dirty car. Next thing you know that car will be showroom clean.
This is a helpful hint if like me you hate having to line up properly with ladders in order to climb them (in other games). Because in GTA V you can climb ladders from any angle — even the other side of it.
There's a couple of moves you can do in the middle of combat in GTA V. If you want to run and shoot at the same time (run and gun) then press RT (Xbox 360) / R2 (PS3) only slightly in and shoot. It should work. To do a combay roll press RT (Xbox 360) / R2 (PS3) and then X (Xbox 360) / Square (PS3). Finally, if you want to do a dive then jump and press B (Xbox 360) / Circle (PS3).
You can raise or lower the top of convertible cars by holding right on the digital pad (pressing will just change the headlights). On PC, you can do this by holding down the H key.
There is a wind farm in Blaine County that can be used to take out police choppers in a very entertaining/satisfying manner! Get creative.
rtchow0 of Reddit made the very helpful spreadsheet embedded below. It shows you exactly how long it will take to recoup your investment in a property/business. As you can see, "Smoke on the Water" offers the quickest repayment of you initial investment (22 weeks) versus the Golf Club at the other end of the scale (576 weeks!).
Just note that the "McKenzie Field Hangar" needs to be purchased with Trevor, not Franklin. Also, Los Santos Customs is worth much more to you than the chart was suggest, as it means free upgrades for Franklin (and potentially all the other characters too).
Go into your phone contacts and press either Square on the Playstation 3 or X on the Xbox 360 and you'll bring up a number pad to type in numbers and dial them. On PC, use the Up arrow key.
If you ring the number from the GTA IV mission "Lure" (545-555-0122), you get some guy telling you to stop prank calling him!
Thanks andyot2011.
You seem to be able to disable car alarms most of the time by simply hitting start and loading up the pause menu. Sometimes honking the horn will also work!
Great for when you don't want to attract the attention of nearby police...
Thanks cutfloss and gazzilla8000.
The best way to dodge air missiles is to actually fly towards them and then fly underneath them at the last minute. Missiles can turn upwards, left and right very quickly, but are not so good changing direction downwards.
If you're stopped at some red lights rev your engine and honk your horn (not too excessively). Sometimes this will make the car next to you at the lights enter into a short drag race.
There are two policemen that always spawn below the overpass at Francis International Airport (located to the very south of the map) and they both always carry Carbines.
Simply run them over (make sure you do it properly) and then steal their guns and ammo.
You'll need to lose the 2 stars you receive, but you'll be rewarded with a great weapon.
This can be repeated as many times as desired.
The two map diagrams below show the location of some helicopter ambulances, on the roof-top of a building in Davis, Los Santos. You simply need to head to the location indicated and then climb a ladder on the side of the building to access the choppers!
The easiest way to find sharks in Grand Theft Auto V is to head out into deep ocean.
So jump in a boat or a jet-ski and keep going until the water turns dark blue. Cruise around for a bit and you should see a red icon come up on your map. This indicates that a shark is present.
Then simply jump into the water and wait until the shark kills/eats you and you'll get the Out Of Your Depth achievement/trophy easily.
Be aware that sometimes when you're in a gunfight enemies might stop firing at you and go into cover. If they remain like this for long enough then they'll also disappear from your radar... So try and keep an eye out for people who suddenly seem to disappear. In all likelihood they're still there, waiting to pop a cap...
You can enter cheats when in the pause menu! This is good for when you don't want the button combination to affect your gameplay (like if you're driving).
All you need to do is bring up the pause menu, enter the cheat code (as listed on our cheats pages) and then press start to register the code.
If you're doing the Epsilon "Kifflom" mission line (to unlock it you must be Michael and visit the website www.epsilonprogram.com) at some stage you'll be required to run a ridiculous number of miles in the desert. Rather than sit there and do it, grab a couple of rubber bands or whatever else you can lay your hands on and rig your controller to do it for you...
If you want to equip scuba gear in free roam mode, you need to get into either a submarine or a dinghy and then go into the water. The scuba gear will auto-equip.
There are certain generators throughout the game that you can shoot and cause to leak fuel. Then shoot the fuel and the entire generator will explode!
This animated GIF shows how it works.
Thanks to Harry101UK of Reddit..
Fast travelling in GTA V is accomplished by first setting a waypoint on your map and then calling up a cab (look for Downtown Cab Co in your cell phone contacts).
