GTA Online Full Guide: Freemode, Jobs, Progress & Making Money

This guide covers everything you need to know to get started in GTA Online, from the Interaction Menu to Jobs, from making money to ranking up, interacting with other players, and more.

The world of Grand Theft Auto Online gives you the freedom to explore alone, work cooperatively with friends to complete missions, band together to participate in activities and ambient events, or compete in traditional game modes up to 30 players.

Create and develop a unique character from the ground up - customize your appearance, assemble a fleet of vehicles, purchase personal property, and take part in missions and jobs, with constant Title Updates that continually open up new opportunities for you to rise through the criminal ranks.

Getting Started in GTA Online

When you first enter GTA Online, you’ll use the Character Creator to define your appearance, base stats, and starting outfit.

In the Expanded & Enhanced editions of GTA Online for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, the new Career Builder helps new players establish their foundation. You’ll start with GTA$4,000,000 and choose one of four criminal paths:

• Executive
• Gunrunner
• Nightclub Owner
• Biker

After selecting a path, invest your funds into properties, vehicles, and weapons tied to your chosen career - setting you up for success in Freemode.

Once you’re ready, you’ll drop into Freemode - the heart of GTA Online - where you can explore, run businesses, take jobs, or challenge other players across Los Santos.

The GTA Online Interaction Menu

The Interaction Menu is useful for everything from changing outfits to replenishing your ammo, including the Quick GPS feature, changing Voice Chat preferences, and more. Access this Menu by pressing M on PC, holding down the Touchpad on PlayStation, and holding the View button on Xbox.

Be sure to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the Interaction Menu, and check out the below to learn more about some of its key features:

• Quick GPS: Use the Interaction Menu to access the Quick GPS function, which will help you find your way to useful locations more quickly.
• Inventory: Fill up on Ammo without having to visit Ammu-Nation in the Interaction Menu by selecting Inventory > Ammo, or protect yourself by equipping owned Body Armor and consuming Snacks. You can also keep track of any Collectibles (or Daily Collectibles) you’ve found within this menu.
• Style: Use the Style menu to equip Accessories such as owned Masks, change your Walk Style, open and close Jackets, and more.
• Passive Mode: If you need some time to explore without invasive interruptions, passive mode can be enabled to protect yourself from other players. While Passive Mode is active, players will be unable to attack you, and you will be unable to attack them or use Weaponized Vehicles.
• Vehicle Options: If you have a Personal Vehicle active, hit ‘Request Personal Vehicle’ to have the vehicle quickly delivered to your location. You can also request owned Aircraft and Special Vehicles, return your active Vehicle to Storage, and permissions for who can enter your personal vehicle, and more.
• Services: Manage your mobile properties - the Mobile Operations Center, Avenger, Terrorbyte, and Kosatka - including useful features such as calling an instant Sparrow Helicopter delivery from your Kosatka submarine.
• SecuroServ: A lot of missions and career paths in Los Santos will require you to be a VIP or CEO in various capacities to participate. Registering to become a VIP or CEO can open a lot of additional gameplay and opportunities.
• Motorcycle Club: Players who own a Clubhouse will have the option to register as an MC President under Motorcycle Club, which allows you to take on additional gameplay opportunities.
• Voice Chat: Choose who you would like to verbally interact with in game - talk with Friends/your Crew, the entire lobby, or turn off voice chat completely.
• Spawn Location: By default, when you launch GTA Online you will begin at your last location. If you own a property, you can pick which one to start from.
• Impromptu Race: Race anywhere in San Andreas by challenging nearby players to an Impromptu Race - just set a custom Waypoint or use a Quick GPS location and issue a challenge.

Many other helpful features and services can be accessed via your iFruit Phone.

iFruit Phone & Jobs

Your iFruit is more than just a cell phone - it allows you to quickly join available Jobs, reach crucial Contacts, summon assistance from Merryweather Security, purchase Vehicles and Properties, and so on.

Texts and Emails are straightforward enough - these are messages from local persons, businesses, criminals, sometimes a combination of all the above.

With the Snapmatic feature, you can take a quick picture or selfie, and either Save to Gallery and your Rockstar Games account, or Delete it and try again.

GTA Online Contacts

Your Contacts list contains all your known persons of interest, plus a couple of services that might be useful.

