To say Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto 5 was a success would be an understatement. It remains one of the most successful entertainment products in history. This is thanks in part to how much replayability the game has. From its hilarious and satirical story to the massive online multiplayer, GTA 5 is still going strong after all these years. Rockstar always delivers when it comes to content, especially in their open-world games.
The world of Los Santos is one of the most beautifully realized game settings in recent memory. There’s so much to do and discover that it’s almost overwhelming. After you've beaten the game, you'll immediately want to keep playing. Here is a list of things you can do once you finish the misadventures of Franklin, Michael, and Trevor.
Updated on June 28, 2023 by David Kinder: While GTA 6 sits in limbo, it's time to revisit GTA 5. Few games have had the same financial success despite being republished time and time again. While it has a static single-player campaign, Online is always being updated with new content. The good news is that, if you've only played the campaign, you've barely scratched the surface. There aren't many games with as many fleshed-out minigames and activities as GTA 5. You can run marathons against NPCs, play golf, race, and have a great time. There are dozens of hidden items to locate, Easter eggs to find, and achievements to earn. And if that isn't enough, you can always mod the game and take San Andreas's fate into your own hands.
17 Give GTA Online A Try
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. Once you beat the main story, the first thing you will want to do is jump into GTA Online. From racing, stunts, server events to heists, there are many modes to experience.
However, heists take the crown. Even though it took two years for them to be added into GTA Online, they were worth the wait. And if that isn't enough, many familiar faces return for new missions. You've probably wondered what Lamar and Franklin have been up to. A decade later, and its community is still going strong.
16 Buy Property And Make Money
Throughout GTA 5, there are 16 purchasable businesses and seven garages. Whether you want more space to park your favorite cars or experience a new side of Los Santos, there's a property out there waiting for you. And if you care about making money, many of these businesses will give you a return on your investment.
For example, Auto Impound gives you $500 for every car you tow to it. The Car Scrapyard, on the other hand, pays $150 for every car scrapped. Some businesses may require you to complete a mission questline before you can make a profit.
15 Learn Something New
There are dozens of opportunities to better yourself in San Andreas — well, intellectually rather than morally — and you should take advantage of them when you can.
Luckily, the things you can learn and experience in GTA 5 can be rewarding. You can learn how to fly at the Flight School and learn how to pull off incredible stunts. After that, you can skydive off buildings, parachute around Mount Chiliad, and live like a daredevil. If that isn't enough, check out a film in Vinewood Boulveard. There's always something new to discover, so take a break from your routine.
14 Become An Assassin And Make Profit
Throughout the story, you may have noticed that Lester has a tendency to ask you to assassinate important figures. The Hotel Assassination is the first time you'll be asked to help him, but there are four more missions.
If you save these missions for the post-game, you'll be making millions of dollars in profit on the stock market. These are also the only missions that affect stock prices. Assassinating targets will make some stocks shoot up in value, so do your research first!
13 Try Out New Hobbies
If a more active and stimulating retirement seems more appealing, there are many places where you can stimulate your physical and competitive sides.
Those who love sports can spend their time golfing, playing tennis, shooting darts, or participating in triathlons. Those who prefer the high-speed of driving can take to the offroad races, street races, Seashark races, or go parachuting. There's a ton to do to keep you active and entertained.
12 Find Collectibles
GTA always finds a way to include a collect-a-thon, so if you enjoy that aspect of the game, get ready to look for 13 collections scattered across the map. And if you want to play the secret last mission, you'll need to complete two of these collections.
Head to the northern docks of San Andreas to start finding submarine pieces, keep your eyes peeled for the 50 spaceship parts that will unlock a new vehicle, look closely for scrap pieces of paper to figure out who murdered Leonora Johnson, and much, much more. There's a ton to find and collect.
11 Pull Off Some Stick Stunts
In open-world games, it's always a blast to mindlessly mess around and explore. It's even more fun to test out the game's physics, and GTA 5's can be incredibly unusual. With all those dirt bikes and sports cars you’ve acquired, why not go and test out their true potential?
There are even multiple Stunt Jumps to find throughout the map, which will contribute to your 100 percent progression. Still, you can find many other spots to pull off some sick moves. You haven’t fully experienced GTA 5 until you’ve taken a motorcycle down Mount Chiliad.
10 Find All Strangers And Freaks
While GTA 5 does have a great story, many of the game’s most memorable moments come from the various Strangers and Freaks missions. Want to join a religious cult that has way too many membership fees? What about helping a cult find some new members? What about fighting aliens during a bad trip?
