Above: You’re going to rank up quicker if you’re part of a crew
21. Use the phone to bug your single player friends
While the phone system was in place for Grand Theft Auto IV, GTA Online takes it up a notch. Now you call up your buddies playing the single player story and brag about the fun you’re having online. Just select them from your contacts and choose “Call’.
Doing this for the first time felt very strange, blurring the line between the single and multiplayer experiences and making Los Santos feel very real. It was pretty cool.
22. Wear a mask to hold up convenience stores
Head to Vespucci beach and you can buy some interesting masks from the vendor there. If you wear a mask while holding up a convenience store, the store worker won’t recognize you when you next go back. This essentially allows you to rob the same stores over and over without being recognized.
Try robbing the same store a couple of times as yourself and you’ll find that convenience store workers hold a grudge.
Removing your mask while hiding from the cops should also theoretically cut your wanted level by one star, but this hasn’t actually worked for me in testing.
Above: Get your masks from the vendor on Vespucci Beach
23. Helicopter crime sprees
Forget getaway cars; GTA Online is all about getaway choppers. You can rob convenience stores quicker and more easily from the sky, and you’ll get much less trouble from the cops.
As long as you don’t actually shoot the store workers, you shouldn’t ever get more than a two star wanted level, meaning no police air support. So, move quickly to a store, shout a lot, grab the money, and take to the skies. You can easily evade the police cars and move quickly onto the next store.
Just remember not to turn your back on the store workers as some of them carry weapons. And watch out for vigilante citizens.
24. Commit suicide
If you’re stuck in an impossible situation, pinned down by the cops, with a four star wanted level, then taking the easy way out is sometimes the best option.
Medical expenses and bail money can really add up (they scale with the amount of money you have, to a point), so taking a $500 hit for topping yourself will probably save you some cash. Just remember, it’s only a game.
25. Split the bounty money
Rockstar has spiced up GTA Online with a neat bounty hunting system. When you hit level 10 you meet Lester and unlock the ability to place bounties on other players heads. This also allows players to place a bounty on your head.
If you get hit with a sizeable bounty (say, over $5,000), then it’s worth letting an online friend kill you, claim the bounty money, and split it with you. Even after medical expenses, you should turn a profit.
Non-player characters can also place bounties on your head if you cross them. The best way to avoid these bounties is to shoot (or knock out) the NPC concerned. Just don’t let the cops see you.
Above: John Marston is selectable as a father for Social Club members
26. John Marston was my father
Red Dead Redemption protagonist John Marston is available as a parent option in character creation for anyone signed up to the Rockstar Social Club. Scroll down to “Dad’s Mother/Dad’s Father”, press “Y” or “Triangle,” and Marston will pop up as your character’s father.
Collector’s Edition owners can also select some old faces from previous Grand Theft Auto as parents. Those lucky few can choose between Nico Bellic (the protagonist from Grand Theft Auto IV), Claude, or Misty (both from GTA III).
Hopefully these tips have been of use for your ongoing life in Los Santos. If you have any of your own that you want to share, feel free to drop them in the comments below.
And be careful out there.