While riding your BMX tap R1 (PS3) or RB (Xbox 360) or L Shift (PC) and hold forward slightly on the left analog stick. This should keep the front wheel on the ground and you should go a lot faster than you would otherwise.
Press L1 (on PS3) or LB (on Xbox 360) or RMB (PC) to flip off people when you're in a vehicle. You need to have fists equipped as a weapon too.
This works best (and it more visible) when you're in a convertible.
If you happen to flip your car upside down you can try to get it back up the right way by rocking the left analog stick side to side, or alternating between A and D on the keyboard.
If you want more maneuverability while flying a jet then lower the landing gear. This will slow you down and enable you to make quick, shorter turns. It also means that other players in the air trying to destroy will most likely be flying around you (make very large, high speed turns) this enables you get the jump on them.
In order to free-aim with the sniper file you need to hold either RT (Xbox 360) or R2 (PS3) half way down and move it from there. This should let you free-aim.
If you want to purchase any property for free then follow the steps below depending on whether it will provide income or not. However, note that doing this may lock you out of certain side missions that are only activated when you purchase property the normal way. If you use this glitch and get them free you will never get the chance to do these side-missions. Also you must have enough money to purchase the property (you just won't spend it).
Non-incoming providing property
Incoming providing property
Basically how this works is that you get Franklin to upgrade any vehicle for the other characters (Michael and Trevor) free of charge. You also need to have purchased the the Los Santos Customs in the Grand Senora Desert with Franklin. It costs $349K and will earn him $1.6K each week. The big bonus however is that Franklin can now do any car customization/upgrades for free.
So, get the car that you want Michael or Trevor to have using Franklin. You can steal or purchase it — just get. And then take it to Franklin's Los Santos Customs store and modify it how you want.
Then exit the store and call your other character (we'll use Trevor) and ask him to come hang out. Then you'll need to drive to wherever Trevor is and do your activity. After the activity ends, it will show you were Trevor needs to be dropped off on your mini-map. Drive there.
As soon as Trevor exits the vehicle, do the same thing with Franklin and then run a short distance away from the vehicle. Then quickly switch to Trevor and run to the vehicle with him. You should be able to get in and drive away in it. This then enables you to go save it in Trevor's garage and effectively save it as his car, fully modified, free of charge.
Here's a pretty sneaky way to get weapon upgrades for free.
While you are doing a mission head into an Ammu-nation Store and buy all the weapon upgrades you want as well as a grenade (if you don't have one already).
Once you've got your upgrades head out of the Ammu-nation and blow yourself up with a 'nade. The mission you're on will then fail and you'll have to start over.
However once you restart you'll have all the money you had before you purchased the weapons upgrades, and if you go back to an Ammu-nation Store you'll see that the upgrades you purchased have remained in tact.
This is pretty cool. There's usually lots of mountain bikes sitting at the bottom of the cable car waiting for you to steal them. So take one and then ride up the cable car to the top. Then you can have heaps of fun riding down the mountain on your bike.
If you're looking to grab some free full body armor, then head to the location indicated in the picture below. It's the police vehicle impound. Once there, head into the police station and the body armor will be on the ground next to a pair of blue doors on the right, just after you pass some chairs. There's also a vending machine nearby.
Check out the video below to see how you can launch your vehicle up into the air by driving into certain driveway gates. The glitch is pretty inconsistent, but if the gate itself glitches or stutters you're probably doing it right. It's pretty similar to the Swing Set glitch in Grand Theft Auto IV.
A lot of people have trouble stealing a fighter jet and getting away with it, but this video shows a pretty fool-proof way to get the job done.
Basically it involves using a lot of sticky bombs and also a big rig truck. Oh, and it's actually lots of fun.
Enjoy the the clip and your new fighter jet!
In order to get the "Ghost Rider" effect will playing GTA V you obviously need a motorbike and for your player not to be wear a helmet.
Then blow the back wheel of the bike and activate the invincibility cheat, then just keep riding. Eventually the wheels will ignite into flames.
If you throw a molotov cocktail onto a grassed area then the entire area will eventually catch fire as these pictures show (thanks Darknessfallls). If you want to see where the molotovs are located then check out these maps and guides.
We would have love to have produced something like this ourselves, but to be honest the author of this guide cannot be beaten. If you want to do well at the golf game in GTA V then you need to check out this guide it's an absolute must read!