• Merryweather offers military and security services like Backup Helicopters, Ammo Drops, and Airstrikes - whatever you need to survive crossfire.
• If your Personal Vehicle is destroyed for any reason, you can call up Mors Mutual Insurance to order a replacement.
• Your Mechanic will bring you a vehicle from any of your Garages, so long as you’re roadside.
• Notorious criminal mastermind Lester Crest can remove your Wanted Level, take you Off the Radar, and more.
• You can request Contact Missions from various Contacts such as Martin Madrazo, Lamar Davis, or Gerald just by giving them a call.
• You can also make player-to-player phone calls using your phone – navigate to the Gamertag / PSN ID of one of your friends and select ‘Call.’

GTA Online Jobs

The Job List on your phone will be a constant source of Jobs and activities, where you'll find invites from other players, or Jobs from Contacts in need of your help. If you're stuck for something to do, this is the quickest way to find ‘gainful’ employment.

You can also jump straight into a selection of Game Modes, Heists, Contact Missions, Jobs, and miscellaneous Activities using the Quick Join function.

Completing Jobs rewards you with money (GTA$) and Reputation Points (RP), which increases your Online Rank.

Browsing The In-Game Websites

• Dynasty 8: Purchase apartments and garage spaces in Los Santos and Blaine County.
• Dynasty 8 Executive: Specialists in luxury office space across Los Santos, including Agency properties.
• Maze Bank Foreclosures: Purchase Clubhouses, Bunkers, Hangars, Facilities, Nightclubs, Arcades, and Auto Shops.
• The Diamond Casino & Resort: Learn more about this luxury casino and resort in the heart of Vinewood and purchase a Penthouse.
• Legendary Motorsport: Buy a range of high-performance vehicles (delivered to your garage).
• Southern San Andreas Super Autos: Buy an exclusive stock of cars and motorcycles (delivered to your garage).
• Warstock Cache and Carry: Buy military and combat-ready vehicles (Pegasus delivery).
• Elitás Travel: Buy luxury private jets and helicopters (Pegasus delivery).
• Docktease: Buy a variety of boats (Pegasus delivery) and even a luxury Galaxy Super Yacht.
• Pedal and Metal: The only bicycle store in San Andreas (delivered to your garage).
• Benny’s Original Motorworks: Buy select customizable vehicles that can be fitted with hydraulics, custom mods, and upgrades.
• Arena War: purchase and modify your own workshop and vehicles to ensure you smash the competition in Arena War.
• Maze Bank: Deposit cash in your Maze Bank account to keep it safe. Your bank is shared between your character slots, so they can deposit and withdraw from the same account.

Making Money & Reputation

Throughout your activities and gameplay in GTA Online you will always be earning Reputation (RP) and Cash (GTA$), both crucial for ranking up and unlocking new content.

Best Ways to Make Money in GTA Online

• Heists: The Cayo Perico Heist remains the fastest money-making method in GTA Online.
• Businesses: Invest in Nightclubs, Bunkers, CEO Warehouses, or Auto Shops for steady income.
• Contact Missions: Quick jobs from characters like Lamar or Gerald.
• Freemode Events: Compete in public events for bonuses and rewards.
• Selling Cars: Deliver vehicles to Los Santos Customs for fast cash.
• Shark Cards: Purchase GTA$ through official stores if you want an instant boost.

Earning Reputation (RP)

In GTA Online, you gain RP and rank up by completing any type of jobs, races, and challenges.

Higher ranks unlock new weapons, properties, and gameplay features - helping you rise through the criminal hierarchy.

Spending Money

You can then hop back in Freemode to spend the money and increase your status symbol across Los Santos & Blaine County:

• Vehicles: Collect and customize cars and motorcycles with custom paint jobs, wheels, and spoilers, along with performance upgrades to suspension, engine, brakes, and more.
• Weapons: Purchase and equip silencers, scopes, extended magazines, flashlights, and more by visiting your local Ammu-Nation store.
• Properties: Owned properties can unlock additional gameplay, allow you to operate businesses, or simply serve as a hangout spot for you and your Crew.
• Appearance: Buy new clothes, masks, or sunglasses. Get a new hairstyle or tattoos. Players can also change outfits in their apartment.
• Betting: If you’re feeling lucky or just particularly confident at the start of a Deathmatch or Race, or a game of Tennis or Golf, put your money where your mouth is and back up your boasts with a wager for some extra GTA$.

HUD, Player Blips & Mental State

The GTA Online Map and Radar will highlight nearby players and color-code them.

