Gta 5 tricks und tipps: Hints and Tips for GTA 5: Invaluable Story Mode Information

Hints and Tips for GTA 5: Invaluable Story Mode Information

Looking for GTA 5 cheats instead? If so, simply click here and select your system!

This page features general hints, tips and guides for Grand Theft Auto V single player (story mode). If you have any hints or tips of your own, feel free to send them in!

Article Contents

100% Completion Checklist

You may not know this, but there is a 100% completion 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 http://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.

You can also check out our guide here to see what you need to do in order to get 100% completion of GTA V.

All Wheel Drive Vehicle List

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!

  • Adder 20 | 80
  • Airbus 50 | 50
  • Ambulance 50 | 50
  • Baller 60 | 40
  • Benson 50 | 50
  • Bison 20 | 80
  • BJ 60 | 40
  • Blazer 20 | 80
  • Bodhi 30 | 70
  • Bus 50 | 50
  • Cavalcade 60 | 40
  • Crusader 60 | 40
  • Dubsta 60 | 40
  • Elegy 30 | 70
  • Entity 20 | 80
  • FBI2 60 | 40
  • Flatbed 50 | 50
  • FQ2 40 | 60 | 40
  • Granger 60 | 40
  • Gresley 60 | 40
  • Habanero 40 | 60 | 40
  • Infernus 20 | 80
  • Landstalker 40 | 60 | 40
  • Mesa 10 | 90
  • Minivan 60 | 40
  • 9F 30 | 70
  • 9F (alt) 20 | 80
  • Patriot 40 | 60 | 40
  • Picador 40 | 60 | 40
  • Police Old 30 | 70
  • Pranger 60 | 40
  • Radius 60 | 40
  • Rancher XL 30 | 70
  • Rebel 30 | 70
  • Rhapsody 40 | 60 | 40
  • Rocoto 40 | 60 | 40
  • Sadler 20 | 80
  • Seminole 20 | 80
  • Serrano 60 | 40
  • Stratum 40 | 60 | 40
  • Sultan 40 | 60 | 40
  • Winky 50 | 50

Aim Very Steeply

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.

Ammu-Nation Store Owner Assistance

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 Robbery with No Wanted Level

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!

Atomic Blimp Code Fix for PS3

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 are logged 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.

Avoid Wanted Level at Airport

To avoid getting a wanted level every time you enter the airport purchase a plane hangar.

Benefits of Franklin’s Special Driving Ability

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.

Better Reticle

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.

Big BMX Bunny Hops

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!

Blind Firing Tip

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.

Blow Up Cars Easily

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!

BMX Color Picker

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.

BMX Ramp/Skatepark/Bowl Map

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!

Bulldozer Spawn Location

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!

Canis Mesa — How to Get it

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

Character Relationship Map

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

Characters Drive Themselves

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!

Cheaper Vehicles

You can pay less for your vehicles by purchasing them over the in-game internet and incorporating this special trick…

  1. Open your phone and go to the internet.
  2. Click on «Travel and Transport».
  3. Pick the website you want (for example: Legendary Motorsport). You will notice that vehicles like the Z-Type and Adder are very expensive…
  4. Back all the way out to the home page.
  5. Go back to «Travel and Transport» and back to the site you were on just before to see the different prices! For example, the Z-Type for $3,000,000 and the Adder for $410,000, and so on.
  6. Some vehicles go up in price doing this so just pick the page with the lowest price.

Thanks ShadowPaws

Children of the Mountain Missions

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.

Clean Cars Using Fire Truck Watter Cannon

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!

Climbing Ladders

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!

Combat Moves

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).

Convertibles — Raise and Lower Roof

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.

Destroy Choppers in Wind Farm

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!

Cost/Benefit Analysis of Purchasable Properties/Businesses

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).

Dial Phone Numbers

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

Disable Car Alarms

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

Dodging Air Missiles

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.