In order to hang off the side of vehicles you need to hold LT (Xbox 360) / L2 (PS3) and then double tap Y (Xbox 360) / Triangle (PS3) when you're next to the door of the car. In terms of positioning you should be in the middle of the front and back doors.
If the vehicle has roof racks and side steps by the doors you should be able to do it. For example this will work on the Granger SUV or the Insurgent, and only if it's entirely occupied inside.
Thanks AceAdam.
Most cars in GTA V have three different headlight settings, either off, low beam or high beam. If you press right on the digital pad you can cycle through these options, or by pressing H on the keyboard.
If the searchlights on police helicopters keep picking you up at night you can shoot them out with one of your guns and hopefully make a clean getaway.
When you're flying a helicopter, you can hold L1 and R1 (PS3) or LB and RB (Xbox 360) together (which are the left and right rudders) to help stabilize the chopper.
If you want to get your hands on a helicopter armed with rockets and don't want to use a cheat, then this is for you.
Simply head to the location noted below and go to the top of the building.
The chopper is sitting there waiting for you to steal it — and without any guards!
Thanks to AtlasShrugged91 of Reddit.
By finding all 12 hidden packages in GTA V you'll be rewarded with from $8,000 to $14,500 per package and a total of $150,000. Check out the video below to find them all. We also have the following additional hints:
Unless you have a sub the packages are very difficult to get to. For this reason you should try maxing out your stats before attempting to get them. Lung capacity and stamina are crucial.
The packages themselves are suitcases that glow white on the bottom of the ocean. They'll disappear once you pick them up and you'll receive some cash.
You can also check our interactive GTA 5 map, which shows all the hidden packages locations and other collectibles.
In GTA V you can even hide from the cops in bushes. You'll know if the bushes are actually big enough to hide you/whether you're positioned correctly if the arrow that represents your character on the map turns grey when you're in the bush.
Watch this clip:
Watch this clip:
There's three different way to get your vehicles repaired for free:
The HVY Dump is an off-road dump truck that pretty much dwarves any other vehicle in the entire game, including the Rhino tank. In fact is almost acts a lot like the Rhino in that it's slow and very durable. It just doesn't have the shell launcher...
You can grab one for yourself in Davis Quartz, a mining site southeast of the Grand Senora Desert. You might also find one at the Redwood Lights Track which is a construction site that can be reached off Senora Road, just south of Harmony and the Blaine County line.
Find a fuel can and then lay down a trail of gasoline from the place/thing you want to blow up to somewhere a safe distance away.
Then have a car that back-fires and line the exhausts up with the start of the gasoline trail.
Back-fire the car, the trail will light, and then watch the ensuing mayhem!
And as an added bonus, this method of destroying things won't give you any wanted stars.
Here's three tips to try and improve the performance of GTA V on your PS3:
Defrag your console
Here's the steps:
DO NOT CLICK ON RESTORE PS3 SYSTEM OR ANYTHING ELSE!
Change your TV sharpness level
This might sounds a little weird, but experiment with the sharpness settings on your TV. People have reported that anything from between 0 and 20 (on a scale that goes to 100) looks best).
Run in 720p
You probably have your console running in 1080p mode if you have a full HD display. While this is logical, it won't produce the best results for GTA V. Instead change your PS3 system output to 720p (along with your display if it isn't automatic) and you should see a visual improvement in the game (Settings --> Display Settings --> Video Output Settings).
GTA V has an in-game web browser that is accessed via your cell phone. While you can't browse any "real websites" through it, there are dozens of "in-game websites" specially created by Rockstar.
Here's the list if you want to check them out:
Thanks constar93.
The Grotti Infernus and Coil Voltic are very respectable cars in GTA V and the map below shows you exactly the location where they are guaranteed to spawn (obviously not every single time you visit, but very often). You might also get a Pegassi Cheetah there and other fast cars.
Thanks ARH3352.
First you need to visit the location shown in the image below. There will be a cave there.
Enter it and dive to the bottom and you can grab a grenade launcher.
After that swim back to the surface, quick save and then reload your save. The 'nade launcher will be back (respawned).
Repeat as many times as you want.
When you are getting low on health and want to recovery quickly simply switch to a different character and press B and Y (Xbox 360) / Circle and Triangle (PS3) at the same time, immediately after switching.
Then simply switch back, and you'll have full health! Pressing B and Y / Circle and Triangle together prevents your character from spawning in a new position when you switch back.