You get to experience all these hilarious incidents by finding the Strangers and Freaks throughout the map. Each of the three main characters has their specific side missions to complete. Getting 100 percent completion will require you to finish 20 missions.
9 Replay Missions To Get Gold Medals
One of GTA 5’s most tedious trophies/achievements is Solid Gold, Baby. You need to get 70 gold medals from most missions within the game. There are 69 main story missions and 58 Strangers and Freaks missions. The upside is that you won’t have to get a gold medal for every story mission.
In order to replay, go to the Game tab in the pause menu. All completed missions and their medals will be listed. You'll be able to retry over and over again. Luckily, most of GTA 5's missions are over the top and fun, so the grind won't be too bad.
8 Replay Heists
Now you’ll most likely be replaying the heists if you’re trying to get gold medals on them. However, another reason to replay these memorable missions is to see how different scenarios turn out. Did you want to go in guns blazing? Or did you want to take a more tactical approach?
You can play these over again to see if your original plans were, in fact, the most efficient way to victory. Sadly, replaying these won’t give you money back in your main game, nor will they affect the story. Still, it’s always fun to test out other options.
7 Discover All The Secrets And Easter Eggs
The city of Los Santos is a massive open-world sandbox to sink your teeth into. Rockstar has always been praised for its obsessive level of detail, sometimes even criticized. GTA 5 is no different. There are tons of secrets and Easter eggs to uncover.
Some of these include aliens, Bigfoot, and ghosts! Many of these aren’t surface-level finds, so you’ll need to do some extra digging to discover all these secrets. If you get lost, use guides to help you figure out where you went wrong. It can be exhausting trying to figure out where the last letter scrap is.
6 Use Cheat Codes And Go Nuts
The Grand Theft Auto series has always embraced the idea of cheat codes. Everyone remembers how amazing it was to summon a tank in San Andreas. GTA 5 brought back button codes from previous entries. There are some ridiculous and hilarious cheat codes.
Sometimes it’s just fun to have some good old-fashioned chaos in the open world. These cheat codes can essentially make you a god in the game. They include making you invincible, turning off gravity, and even allowing you to change the weather on a whim. However, cheat codes disable all trophies/achievements, so you should create a separate save file.
5 Try GTA RP
Is GTA Online a little too hectic for you? Maybe you want to travel around San Andreas under different circumstances. Roleplay servers might be what you're looking for. RP servers offer a more grounded experience without having to worry about excessive griefing and trolling.
However, your experience will vary. Some servers are much more serious about conduct and can feel more tedious than playing GTA Online itself. Spend some time looking around for a community that suits your interests. You don't need to lock yourself into the first server you login into. Getting started is just a download away.
4 Give GTA A New Look
In 2013, GTA 5 had top-of-the-line graphics, but that's changed over the years. Despite occasional updates each console generation, GTA 5 has seen better years. With ray-tracing becoming more prevalent, you should consider downloading visual mods to upgrade your copy of GTA.
Most computers may not be able to handle the most extreme lighting mods, but new textures and model upgrades are always nice to have. Some conversion mods quite honestly make GTA 5 feel like a brand-new game. Like any mods, make sure you only use them in single-player and have them removed while playing in GTA Online.
3 Mess Around With Mods
Mods are the life of any game's longevity. Look at Skyrim and Fallout New Vegas. Despite each game being over a decade old, dedicated fans have spent countless hours refreshing and reinventing these classic adventures. GTA 5 is no exception, with hundreds of mods offering limitless potential and variety.
Some mods can make you a superhero, add interiors to most buildings, and even create new missions. With the right selection of mods, you can create a unique experience. For example, you can create a zombie battle royale with RPG elements. The sky is the limit, and you should go wild!
2 Treat Yourself
After the main story is over, you should have a hefty amount of money. What are you going to spend it all on? Well, go ahead and treat yourself. There are dozens of vehicles to buy in the game. The greatest irony is that you’re buying cars in a game titled Grand Theft Auto.
If you don’t want to buy a nice sports car because they spawn everywhere, you can go above and beyond. Go out and buy yourself a military jet because of reasons! Buying one online is way more convenient than having to break into the military base.
1 Just Live In Los Santos
The great thing about the world of Los Santos is just how lived in it all feels. You truly feel like you could turn off the game, and the open-world will still be alive until you turn it back on. Explore the city from an NPC's perspective or even in first-person.
There is a huge assortment of minigames to try, which are all surprisingly dense and fleshed out. If you didn't know, you can call one of your NPC friends to join you, like visiting the cinema or a bar. This time, you’re the one bothering your friends to go bowling!