Starting Grand Theft Auto V for the first time can be surprisingly confusing.

Los Santos is enormous, the game gives you access to multiple characters, missions, activities, vehicles, businesses, weapons, properties, and secrets, and it is not always obvious what you should actually do next.

If you are playing GTA 5 for the first time, you do not need to rush through the story or spend your money immediately.

There is a much better way to approach the beginning of the game.

This GTA 5 beginner’s guide explains what you should do after starting the game, how the story progression works, how to make and save money, when to explore Los Santos, what activities are worth your time, and which common mistakes you should avoid.

Should You Explore Los Santos Immediately?

You can.

But you do not need to.

One of the biggest attractions of GTA 5 is its open world, and it is tempting to immediately steal a fast car, drive across the map, visit every location, and start causing chaos.

There is nothing wrong with doing that.

However, if you are playing GTA 5 for the first time, completing the early story missions is usually the best way to learn the game’s systems.

The story gradually introduces:

• Driving
• Shooting
• Character switching
• Missions
• Shops
• Weapons
• Special abilities
• Activities
• Heists
• Different areas of Los Santos

Instead of trying to understand everything immediately, let the game introduce these mechanics naturally.

Complete the Early Story Missions

Your first major objective should be simple:

Follow the story.

GTA 5’s opening missions act as a tutorial for the game’s main mechanics.

You will learn how to control the characters, drive vehicles, use weapons, escape the police, and interact with the world.

As you progress, the game will gradually give you access to more activities and characters.

Do not worry if the map looks relatively empty at the beginning.

A large portion of GTA 5’s content becomes available naturally as you progress through the story.

Understand the Three Main Characters

One of GTA 5’s biggest differences from previous games is its three protagonists.

You play as:

• Michael De Santa
• Franklin Clinton
• Trevor Philips

Each character has a different personality, background, and special ability.

Michael

Michael is an experienced criminal who has retired from his old life.

His special ability slows down time during gunfights, making him particularly useful when dealing with multiple enemies.

Franklin

Franklin is particularly skilled behind the wheel.

His special ability allows him to slow down time while driving, making difficult driving situations much easier.

Because of this, Franklin is extremely useful during missions involving high-speed chases.

Trevor

Trevor is unpredictable, aggressive, and extremely dangerous.

His special ability increases the damage he deals while reducing the damage he receives.

Learning when to switch between the characters becomes an important part of GTA 5’s gameplay.

Learn How Character Switching Works

At certain points in the story, GTA 5 allows you to switch between protagonists.

This is more than a simple cosmetic feature.

Some missions require you to control different characters at different moments.

You can also switch between them while exploring the open world when the game allows it.

Each character has a separate lifestyle, home, vehicle collection, and activities.

This means that GTA 5 is effectively giving you three different perspectives on Los Santos.

Do Not Spend All Your Money Immediately

Money becomes increasingly important as you progress.

It is tempting to immediately spend everything on:

• Cars
• Weapons
• Clothing
• Ammunition
• Customization
• Properties

But you should keep some money available.

Later in the game, you will encounter much more expensive opportunities and purchases.

Having money available gives you more freedom.

What Should You Buy First?

During the early game, prioritize practical purchases.

Weapons and ammunition can be useful because they directly affect your ability to complete missions.

Vehicle customization can also be fun, but it is not necessary for progression.

Do not feel pressured to own the most expensive car as soon as possible.

Learn How Missions Affect Your Progress

GTA 5 uses several different mission types.

You will encounter:

• Main story missions
• Character-specific missions
• Heists
• Side missions
• Strangers and Freaks
• Random events
• Activities
• Optional challenges

Main story missions should generally be your priority if your goal is to unlock more of the game.

However, side content can provide a welcome break and introduce you to parts of Los Santos that you might otherwise ignore.

Pay Attention to Mission Preparation

Some major missions require preparation before the main objective.

This becomes especially important with heists.

You may need to:

• Choose an approach
• Select crew members
• Acquire equipment
• Complete preparation missions
• Make strategic decisions

These choices can affect how the mission plays out and how much money you receive.

Do not rush through preparation.

Understanding the available options can help you make better decisions.

Save Your Money for Later

One of the biggest beginner mistakes is spending large amounts of money on things that are not particularly useful.

You do not need every vehicle.

You do not need every outfit.

You do not need to fully customize every car you find.

And you definitely do not need to spend everything just because you have money available.

Keep some savings.

This becomes particularly important when the game starts introducing more expensive opportunities.

Learn How the Police System Works

The wanted system is one of the defining mechanics of GTA 5.

Your wanted level indicates how aggressively the police are searching for you.

The more stars you have, the more difficult it becomes to escape.

One or Two Stars

At lower wanted levels, escaping is usually relatively straightforward.

Get away from the immediate area and avoid being spotted.

Higher Wanted Levels

At higher wanted levels, police response becomes significantly more aggressive.

You may encounter more police vehicles and helicopters depending on the situation.

The most important rule is simple:

Breaking line of sight matters.

If police can continuously see you, escaping becomes much harder.

Use:

• Alleys
• Tunnels
• Parking structures
• Side streets
• Buildings
• Terrain

to break their visual contact.

Take Care of Your Vehicles

GTA 5 gives you access to an enormous number of vehicles.

You can steal cars almost everywhere, but not every vehicle is equally useful.

Early in the game, focus on having at least one reliable vehicle.

Learn where your character’s main vehicle is stored and how the game’s vehicle storage systems work.