Also, remember you can't switch when being chased by the police.
If you want to instantly repair your vehicle simply stay inside of it, quick save your game and then reload.
You can repair a banged-up vehicle on top of a mountain in a jiffy!
Thanks FrozenJack.
To interact with NPCs simply face the one you want to talk to and press right on the digital pad.
If you want to get a negative response from them, then actively target them. If you want a positive response, simply look at them.
If you're looking for an interactive map of Los Santos and Blaine County then head over here to use GTA BOOM's very own map. It feaures the locations of all stunt jumps, spaceship parts, letter scraps, knife flights, "under the bridges", nuclear waste, submarine pieces, hidden packages and real estate signs. Very useful if you are going for 100%.
Always keep a spare spot in one of your bought garages as you never know when you'll need it.
If you manage to get a rare car and want to save it but have four vehicles already, you'll need to remove one.
The problem is that when you load your garage to do that, the rare car you're in will disappear!
If you haven't visited the cave at the location shown below then you really need to. It is valuable in both the story mode and GTA Online parts of the game. Note only can you hide from the cops there (and escape a 4 star wanted level for example) but there is two jetskis and a jetmax inside.
Thanks A_Game_of_Scones.
There are 15 knife flight aerial challenges to complete in Grand Theft Auto V. You need to get all 15 in order to unlock the "Close Shave" Trophy or Achievement (in fact you need to do all [#underthebridgelocations 50 Under the Bridge Challenges] to get Close Shave too!).
In instances when you are playing with Trevor and he is about to impact the ground at a high speed (like if you've jumped out of a plane or rolled out of a car) activate his special ability and sometimes this will lessen the damage he takes enough so that you survive.
If you collect at 50 letter craps you'll unlock the Achievement/Trophy "A Mystery, Solved". You must collect the scraps in order from the Northernmost part of the map in Blaine county to down Los Santos. For this reason it's best to do this challenge all in one go.
A helicopter is useful for doing this as a lot of the map will need to be visible and you'll actually need a chopper to get one of the scraps anyway.
When you've got all 50 scraps you'll be able to read a letter and find out who killed Leonora Johnson. Then switch your character to Franklin and the Killer of Leonora Johnson mission will be unlocked. Do that to get the Achievement/Trophy "A Mystery, Solved"
Use this hint to level up your strength and shooting skills in just 10 minutes.
First buy a ton of pistol ammo and then find a bus.
Jump on top of the bus, then stomp on it while the driver is still driving. Make sure you move back and forth or you will fall off after stomping.
Then after that strength is at 100, shoot the middle of the bus till 100. The bus should be able to take the bullets without being destroyed.
Also if the bus crashes into anything you will fall down. If you're lucky you can stay on the bus and get back up but you might fall off.
Thanks George S.
Lifeinvader is the parody social network that Rockstar created specifically for Grand Theft Auto V. It's not just an entertaining website though, if you "Stalk" (the Lifeinvader version of a Facebook "Like") certain store's pages then you'll actually get a discount or free item at those stores (or other, related ones) in the game!
Here's a list of what you can score cheap/free along with a link to the Liveinvader page you need to Stalk:
If you want cheap ammunition from the start of the game, then as soon as you can go to an Ammu-nation Store shooting range.
You then need to complete all the range challenges with Gold (this might take 15-20 minutes).
Get Gold and you're then entitled to 25% off everything in every Ammu-nation Store from that point on. No cheats or other tricks necessary!
If you can't get Gold but can do all the challenges you'll still get 10% (bronze) or 15% off (silver) — still not too bad! Also:
This one takes while and it's true that doing stuff like golf will increase it marginally, the only real way to increase strength is by fighting... and even then it takes ages! You literally need to walk around starting fighs all the time as you play the game. Don't try to grind this out because you will go insane though. Just fight alot and you'll get there eventually.
Near misses are crucial in terms of increasing your driving skill. The best way to do this is to wait until it gets dark at night (there's enough cars to so what you need to do, but not too many so that you're crashing all the time) and then get a motorbike and head to the Olympus Freeway. It's the one that runs north-east out of the city and then just ride directly into traffic (while also avoiding it of course). This should get you heaps of near misses and also increase your driving stat quickly. You can sit in between the two lanes and just weave in and out — that's probably the safest way of doing it.
