It’s been seven years since Grand Theft Auto Online was released and it’s still going strong. There is an active player community, tons of content, and a stream of updates that makes now a better time then ever to dive into this great game.
If you’re trying out multiplayer for the first time or you’re new to the GTA scene you can be at a loss of what to spend your time and money on to get the most out of the game. According to the fans here are the things they wish they knew when starting out to get you on the right track.
10 It’s All About The Money
Yes, it’s about having fun, hanging out with friends, and doing cool missions, but to really enjoy these activities and the special features of this game you need a healthy stash of cash and even more importantly a steady stream of income. Guns, cars, planes, yachts, ammo, clothes, and the various activities in the game cost money.
Sure you can have fun on a budget and you don’t need to be a billionaire to enjoy this game, but it’ll get frustrating when you have to budget your ammo during a heist or drive a crappy car because it’s all you can afford. Do yourself a favor and make some money.
9 Spend To Earn
Because of this it’s important in the beginning to only spend your money on what will increase your income. That supercar may look awesome and sailing around on your own Yacht may be a blast, but they’re also money sinks that take forever if ever to earn back what they cost.
Focus your limited funds on getting better weapons, ammo, cheap houses, cost-effective cars, and other things that will help you in missions and your other money-making enterprises. Once the funds start rolling in and you have a rhythm going then think about splurging now and then.
8 Buy A Vehicle Warehouse
A great purchase you can make early on is a vehicle warehouse. They’ll set you back a few million, but it’s a game changer and your income potential skyrockets with one in your possession. Unlike regular warehouses a vehicle warehouse can’t be raided by the NPCs or other players, meaning whatever you put in there is safe until you take it out.
You can stash your hot cars here and then start selling every 35 minutes or so. You can spend a longer play session filling up the warehouse and then slowly sell the inventory off as you do other things for some decent cash.
7 Wait For Sales
When you go to buy anything don’t buy it at full retail price. Rockstar is constantly doing deals or events that increase what your money can buy and those are prime opportunities to get what you need for less.
Sometimes you’ll have a great 90% sale or double your money events that are tremendous help, but even a 10% off sale can result in great savings over time. They also happen frequently so you won't be waiting long to buy what you want or need.
6 Headshots Save Money
While in combat scenarios against NPCs or players it’s in your best interest to prioritize headshots whenever possible. In addition to putting the enemy down faster it’ll also save you on ammo which saves you the cost and effort of getting more.
Its sounds minor but depending on what weapon you're using and what your bank account looks like this can be critical to staying in the black. Considering it removes the threat faster anyway there’s really no reason not to be doing this.
5 Wear A Helmet
Given that the average player will be going for headshots it’s critical to your survival to always wear either a Bulletproof Helmet or a Combat Helmet. It may not look fashionable and other players may make fun of you, but you’ll be the one laughing when everyone else is dead from well placed sniper rounds and you’re still in the game.
Before visiting any gang infested area, heist, raid, or mission where you expect heavy gunfire do yourself a favor and grab a helmet before going.
4 Invest Early
As you start accumulating wealth you’ll be tempted to start spending it on luxury items. But what you really need to be doing is invest it in a variety of properties. This is incredibly important at the beginning of the game when money is tight and it takes long play sessions to accumulate millions.
With these properties you’ll be earning money while goofing around, when missions fail, when cars are destroyed, and so on. Having a large portfolio of money-making properties is the single biggest moneymaker in the game. Buy the toys when your properties can afford them for you.
3 Location, Location, Location
As you start investing it’s important to keep in mind that not all properties are equal. There are obvious price differences to consider, but the biggest factor in whether you should buy something is based on its location and how convenient it is for you.
A warehouse might be dirt cheap, but if you have to fight your way through several blocks of gang territory to reach it that savings may not be worth it. Once you’ve established your routines and determined the areas you visit most start buying properties in those areas and along those routes. A rule of thumb is that cheap areas have inconvenient properties and nice expensive areas have convenient properties
2 Nightclub Warehouse Farming
Once you have a bunch of business lined up you want to get a Nightclub going. This will enable you to store illicit products from those businesses in your nightclub to be delivered and sold in one large lump sum. Depending on the amount of product you’re moving this can be anywhere from $10k to $3.6 million in one go.
This is your main active moneymaker and can also be semi-AFK if you want it to. The goods will only be moved if you are in the game so you can let the game run on it’s own for a while and come back to a Pounder load of goods to sell, this will also happen while you’re off doing other things. Getting this production and supply chain up and running is the key to millions.
1 Play With Friends
As you start building your criminal empire running missions, stealing cars and delivering product it can be a real grind at times. Shake things up by having your friends help you out or take a break and let the passive income stream run while you’re having fun.
You do need money to have the most fun in this game, but don’t become so obsessed with becoming a multi-millionaire you forget to enjoy that money now and then. Budget a few million now and then to blow it on some stupid fun with your friends. If you’ve followed the above tips from other fans then you’ll recover the losses pretty quickly anyway.