Master the streets of Los Santos with our comprehensive beginner’s guide that transforms new players into GTA Online veterans in 2026.

Getting Started in Los Santos: Your First Steps in GTA Online

When you begin playing GTA Online for the first time, the process can seem overwhelming, but if you understand the basic concepts of how to play, you will be well on your way to being successful in Los Santos. Once you boot up GTA Online for the first time, you will create your character, then go through a very short tutorial that teaches you the fundamentals of the game, such as how to drive, shoot, and navigate around the map. It is essential to pay close attention to this part of the game as it is where you will learn many of the fundamental elements of the gameplay. At the end of the tutorial, you will get your first apartment from the game, which will serve as your spawn point and a place to safely plan out your next move. Your cell phone will be the most important resource to your character in GTA Online—your cell phone will allow you to access job opportunities, communicate with other players, view listings of available cars and properties, and assist you in managing your businesses. It would be beneficial to become familiar with the Quick Menu (press the “D-Pad” button and hold it down, or press the “M” key on PC) to access different settings, turn off your ability to be attacked, and access other functions of the game that are essential to the functionality of the game.

The Smartest Move for New Players in 2026 Is To Take Advantage of Any Promotional Bonuses Rockstar Offers

Rockstar Games has continuously released free content updates to enhance the value of Grand Theft Auto V since its release in 2013. Many of the free updates have included new content and items that were previously exclusive to the single-player campaign. In addition to the free updates, Rockstar has offered promotional bonuses to new players in the form of a starter pack or a bonus amount of money. Some examples of free updates include the Diamond Casino & Resort update, the Diamond Casino Heist update, the Arena War update, and the Diamond Casino Heist update. You can see what free content is currently available by checking the announcements on the loading screen or viewing the in-game newswire.

Essential Ways for New Players to Make Money

As a new player, there are several ways to generate revenue that are both profitable and relatively easy to do. One of the best ways to earn revenue is to take advantage of missions that are provided through your phone’s Quick Jobs application. Missions are a story-driven series of jobs that can be accessed by going to the Quick Jobs icon located in the top right-hand corner of your cell phone and selecting “Contact Missions.” Examples of contact missions include “Blow Up,” “Pier Pressure,” and “Trash Talk.” These missions are designed to teach you how to defend yourself, and each mission pays a decent sum of money. After you have earned enough money to buy a better gun, and possibly a few upgrades to your vehicle, you can move on to more challenging missions. You can also participate in Time Trials and RC Bandito Time Trials, which reward players for completing laps faster than par times. These types of competitions are designed to be completed individually and do not require any investment on the part of the player. Each week, players can win between $100,000 to $200,000 by competing in these competitions. In addition to participating in Time Trials and RC Bandito Time Trials, you can also compete in Treasure Hunts and complete daily objectives. Both of these are great ways to earn revenue and develop skills and knowledge that can be used later in the game. As you earn more money, you can participate in Double Money events that Rockstar offers. These events are held once a week and provide double or triple the amount of money that players typically earn for completing certain game modes. These events are the most effective way to earn money in the game and the fastest way to develop your skills and knowledge.

Join A Crew or Find Friends To Compete With During Events

To earn the most money possible during events, it is best to join a crew or group of friends to compete together. By doing so, players can earn substantially more money than if they competed alone. Additionally, many players within crews and groups of friends are happy to share information and tips that can help you develop your skills and knowledge more quickly.

The GTA Online Community is Generally Helpful to Newcomers Who Show They Are Willing to Learn and Contribute to Team Objectives

Grand Theft Auto V Online has a large and active community of players who are always looking to collaborate and help other players. However, you need to show that you are willing to contribute to a team and follow the rules of the game in order to gain the support of the community.