These two stats take a long time to max out and are best done at the same time. Basically you'll need to get in the water and swim all around the coasts of Los Santos while at the same time also diving under the water (and obviously swimming underwater too). Just swim for as long as you can underwater, come up for air, then dive back down. Kind of like a dolphin we suppose... Oh and be prepared to do this for quite a while!
Apparently it is also possible to simply get a dinghy or submarine, and jump overboard in scuba gear and stay submerged. Lung Capacity should then level up on its own until full.
If you want to max out your flying skill first find a small single prop engine plane (the less room it needs to land and take-off the better). Then head to Trevor's air field and just start doing "bunny hop" take-offs and landings.
Basically in order for a landing to be counted (and to therefore increase your rank) the wheels only need to take the ground for around a second. So you just need to go back and forth along the runway touching the wheels down for a short time, then pulling up and then touching back down again.
It should take about 30 minutes to max out your flying stat using this method.
For every minute you spend walking in stealth mode in GTA V it earns you one point towards that stat. So to max it out easily grab a rubberband and put it around the two sticks on your controller. Then simply leave the game for 60-90 minutes and your stealth stat should be maxed out!
You can do the Merryweather missions to get access to a secret crashed plane that will give you unlimited ammo, weapons and vests.
Be warned that you need $250K to purchase a specific property after the first Merryweather Mission and that you also need do the second Merryweather mission for the plane to be available/this to work.
Once you're up to the Merryweather missions and complete the steps above, watch this video to see where the secret crashed Merryweather plane is.
Follow the video clip below to find the spawn location of the mini-gun! It's a seriously awesome weapon. Note you'll still need to purchase ammo for it from Ammu-nation stores...
The Karin Rebel is a rally truck you can find in GTA V. They are most often found spawned near the lifts to Mt. Chilliad. If you want to mod them it is possible, you just need to make sure you get the correct version one. There is a "dirty one" and also a "clean one." The dirty one can be modded in a more rally truck style, while the clean one is more restricted in what you do with it (besides also being much harder to find).
Thanks MechanicalBayer.
Michael's "default car" is the Obey Tailgater and it will always be parked at his house. Franklin has a Bravado Buffalo and also a Bati Custom (depending on where you are in the game). It will also always be at his place. You can mod and upgrade these vehicles at any time and the mods will always be saved. This means it's a pretty good place to start and you won't lose anything.
The video below will show you all 50 stunt jump locations in GTA V — they are called Monster Stunts. Once you've done them all you'll get the "Show Off" Achievement/Trophy.
We recommend doing them with Franklin as he is the best driver of the three main characters and his special ability will also help you complete all the jumps.
In terms of vehicles, try and use whatever vehicle is shown in the video although it should be noted that usually the faster the better (ie sports cars and fast bikes).
One final tip — always do a quick save before attempting a stunt. This way if you screw up you can quickly reload and be setting in your vehicle ready to give it another shot!
There's a few different missions in GTA V where you can take off part way through and then be free to do whatever you want without getting wanted stars.
They are essentially Never Wanted glitches (in fact see the two hints directly below this one for more..).
Anyway, for this one you need to unlock the mission "The Construction Assassination" (mission 50). Lester gives it to you.
Get to the part where you go up the elevator and then the second it stops simply parachute off. Do not try and chase your target.
You are then free to do whatever you want without attracting any heat!
Thanks ShadowPaws.
Molotov Cocktails cannot be purchased from any of the Ammu-nation Stores in Grand Theft Auto V, but they are in both GTA Online and the story mode part of the game.
In GTA Online you can get them by either purchasing a supply box from Merryweather. You'll get three cocktails in the box.
In GTA V single player you can find Molotov Cocktails in at least two places. The first is shown in the location below.
The second spot is under the bridge on the northwest side.
Alternatively, you can also check out the video below to view all of the Molotov Cocktail locations that way:
You need to have done the mission "Three's Company" for this hint to work.
Choose to replay the mission and at the end of the mission when you need to fly back to the start point (after destroying a bunch of helicopters) you should take over the controls as Trevor (the alternative is to be Michael and let Trevor fly).
Anyway switch to Trevor and then you are actually able to fly off anywhere on the map including to the prison or military base and you won't encounter any resistance! You are actually free to do what you want and can land and shoot a few military personnel or prisoners and they won't do anything.
The base alarm will go off, but nothing else will happen. Just don't go too far from the chopper or the mission will fail.