A good car can make traveling around Los Santos significantly easier.

Do Not Ignore Franklin’s Driving Ability

Franklin’s special ability is one of the most useful tools available early in the game.

When activated while driving, time slows down, giving you greater control over the vehicle.

This is particularly useful for:

• Sharp turns
• High-speed chases
• Avoiding traffic
• Escaping enemies
• Difficult mission sections

Learn to use it before you actually need it.

Explore, But Do It Gradually

Once you have completed some of the early missions, start exploring Los Santos.

You will discover:

• Beaches
• Mountains
• Highways
• Rural areas
• Businesses
• Shops
• Hidden locations
• Scenic areas
• Side activities

The map is designed to reward exploration.

But you do not need to explore every corner immediately.

The story itself will naturally take you across different parts of the map.

Try the Side Activities

GTA 5 contains much more than missions.

Depending on your progress, you can participate in activities such as:

• Tennis
• Golf
• Shooting
• Yoga
• Racing
• Hunting
• Diving
• Flying
• Cycling
• Swimming

These activities are not all necessary for completing the story.

They are there to make Los Santos feel like a living world.

If you get tired of missions, try something completely different.

Look for Strangers and Freaks Missions

Strangers and Freaks missions are some of the most entertaining optional activities in GTA 5.

They introduce unusual characters and scenarios that are separate from the main storyline.

Some are funny.

Some are strange.

Some are surprisingly memorable.

They also give you another reason to explore the world beyond the main missions.

Improve Your Characters

GTA 5 has several character statistics that can improve as you play.

These include abilities related to:

• Stamina
• Shooting
• Strength
• Stealth
• Flying
• Driving
• Lung capacity

You do not need to grind these statistics deliberately at the beginning.

Simply playing the game will naturally improve several of them.

However, activities can help develop specific skills.

For example, spending time driving can improve Franklin’s driving-related abilities.

Use Ammunition Carefully

Ammunition costs money.

During the early game, you do not need to constantly buy enormous amounts of ammunition.

Use weapons appropriately.

For weaker enemies, you may not need your most powerful weapon.

Also remember that you can often collect weapons and ammunition from enemies during missions.

Learn to Use Cover

If you are new to GTA 5’s shooting mechanics, cover is extremely important.

Standing in the middle of a firefight is usually a bad idea.

Use:

• Cars
• Walls
• Buildings
• Objects
• Barriers

to protect yourself.

From cover, you can peek out, shoot, and return to safety.

This becomes increasingly important during later missions.

Don’t Steal Every Car You See

Yes, GTA is about stealing cars.

But you don’t have to steal every interesting vehicle you encounter.

Sometimes it is better to simply continue your mission.

If you constantly stop to steal vehicles, explore random locations, or cause chaos, you can easily lose track of what you were supposed to be doing.

There is a time for missions and a time for messing around.

GTA 5 is great because you can do both.

Learn to Use the Map

The map is one of your most useful tools.

Pay attention to:

• Mission markers
• Character icons
• Shops
• Activities
• Safehouses
• Important locations
• Roads
• Highways

The map becomes even more useful as more activities become available.

If you are unsure what to do next, check the map before randomly driving around.

Save Your Game Regularly

GTA 5 has automatic saving, but it is still a good habit to understand how saving works.

Manual saves can be particularly useful when you want to preserve a specific point in your progression.

This is especially important before making decisions that you want to experiment with.

If something goes wrong, you have the option of returning to an earlier save.

Should You Worry About 100% Completion?

Absolutely not.

At least not at the beginning.

GTA 5 has an enormous amount of optional content.

Trying to complete everything immediately can turn a fun open-world game into a checklist.

Play naturally first.

Finish the story.

Explore.

Try activities.

Then, if you want to achieve 100% completion, start working through the remaining requirements.

Important Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some mistakes that can make the early game unnecessarily difficult.

Spending Everything

Keep some money available.

Ignoring the Story

The story unlocks a large amount of content.

Never Exploring

Los Santos has much more to offer than the main missions.

Constantly Getting Wanted

Causing chaos can be fun, but repeatedly attracting police attention can become frustrating when you are trying to progress.

Ignoring Cover

Use cover during firefights.

Forgetting to Restock

Check your ammunition before important missions.

Rushing Through Everything

GTA 5 is designed to be explored.

There is no reason to complete every objective as quickly as possible.

What Should You Do After the Early Game?

Once you have completed the initial missions and understand the basic mechanics, start developing your own routine.

A good progression can look like this:

Complete story missions → earn money → unlock characters and activities → explore Los Santos → improve equipment → complete side content → prepare for major missions.

Eventually, you will have access to far more of the game’s world.

At that point, you can decide what kind of GTA 5 experience you want.

You can focus on the story.

You can explore.

You can chase completion.

You can collect vehicles.

You can experiment with activities.

Or you can simply cause absolute chaos in Los Santos.

That’s the beauty of GTA 5.

Final Thoughts

The best way to start GTA 5 is not to try to do everything at once.

Follow the early story missions, learn the three protagonists, understand their abilities, save some money, improve your equipment, and gradually explore Los Santos.

Once the game opens up, start experimenting with side activities and optional content.

Most importantly, don’t treat GTA 5 like a checklist.

The game is at its best when you allow yourself to explore and discover things naturally.

Whether you want to complete the story, explore every corner of Los Santos, build your collection of vehicles, or simply create ridiculous situations, the game gives you plenty of freedom.

Your first objective is simple:

Learn the world, survive the early game, and enjoy Los Santos.