• White: Standard player
• Red tint: Aggressive player (high Mental State). The redder it is, the higher that player's mental state is.
• Diagonal line: Passive Mode
• X symbol: CEO or MC President
• Skull & Crossbones: Bounty target
• Blue outline: Friend player
• Crew-colored outline: Crew member
• Colored blip: matches the organization color of a currently active CEO Organization or Motorcycle.

Keep an eye on your Radar as much as possible so you can spot blips as they approach, don’t let anyone sneak up on you!

• In Deathmatches, blips are not shown by default. If a player makes noise (by running or firing a weapon) then their blip is revealed for a few seconds. However you can call Lester and for a small fee he can reveal all player blips on the map.
• In Last Team Standing, player’s blips are always shown, but it is possible to call Lester and have him hide your blip temporarily.

GTA Online Crews & Friends

If any of your online friends are playing GTA Online, you should be automatically placed into any sessions containing your Friends. If you find yourself in a game without them, then it may be because they are already on a Job. 

• If you want to join a specific Friend’s session, you can find them in the Pause Menu > Friends list, select them, and hit ‘Join Game’.
• You can also use Online > Join Friends to join a session containing Friends – if any sessions have space.
• You can create Friends-only sessions, which only your Friends can join.
• You can add new Friends by finding their player card in Online > Players – this will show active players in your current session. If you select someone from this list, you can send them a friend request directly.

If you want to create or join a Crew, you can find Active Crews with open membership at the Rockstar Social Club website. Make new Friends and allies, and then take to the streets to battle with other Crews.

• You can find the Crew options in the Online > Crews menu.
• In the Crews menu, you can view invitations and requests, and you’ll find other useful features such as the ability to browse your Friends’ Crews.
• You can invite a Friend to join your Crew by opening their player card in the Pause Menu > Friends list, selecting them, and then selecting ‘Invite to (your Crew).’
• Completing Jobs as part of a crew increases the RP and cash earned.

Freemode Events & Challenges

Freemode Events are dynamic competitions that will appear for all active players in a current session. There are all sorts of Freemode Events to choose from, including Business Battles, Air Checkpoints, Kill Lists, and more Freemode Challenges.

If you’d like to hide notifications for some or all Freemode Events, you can do so by using the ‘Map Blip Options / Hide Options’ feature in the Interaction Menu.

Other Freemode activities include:

• Hold-Ups: Players can rob convenience stores, gas stations and liquor stores.
• Armored Trucks: Players can ambush and rob them for cash.
• Import/Export: Simeon Yetarian of Premium Deluxe Motorsport is looking to employ individuals to ‘find’ and deliver select vehicles.
• Gang Attacks: Players roaming the open world may stumble upon an AI gang hideout - ripe to be trespassed and assaulted. Work with teammates to take them down and reap the spoils.
• Time Trials: Record the fastest time possible, with a new course to master every wee
• Bounties: Make an unwitting adversary the target of every hired gun on the map.
• One on One Deathmatch: Feel free to engage another player in an impromptu One-on-One Deathmatch.

Points of Interest in GTA Online Freemode

• Los Santos Customs: Customize and repair your Personal Vehicles with a wide selection of mods and upgrades.
• Ammu-Nation: a one-stop shop for arms and armaments. They also offer all manner of camouflage clothing, shoes, and body armor for those looking to complete the look.
• Stores: Purchase (or steal) Snacks from Convenience Stores or change up your looks at any of the local clothing, tattoo, and barber shops.
• Contacts: visit Contacts blipped on your map to launch Contact Missions or learn more about GTA Online updates and businesses.
• Series icons: head to any pink Series icon on your map to take part in a rotating playlist of competitive modes, races, and more.
• The Diamond Casino & Resort: Stop by to play a few table games, spin the Lucky Wheel to win prizes, including a chance to get the featured vehicle on the podium, or shop exclusive fashion and designer artwork at the Casino Store.
• LS Car Meet: a warehouse in East Los Santos that is home to car enthusiasts of all stripes. You can test, mod, and admire your wheels with like-minded gear heads and compete in Races and Challenges.

GTA Online Awards & Career Progress

Whatever your prevailing skill is, you’ll earn exclusive Awards for completing various milestones and objectives.

Of course, some of the most exclusive items in the shops and outlets of Los Santos can only be acquired if you’ve earned the right to buy them by achieving these goals. After all, life is always better for celebrities.

You can view your Awards progress in the Stats > Awards menu.

The PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the upgraded version of GTAV on PC also feature special Career Progress challenges and rewards.