Fort Zancudo is the US Army and Air Force base in GTA V. You can find it in the middle of the map in the west coast (check out our Ultimate GTA 5 Map).
Usually you'd get an instant Wanted Level wandering in there, but here's how to get in without one...
First you need to begin the second hunting side mission which is called "Fair Game". After you've killed 3 elk Cletus will leave and you're meant to finish the mission. Don't. Instead simply drive to Fort Zancudo and no alarms or anything will go off, nor will you get a Wanted Level!
This lets you grab the Lazer figher jet or whatever you want and store them in your garage. Just don't fail the mission by making a lot of noise (Elk — which you meant to still be hunting — don't like noise!).
You can also use this "cheat" to explore any other part of the map that you wish without raising any alarms or getting a Wanted Level.
There's 30 containers of nuclear waste scattered around the map and if you get all 30 you'll unlock the "Waste Management" Trophy/Achievement.
In order to even start collecting them you first need to purchase the "Sonar Collections Dock" property for $250,000 using Michael — and you'll only be able to do this after first completing "The Merryweather Heist" mission story.
Pick up the nuclear waste with the submarine that spawns at the dock. The submarine contains an App called "Trackify" which is a radar that will help point you to the next piece of waste.
Note if you do all this at once it will take you around two hours, although you also get $23,000 per piece of waste you find and a $250K bonus at the end.
When you are switching characters you might have noticed some number displayed in the character pictures. These simply indicate the number of activities and missions that are available for each character.
Note that if you're in a rush (like trying to avoid getting shot to pieces by the Police) then try to avoid old cars. In GTA V they can sometime be harder to start (it's the little details — thanks Rockstar). Also you might notice that the brakes have a tendency to squeak.
If you're going to buy something that is available both online (in-game) and in bricks and mortar stores, then always buy it online. It will usually be cheaper than in actual stores (just like real-life...).
To take the doors off the back of a van (you'll be asked to do this during missions, and also when you want to rob a security van for cash) you need to either shot the door handles or blow them off completely with explosives. Randomly shooting at the entire back doors won't work.
Ever wondered what the orange skull icons on the map are? They indicate special rampage missions which are only possible to do with Trevor.
Head to Mount Chiliad in the north-western area of the map (it's a fair distance). You find the parachute on the middle grey "wire" platform, right next to the cable car at the top of the mountain.
Press Start to pause any cut-scene in Grand Theft Auto V.
Your partner/kid/wife/husband/friends will thank you for it.
If you want to know when you've successfully avoided the police and they are no longer aware of you, watch for your player arrow icon on the mini map to turn grey. This means they no longer know where you are.
If it's white they still know you/are aware of you/know where you are. This is good to know in situations like when you've switched cars. If your arrow turns grey you've done it correctly.
When behind the wheel of any police vehicle, pressing the left thumbstick down (L3), or G on the keyboard, quickly two times results in a quick flash of lights and a sound meant to get a driver's attention.
There are four different quick sounds that play at random.
Not every NPC vehicle responds, most ignore it. It really shows the level of realism that Rockstar have tried to include in GTA V though. Most police in real-life prefer a quick alert sound and keeping the lights on when pulling over a vehicle.
Thanks cbabb.
If you're looking for some ideas as to how to respray your vehicles then look no further than the imgur gallery linked below as well as the color combos that follow!
If you want a quick way of purchasing full ammo for your weapon when at an Ammu-Nation store, simply press Square on the PS3 or X on the Xbox 360. You can also press left or right to switch between purchasing either a few clips or full ammo.
If you're using the in-game internet browser and want to quickly quit/exit it, simply press Y on the Xbox 360 or Triangle on the PS3 and you'll be taken right out of it! On PC, click the cross next to the URL bar or press F.
There are waters with actual currents in Grand Theft Auto V and using this trick you can raft them!
All you need to do is find a car towing a boat and trailer, steal it and head to the Alamo Sea.
Then launch the boat and choose one of the routes shown below.
Thanks vegardn.
You can use the Max Health & Armor cheat to repair your vehicle. But it can't be entered while in the vehicle. Here's how to do it:
Stand next to vehicle you want to repair.
Press Circle then L1 (PS3) or B then LB (Xbox 360), then wait for a second and do not press anything else (this is the start of the code).
