Once players are done with the high-octane car stealing and waging war against Los Santos inGrand Theft Auto V, it’s time to bring that mayhem to the online scene.GTA Online,GTA V’s online component, marks the first time developer Rockstar Games went all out with a multiplayer component for their title. Needless to say, it was a resounding success.

RELATED:GTA: 10 Hilarious NPC Memes Only True Fans Will Understand

To this day,GTA Online, remains as popular as ever. If you still haven’t joined in on the fun, then there’s no better time than now. Of course, don’t just rush into the traffic with eyes closed. That would be a fitting analogy when joiningGTA Onlineblind. Newcomers ought to level their expectations by knowing these things aboutGTA Onlinebeforehand.

10Expect Some Griefers

In an online environment where players can murder one another without consequences, griefing is already a given. It can’t be helped, there are many high-level players who will jump at the opportunity to prey on low-level ones, such is the cycle of life inGTA Online.

That’s why anticipating this kind of welcoming human behavior is part of the experience. Intentional trolling or straight-up ruining the fun for others is not uncommon inGTA Onlinejust as in other online games that are competitive.

gta online deluxo

9Expect Cheaters As Well

Speaking of ruining others' experience, if you playGTA Onlineon the PC, do expectsome “modders"who install cheats to the game. As it is, there are still many of them left in the game and some might have even gotten more creative. Most of the cheaters aim to illegally increase their in-game money.

RELATED:GTA 6: 10 Characters We Want To See Return (Who Could Actually Show up)

Gta online private jet

Rockstar Games deals with them regularly with incrementally stricter punishments so at least their crimes don’t go unseen. For those who want a cleanerGTA Onlineexperience, then consoles might provide that.

8Careful With Your Trust

GTA Onlinesurprisingly shares a certain quirk with some of the most treacherous and prominent survival games these days: betrayal. Newbies shooting their mentor friends in the back after a heist or friends robbing each other make for some interesting stories but are nonetheless scummy.

That’s why players should be apprehensive about the friends they make inGTA Online. One moment, they can have a meaningful and even exciting mission on hard mode, and the next, they could be shooting each other.

cayo perico nightclub member

7Stay Away From Public Lobbies As Much As Possible

With that said, some of the most lawless and wildest places inGTA Onlinetend to be limited to the public servers. These are where the most chaos ensues and the whole city is pretty muchThe Purgeas soon as players enter with killing and griefing all around.

RELATED:10 Near-Impossible Things You Never Thought You Could Do in GTA V

GTA Online Arcade

When entering and risking play in a public lobby, do expect to get run over by a DeLorean or get chased by a fighter jet. It’s part of the fun if that’s what you want but not very conducive for making progress. Thankfully, there are private or invite-only lobbies with better rules that cater to the enjoyment of all players.

6It’s More Fun With Friends

Apart from avoiding public lobbies if you’re new to the game, the best bet in order to learn and enjoyGTA Onlineis to play it with friends. That would be real-life friends who alsoplayGTA Online.

That lowers a player’s chances of getting betrayed or griefed. Moreover, they can help the players grinding for cash or doing some hard mode missionsor heists. The most obvious benefit is having someone to watch your back in case another player decides to lose their marbles.

gta angry trevor

5Wait For Sales

Once players have accumulated enough money to seem like they can purchase the stuff they want, the best thing they can do is to wait. That helicopter or American muscle they’ve been eyeing might actually go on sale.

RELATED:5 Reasons Why GTA V Is The Best Game Of The Last Decade (& 5 Games That Deserve The Title More)

player flying helicopter

As it is, Rockstar Games churns out regular discounts for many of the in-game items inGTA Online. This is applicable mostly to vehicles and it does pay to wait for them since they’re not exactly the most necessary items and are more like resource hogs…

4Don’t Splurge Your In-Game Money

Speaking of resource hogs, knowing where the spend money inGTA Onlinemight as well be a simulation for real-life thriftiness. Buying the most luxurious stuff in the game to show off howGucciyou are can lead nowhere, particularly if the said stuff is vehicles,

The same goes for purchasing a full arsenal of guns. At most, players only need one or two weapons. The rest should either be saved or invested into something else that will actually yield returns instead of just becoming liabilities. It sounds an awful lot like what your parents will teach you but at least this lesson is coming from a video game.

rockstar games update radio stations december 2020

3It’s More Of An Investment Game

As for where to actually spend your money bestinGTA Online, that would be property. It’s just like in the real world. Property inGTA Onlinealso has an appreciating value. Allowing your money on warehouses and businesses is a sure way to ease the grinding.

RELATED:GTA Online: 10 Additions To The Cayo Perico Heist Update

Moreover, properties and businesses inGTA Onlineoffer surefire ways to gain passive income. Of course, not just any property or business will do. Make sure their location is optimal. Moreexpensive propertiestend to be in better locations.

2There Are Many Ways To Avoid Shark Cards

Shark Cards areGTA Online’s way of further monetization. Players can buy them with real-life money and essentially get a boost so they can lessen the grinding or the need to participate in missions or heists.

However, if players are patient, they can avoid the need for Shark Cards completely. One of the ways to do this is by waiting for 2x activities where the player rewards get doubled for participation. All it costs is time and patience.

gta online screenshot from cayo perico trailer

1It’s Full Of Grinding

While on the topic of time and patience, instant gratification is simply not a thing inGTA Online. Don’t go in expecting huge mission payouts like in the Story ModeofGTAV.GTA Onlinehas its own gameplay philosophy and structure.

As such, the best way to succeed in this game and be swimming in cash is to grind for the content or to buy your way into elite status with Shark Cards. to feel the burden of grinding less, doing missions with your friends or groups is advised.

gta online player

NEXT:GTA: Vice City - 10 Tiny Things You Didn’t Know You Can Do

gta online trio