GTA V Complete Walkthrough: Beginner to Pro Guide

Overview (What You’ll Learn)

The best settings, controls, and early-game route
Story-mode progression with heist strategy (spoiler-light)
Money-making (safe, clean methods) & weapon/vehicle priorities
100% completion roadmap (collectibles, hobbies, challenges)
Optional advanced tips (stocks, crew selection, skill leveling, safehouses)

Start Smart: Settings, Saves, and Controls

Optimize Your Settings

Aim Mode: Assisted Aim – Partial (gamepad) to smooth difficulty without removing challenge.
Display: Lock to a stable framerate; disable excessive motion blur; keep brightness just high enough for night driving.
Subtitles: ON for clarity in mission briefings.
Driving Camera: Choose one and stick with it (bumper/hood cam = precision, third-person = awareness).

Use Multiple Saves

Keep 3–5 rotating manual saves: before heists, before critical choices, and before Lester assassination quests.

Essential Control Habits

Snap aim → lower to legs for control on rushers; pop-to-head for quick downs.
Cornering: Quick peeks with left stick; don’t full-expose.
Driving: Feather the throttle, use handbrake only to initiate, then counter-steer and reapply gas.

Early Game Route (First 3–5 Hours)

Complete the Prologue → Franklin & Lamar arc.
Side Jobs (Franklin):
- Tow-truck gigs (Tonya) build confidence with vehicle control.
- Do a few street races to unlock custom parts and get a feel for Los Santos.
Cash & Gear:
- Buy body armor before tougher missions (Ammu-Nation).
- Prioritize a suppressed pistol, then an SMG/Assault Rifle.
Skill Focus:
- Franklin’s Driving improves with clean high-speed runs.
- All characters level Shooting by visiting the shooting range (Ammu-Nation challenges).
Collectibles Head Start (Optional):
- Pick up a few Stunt Jumps near the city core and a handful of Letter Scraps while exploring.

Pro Tip: Don’t rush big purchases. Save early money for weapon upgrades (suppressors, extended mags) and a reliable getaway car (armor + engine upgrades).

Story Progression & Heist Blueprint (Spoiler-Light)

Heists are the heart of the campaign. Each has a setup, a choice of approach, and crew selection that changes difficulty and payout.

General Heist Rules

Competent > Cheap: Cutting crew costs can backfire with mistakes, lost loot, or casualties.
Driver matters: A skilled driver reduces escape risk; unlocking certain random-event drivers can give low cuts with high skill.
Hacker determines time: Better hackers grant more time during critical phases in “smart” approaches.
Gunman reliability: Under-skilled gunmen can panic or drop cash—avoid the absolute cheapest option.

Practical Picks (No Numbers, Just Logic)

If you’ve unlocked a competent low-cut driver via a random event, use them for most heists.
For smart/quiet approaches, pick a better hacker; the higher cut is often offset by securing more of the take.
Bring a reliable gunman you’ve used before (battle-tested = fewer surprises).

Pro Tip: Always do the setup missions cleanly—armor up, carry a suppressed primary, and plan your escape route before starting the final heist step.

Clean Money-Making (No Exploits)

Story-Mode Safe Methods

Heists & Setups: The main source of big payouts.
Strangers & Freaks: Many pay decently and unlock useful allies or rewards.
Property Management: Some properties generate steady passive income; check weekly returns to justify the purchase.
Challenges:
- Parachute jumps, races, and certain side activities pay, build skills, and push you toward 100%.

Stock Market (Play-It-Safe Approach)

Completing assassination missions can influence stock prices. The conservative approach:
- Finish the main story first, then do the assassination missions so you can invest larger capital for greater gains.
- Diversify across the LCN/BAWSAQ targets mentioned in each mission’s context.
- Buy before, complete mission, then sell after the peak—monitor for 24–48 in-game hours (sleep to time-skip).

Weapons, Upgrades, and Combat Flow

Weapon Priorities

Silenced Pistol → stealth takedowns & quiet setups.
SMG/Assault Rifle → reliable mid-range control.
Shotgun → indoors/close-quarters.
Sniper → mandatory for certain setups; practice breath control.