Building Your Criminal Empire: Properties and Businesses That Are Worth Investing In

As soon as you are able to afford it, the first major purchase you should make is the Kosatka submarine, which provides access to the Cayo Perico Heist—the most lucrative solo activity in GTA Online as of 2026. The submarine costs $2.2 million, but the heist can be completed in less than an hour and earns between $1 million to $1.8 million per run. The purchase of the submarine will provide a significant increase to your ability to earn money in the game and will establish the foundation for you to build your criminal empire. Once you are able to complete the Cayo Perico Heist successfully, you may want to consider purchasing an agency ($2 million). An agency allows you to gain access to security contracts and the Dr. Dre VIP contract, providing you with a variety of gameplay experiences and paying a good amount of money. An agency also provides you with passive income from the agency safe (up to $20,000 per in-game day), which does not require you to actively manage the agency to earn money. If you are looking to invest in a variety of properties, the Arcade (which is necessary for the Diamond Casino Heist) and Nightclub represent good mid-game investments. The Nightclub is a particularly good investment as it will generate passive income from all of your other businesses and does not require you to make supply runs or sales missions. Do not spend too much money investing in lower-paying properties such as the document forgery office or weed farm early in the game as they have low returns compared to their cost and the management required to operate them. Invest in higher-paying properties that respect your time and will help you advance through Los Santos’s criminal hierarchy.

Tips for Survival: Protect Yourself While You Learn the Game

Los Santos can be a very dangerous place for new players, but by knowing how to protect yourself, you can prevent losing your progress and prevent yourself from getting frustrated. Once you spawn into a public session, look at the list of players and identify players who may pose a threat to you. Players with extremely high kill/death ratios and/or players who are using weaponized vehicles and are near populated areas of the map are likely to cause problems. If you are trying to complete a mission, or just exploring, you may want to enable Passive Mode through the Quick Menu, which will prevent other players from killing you, but will also disable your weapons.

Get an Armored Vehicle as Soon as Possible

An armored vehicle is one of the best purchases you can make early in the game and is a must-have for anyone who plans to play GTA Online frequently. The Armored Kuruma (approximately $525,000) is one of the most affordable and effective armored vehicles that can be purchased in the game. The Armored Kuruma provides nearly complete protection from bullets while you are completing Contact Missions and free roam activities. When you travel across the map, you can designate your last spawn location as your spawn point by pressing the interact button and then choosing “Last Spawn” from the drop-down menu. This will ensure that you do not lose any of your progress if you need to leave a session quickly.

Learn How to Read Session Dynamics

As you continue to play GTA Online, you will begin to recognize patterns of behavior among other players in the game. When you notice that the session you are playing in is becoming hostile, it is best to find a new session to play in. Public sessions created individually (depending on your platform) are ideal for completing business activities without fear of being killed by another player. Rockstar has taken steps to encourage populated sessions through the provision of bonuses to players who participate in larger sessions. Join a crew or group of players through the GTA Online community forum or Discord server to participate in activities with a larger group of players and benefit from the increased level of protection that comes with having a larger number of players watching your back.

Always Register As A CEO, MC President, or VIP Before Starting Business Activities

Before you start any business-related activities in GTA Online, you must register as a CEO, MC President, or VIP. Registration as one of these roles will unlock the defensive capabilities known as Ghost Organization and Off the Radar, which will help to protect your cargo from opportunistic players attempting to steal your cargo.

Gaining Experience Quickly: Important Rep Gains and Unlocks

Ranking up in GTA Online unlocks a number of essential weapons, vehicles, and gameplay features that will greatly affect your effectiveness in the game. Focus on activities that provide a lot of rep relative to the time you spend in the activity. Contact Missions are a great source of rep and are one of the easiest ways to gain rep in GTA Online. While longer Contact Missions will yield slightly greater amounts of rep, aim for a length of approximately four minutes for maximum rep efficiency. Additionally, participating in heists as a member of a crew will grant you a large amount of rep, particularly if you are participating in a heist for the first time. Completing Special Cargo and Vehicle Cargo missions through your CEO Office are also excellent sources of rep and provide a substantial amount of experience upon successful completion. Completing deliveries will not only grant you experience but will also provide a variety of gameplay experiences. Participating in Adversary Modes and Races during Double RP Weeks will also significantly aid in your advancement through the ranks. Double RP weeks are special weeks in which players receive twice the amount of rep for participating in certain game modes. Participating in these events can result in advancing through several levels in a single night if you approach your participation in a strategic manner. Important unlocks to pursue as a new player include reaching rank 12 (accesses heists), rank 25 (accesses proximity mines), rank 100 (accesses RPGs), and rank 120 (accesses the Minigun). These unlocks will provide you with significantly improved options for defending yourself in both PvE and PvP scenarios.

Do Not Neglect Your Shooting Stats

It is also essential that you do not neglect improving your shooting stats. Regularly visit an Ammu-Nation shooting range to improve your accuracy, which will directly affect your damage output and weapon handling.