Then continue with the rest of the code, the remaining buttons being: Triangle, R2, X, Square, Circle, Right, Square, L1, L1, L1 (PS3) or Y, RT, A, X, B, Right, X, LB, LB, LB (Xbox 360) or TURTLE (PC).
If done right you will get in the car while finishing the code and your car will be repaired!
Note: The reason for the short wait is to let your character finish the punching animation. If you type the code in too fast he punches and wont get in the vehicle when Triangle/Y is pressed.
Thanks ShadowPaws.
Just be careful if you find a particular store that you keep on robbing. After a while the store clerk will recognise you and ask for police to be stationed constantly at the store, ready to arrest you (or worse) as soon as you enter. So make sure you mix things up.
If you wait 45 minutes in-game time then "pick-up-able" items will respawn and you can grab them again. This includes things like weapons, armor, ammo, etc!
There's no need to save and reload if you can wait.
Thanks FrozenJack.
The Rhino is an armored military tank that costs $3 million to purchase. Once you buy it though, it's not clear where you can pick it up from.
The answer is pretty simple. It gets delivered to Trevor's hangar — the one he receives in the desert by way of the story line. Just note that in order to get the desert hangar free, either Trevor or Franklin will first need to purchase the hangar at Los Santos Airport.
In GTA V scuba gear is not an item that you can carry around, to get it you need to jump out of either the Zodiak Boat (Dinghy) or the Submarine. When you jump out of those things into water, your character will automatically be wearing scuba gear. Here's the locations of the...
Zodiak Boat (Dinghy)
Submarine
When you purchase the property "Sonar Collections Dock" there will be a submarine that spawns there at the dock for you to use. After you finish The Merryweather Heist (Offshore Option) mission a submarine will begin spawning at Sandy Shores Airfield. Pick it up using a Cargobob air transport plane (press right on the digital pad) and then drop it in the ocean where you want to use it.
The sea races in GTA V are known as the Speedophile races and in order to be eligible for them you need to have a Speedophile Seashark jet ski as your vehicle and to have also finished the mission "Hood Safari".
If you want to do street racing on the other hand, then you need to be playing as Franklin as your character and to have also completed one of the Strangers & Freaks missions — "Shift Work".
If you activate your character's special ability and then go to take a photo, you can choose to shoot with a sepia filter.
Thanks to inter_net_meme of Reddit.
If you wear a normal t-shirt in the game together with body armor, the body armor will actually show through. Nice touch.
If you fail a mission several times in a row then an option to skip it will eventually be displayed.
Once you've successfully done the "Far Out" mission that you get from the Omega Stranger, who in turns becomes available once you've done the "Fame or Shame" mission you'll unlock the Space Docker car (also known as the Alien Car).
The Omega Stranger is located in East Sandy Shores and you need to collect all 50 spaceship parts for him. To make that a bit easier, check out the video below!
The Alien Car features two massive booster jets.
Hold A (Xbox 360) / X (PS3) / L Shift (PC) while you're coming down a ladder and you'll slide down it instead. This method is a lot quicker way of getting down and definitely helps on the bigger ladders!
Thanks AiraCobra.
Here's a couple of random special ability hints:
This imgur gallery provides some very good step-by-step instructions on how to steal a jet fighter without using cheats or anything else.
It involves using the Atomic blimp, parachuting and then heisting the jet itself.
If you sneak (click left analog stick/l-ctrl) while stealing cars then you won't break any windows. In addition, if your sneak level is high enough, then sometimes the alarm won't go off (if it would have otherwise).
Note: this will only work with some vehicles...
If you want to keep the stock tires of your vehicle but change their color you can do it. Here's how. First buy the new wheels you want and then color them. No simply put the old stock tires back on your ride. They should remain colored.
If you want some remember the location of something in GTA V then simply take a photo of it.
The image gallery has a waypoint option that you can later activate to direct you back to where it was taken. Very handy.
If you're not sure how to advance in the game and have run out of mission try switching through the characters and call cell phone contacts.
The high resolution map below shows you all the locations of the stunt jumps in GTA V. Perfect for printing out!
Thanks HeII_Yeah
PS: If you want an overview of the same thing from within the game (including fly unders too) then go to the Junk Energy drink website and click the link called "Adrenaline Junkie" in the top right. The in-game URL is www.junkenergydrink.com/page.