Best Upgrades

Suppressor, Extended Mag, Grip (where available).
Scope only if you actually use ADS at range; otherwise skip the weight.

Combat Rhythm

Open stealthy, thin the herd, then switch to controlled aggression.
Use cover swapping (move cover-to-cover, don’t turtle).
Refresh armor frequently; carry snacks for on-the-fly healing (convenience stores).

Vehicles & Customization (Practical, Not Flashy)

Choose a mid-size, balanced car (good top speed, stable handling, decent armor).
Bulletproof tires and armor upgrade significantly increase survival in police chases.
Learn quick turnarounds (handbrake tap + counter-steer) and spike strip avoidance (shoulder cutting, lane changes).

Police Evasion: A Repeatable Pattern

Break line-of-sight quickly (alleys, underpasses, parking structures).
Watch your minimap cones; avoid their facing arcs.
Change vehicle look at a mod shop (if wanted level allows), or swap vehicles in covered areas.
Go off-road briefly when safe; AI pathing stumbles on rough terrain.

Character Skills & Special Abilities

Franklin (Driving): Use during tight city escapes; conserve it for intersections and spikes in traffic.
Michael (Shooting/Focus): Ideal for room-clears and boss-like encounters.
Trevor (Rage): Use when you’re outnumbered or need to push through defenses.

Level skills with intentional activities (range for Shooting, skydiving for Stamina, driving events for Driving, etc.). Small, consistent gains pay off by mid-game.

100% Completion Roadmap (What You Actually Need)

To reach 100%, you’ll need (high level list; not exhaustive):

All Story Missions (including heists & finales)
Strangers & Freaks (key ones across all three protagonists)
Hobbies & Pastimes:
- Races (land & sea), Parachute jumps, Shooting range challenges, Flight school
Collectibles & Challenges:
- Letter Scraps (50) → mystery payoff
- Spaceship Parts (50) → special reward
- Stunt Jumps (50)
- Under the Bridges (50)
- Knife Flights (15)
- (Optionally on newer editions) Peyote plants for fun-only side content
Random Events: A subset is required; complete several as you roam (especially useful ones that unlock crew).

Pro Tip: Use a district-by-district sweep: clear all collectibles in one area before moving on. This minimizes backtracking.

Smart Purchases & Properties

Vehicle Upgrades before vanity purchases.
Properties with useful perks (e.g., free services, side missions, decent weekly payout).
Avoid draining cash on high-upkeep toys before major heists—you’ll want liquidity for stocks and upgrades.

Common Mission Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

Over-aggression: Pushing forward without clearing angles = instant fail. Use cover and check minimap arcs.
Under-prepared: Entering finales without armor/snacks/suppressors. Top up before every big step.
Cheap Crew Picks: Can cause lost loot or failed segments. Balance cost with competence.
Messy Escapes: Always visualize the first two turns of your getaway route before you start the mission.

Advanced Tips (When You’re Comfortable)

Heist Recon: Visit target areas off-mission to plan parking spots, alleys, and fallback routes.
Sniper Setups: Clear exteriors silently before triggering interior objectives.
Night Ops: Tackle stealth-heavy setups at night for reduced civilian density and easier sightlines.
Manual Checkpoints: If a mission is going sideways, reload your last manual save rather than compounding mistakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What’s the safest way to maximize heist profits?
A: Pick a competent driver, a reliable gunman, and a good hacker for stealthy approaches. Avoid the absolute cheapest recruits—mistakes cost more than their cut.

Q: When should I buy properties?
A: After you’ve stabilized weapons/vehicle upgrades. Choose properties with solid weekly income or functional perks. Don’t overextend before big story beats.

Q: Should I do Lester’s assassinations early?
A: For the largest returns, many players finish the main story first so they can invest more before each hit. Then complete the assassinations while actively monitoring the relevant stocks.

Q: Is 100% completion hard?
A: It’s time-consuming, not difficult. Use a checklist, sweep areas methodically, and mix activities to keep it fun.