Hints and Tips for GTA 5: Invaluable Story Mode Information- Page 2 of 7

Looking for GTA 5 cheats instead? If so, simply click here and select your system!

This is page 2 of our general hints, tips and guides for Grand Theft Auto V single player (story mode). If you have any hints or tips of your own, feel free to send them in!

Article Contents

Drag Races

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!

Easy Carbine Weapon

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.

Easy Helicopter Location

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!

Easy Out Of Your Depth Achievement/Trophy

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.

Enemies Under Cover

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…

Enter Cheat Codes at Pause Menu

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.

Epsilon “Kifflom” Desert Running Cheat

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. ..

Equip Scuba Gear in Free Roam

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.

Exploding Generators

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 Travel / Taxi Cabs

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).

Faster BMX

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.

Flip People Off

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.

Flipped Car Fix

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.

Flying Jets

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.

Free-Aim the Sniper

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.

Free Property

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

  1. Position your car right in front of the sign that enables you to purchase it.
  2. Get out of the car.
  3. Buy the property and immediately get into your car.

Incoming providing property

  1. Buy the property and then when the cut-scene begins press «Start» and replay a short and fast mission.
  2. Complete the mission and you’ll spawn back to the property — except you’ll have it for free!

Free Vehicle Mods for Any Character

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.

Free Weapon Upgrades

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!

Fun with the Cable Car and Mountain Bikes

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!

Full Body Armor Location

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.

Gate Launch Glitch

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.

Get a Fighter Jet (Easy)

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!

Ghost Rider

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.

Grass on Fire

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.

Golf Game Guide

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!

GTA 5 Tips & Tricks

A small list of useful GTA 5 tips and tricks that may come in handy as you progress through the game:

  • You can interact with NPCs by pressing «right» on the D-pad.
  • Use the «point of interest» function on your map to mark places like liquor stores and other useful places.
  • To walk with Chop, use the left trigger to bind him to you.
  • You can transport your bike in the back of a truck.
  • The blue dots on the map are the smaller missions you can find in the game world.
  • The orange skull icons on the map are special rampage missions only available to Trevor
  • To get an idea of ​​what missions your current character can complete, look for the large mission icons on the map. The mission icons are color matched: blue for Michael, green for Franklin, and orange for Trevor.
  • When switching between characters, the number below each character displays the number of available missions for that character.
  • You can rob cash-in-transit vehicles: open the rear doors of such a vehicle (to do this, shoot at them or use explosives), after that cases with money will fall out. Collector’s cars can be found near gas stations as a random event.
  • You can find Adder car in this location:

    This is a rare car, check this place later if you don’t see a car the first time.

  • You can find rare cars like Infernus, Cheetah, Bullet, Colt Voltie and more in this location:

    And in this location you can find tuned cars:

  • You can rob any store in the game if you go inside so that the door closes behind you, then start to exit, but stop halfway so that the character begins to hold door open to the outside. This will allow you to get a weapon and point it at the seller. You can shoot the cash register, then the money bags will fall to the floor. However, not all stores have a cash register.
  • If you need to restore your health, you can find medical packs inside your safe houses, or find a liquor store (and vending machines) and buy food. You can also try to find a prostitute and rent her for the night. Switching between characters also restores health.
  • You can hide from the police in the bushes. The player arrow will turn gray if the police don’t know where you are.
  • Completing all shooting range challenges gives you a discount on everything in Ammu-Nation and increases your shooting stat at the same time.
  • You should try to improve your driving stat first, so you will use it the most in the game.
  • Press «right» on the D-Pad to turn on/off the flashlight on your weapon.
  • To buy maximum supplies for your weapons in Ammu-Nation, there is a button that you can press to switch between buying maximum and one magazine. On Xbox 360 it’s an X, and on PS3 it’s a square.
  • You can run and shoot by holding the right trigger. You can also roll by holding left or right trigger and pressing X/square
  • You can press L1 on PS3 or LB on Xbox 360 while in a car to show the middle finger. But first make sure no weapon is selected (X on Xbox 360 or square on PS3 to switch to unarmed mode)
  • You can dive by jumping and then pressing B (Xbox 360) or Circle (PS3)
  • Standing at a red traffic light, «roar» the motor and try to honk. Sometimes the nearest car will take part in a mini drag race with you.
  • If you want to explore the lands somewhere very far away, you can quickly return to the mission area by changing your character.
  • You can travel fast by placing a marker on the map and then calling a taxi (found in phone contacts as «Downtown Cab Co»).
  • A helicopter can be used to explore the world. Helicopter location map in GTA 5:
    To find the helicopter, go to this location:

    Climb up the ladder and then up to the roof:

    Remember that if the helicopter does not appear at the specified location, you can try to go down to the street and then go up again.

  • You can find a parachute by climbing to the top of the highest mountain, it lies near the funicular exit:

    Press A for 360 or X on PS3 to deploy the parachute. Once in your inventory, it will automatically be used when you jump.

  • In GTA 5 there is a scuba gear, it is located behind the Ship Yards on one of the Piers. This scuba without a wetsuit and fins, but allows you to dive as deep as you like. Map:
  • Location at the airport where you can find the Shamal plane (small jet):
  • You can avoid getting the wanted level at the airport if you buy the aircraft hangar
  • You can get the crop duster plane at Trevor’s McKenzie Field landing strip, as they often land here.
  • After purchasing the McKenzie Field Hangar property, a twin-engine aircraft will appear in the hangar.
  • If you need to land quickly on a plane but can’t find the runway, try using the highway or the beach.
  • You can buy helicopters and planes through the in-game internet (elitastravel. com) using your phone. Military helicopters and other military vehicles (including tanks) can be purchased at warstock-cache-and-carry.com. After the purchase of the vehicle, it will be delivered to the hangar
  • The Cargobob helicopter, which can be purchased from the link above, can pick up and carry cars and other vehicles.
  • Holding LB + RB (Xbox 360) or L1 + R1 (PS3) while flying a helicopter will help you avoid hesitation
  • You can also disable the searchlights on the police helicopter by shooting them.
  • Buying things online is usually cheaper than in stores.
  • To quickly close the web browser, press Y on Xbox 360 or Triangle on PS3.
  • Killing bystanders after they have used the ATM will give you a significant income.
  • Trevor can survive a fall from a great height thanks to his special ability
  • Franklin can use his special ability to shoot accurately from a car
  • Michael can increase the duration of his special ability with yoga.
  • Entering the tunnel is a good way to avoid the wanted level.
  • To dial a number on your mobile phone, open your contact list and then press X on Xbox 360 or square on PS3. Press this button again after you have entered the number.
  • You can pause during cut scenes.
  • To get more money for robbery, choose the best gun man, drivers, hackers, etc.
  • You can find Tow truck in this location (next to LS customs).
  • Buying Los Santos Customs makes all upgrades free in this shop.
  • You can use your mobile to call another main character to spend time together.
  • If you don’t know how to continue the story and do more missions, try changing your character.
  • You can reply to your in-game emails. This is useful for immersing yourself in the lives of the main characters.
  • Try disabling the HUD and radar for immersion and increased difficulty. You won’t be able to see where the police or other people are on the minimap.

GTA Online Tips:

  • If you want to play multiplayer, practice aiming in «Free Aim» mode (you can change this in settings > targeting mode > free aim). Auto-aim is disabled in GTA Online. So it would be nice to get used to the free-aim mode.
  • You can visit the bank’s website from your phone and deposit cash into your account without having to use an ATM.
  • Scroll to the right in the ammunation, next to the rocket launcher is a free shotgun (although you have to buy ammo).
  • You can find a helicopter in this location:

GTA 5 Guides (GTA 5)

GTA 5 Guides (GTA 5) — tips and guides: how to upgrade and earn money