The Sultan RS is one of the most popular and sought after cars in Grand Theft Auto V for good reason — it looks good and handles great. However it's not that easy to acquire one as you can't simply purchase them. Instead you'll need to find one (the initial car you need to find is actually the Karin Sultan) which you then upgrade into the Sultan RS.
The good news is that the car is possible to find in both story mode and GTA Online, just check out these videos: Single player | GTA Online (1, 2.
In Vinewood Hills there will be a "Stranger/Freak" mission with a character named Mary-Ann. You will need to finish a bicycle race with her.
Once you've done that, follow her on your bike, make her crash (by crashing into her) and then steal her bike.
Then if you tap X while riding her bike you'll be able to hit sports car speeds!
Note that you cannot save this bicycle however, so enjoy the high speeds while you can.
You'll need to find a Surano Benefactor when you're doing the Epsilon missions for Michael and luckily we have the image below to point you in the right direction. Given that the Surano Benefactor just happens to also be one of the fastest cars in the game can't hurt either right?
Some of you will know this, some won't, so anyway. If you are being chased by the police in GTA V and manage to get out of their sight and switch into another vehicle without them seeing, then you should be able to then re-cross/re-enter their "field of vision cones" and they won't recognize you! Just don't break any laws and your wanted level should decrease.
While chasing someone if you jump and press either B (Xbox 360) or Circle (PS3) you will attempt to tackle the person.
This is a handy hint for those of you who love flying the Buzzard helicopter. If you tap L1 and R1 on the PS3 (LB and RB on the Xbox 360) with missiles equipped then you'll switch between targets.
Head to the golf course parking lot and then just keep cycling through sessions of GTA Online until one spawns there. This is the best way to ensure you get one.
To toggle your flashlight on and off (the flashlight on your weapon) simply press right on the digital pad/ E on the keyboard.
Doing this won't appeal to everyone, but whatever... You can actually tow as many as three vehicles behind you (maybe more) by using a tow truck to tow a tow truck to tow a tow truck to tow a truck (try saying that quickly).
Have fun!
Thanks to InaBizzel.
If you're looking for a sweet ride then head to the spot in Rockford Hills shown below. There is always either an exotic or super car that will spawn there. Most often it is the Truffade Adder (also known as the Bugatti Veyron in real life).
Head to the location shown on the map below and you'll find some tuned cars just waiting for you to steal!
Thanks lazyNeighbour
Stabyourself from Reddit took it upon himself to stitch together a 6,000 x 8,000px map of Los Santos and Blaine County (warning: 14.3 MB). Easily the best map we've come across! Click the image below to see the full size version.
If you liked hospital shoot-outs in past Grand Theft Auto games (noting they don't exist in GTA) then this subway shoot-out feature might be for you.
Travel to the underground train station by going to the place indicated in the maps below.
Shoot a few randoms up top to get your wanted level up and the police will start arriving...
As a bonus, you can choose to simply loose your 5 star wanted level by running further into the station.
Thanks to sirtrivium.
If you complete all 50 Under the Bridge Aerial Challenges then you'll be half way through to the "Close Shave" Trophy or Achievement. You also need to do all the Knife Flight challenges to get that one! [#knifeflightlocations Details here by the way].
You can do all of the 50 challenges with a Maverick helicopter from the South Los Santos hospital helipad. We have a handy hint [#easyhelicopter for getting that too]. If the chopper doesn't spawn at first just go back down the street and then back up to the helipad.
To make a fly through count towards the challenge you can't let any part of your chopper touch either the ground or the bridge. You'll be notified on-screen when you do a correct fly under.
Also make sure you quick save before doing some of the harder ones. Even if you get through, or if somehow you damage you chopper, then will enable you to quickly get going again with a fully repair aircraft. [#instantrepair See this hint for details].
Finally, if you're doing this with a plane and not the chopper, make sure your landing gear is up! It will fly much more smoothly that way. Press down using the left analog stick (when you're in the air!) to pull the landing gear up.
You can unlock Packie McReary as someone to use in your heists.
To get Packie in your crew pay him a visit at the location below. It's that easy!
If you are driving a truck with a trailer you can press right on the digital pad to detach its trailer. This can be useful to block of narrow roads and alleyways etc.
Check out the Youtube video below to see where the Vapid Bullet spawns in story mode in GTA V. It's one of the fastest cars in the game but can be a little hard to control!
Head into the settings of your cell phone and you can actually set it so that it will vibrate when an in-game call is received, as opposed to ringing.
