What you should be doing

Building up your Rep

You can build up your reputation a variety of ways. If you’re a confident driver, you can annoy the cops and then evade them to slowly and steadily build up reputation. Just make sure you don’t hit more than three stars unless you’re really confident, as you’ll end up wasting a lot of time trying to beat the heat.

Doing jobs and generally helping fellow players makes you a “Good Sport” and will inevitably earn you Rep and bonus cash. So, ironic though it may sound considering you’re playing one of the most violent games around, resist the temptation to run around like an idiot, shooting everyone you see. And be pleasant to people, even if they’re not. Some players are quick to nerd rage, and if they do, just quit out of the group and avoid getting sucked into their nonsense.

Low risk money: Stealing cars

If you just want to do things solo, the safest initial way to make money is to steal cars. Cruise the streets looking for common everyday cars, which are worth good money. Once you’ve jacked your ride, head to the nearest Los Santos Customs shop. Don’t drive like an idiot: the more minty fresh the car is when you get there, the more it’s worth. Cars sell for between $3-$8k, which on a long-term average works out about $4.5k per delivery. A nice, steady income, particularly if you enjoy driving and don’t consider it a grind.

Big tip: don’t go stealing high-end sports cars, as those aren’t in demand. SUVs and Coupes are usually very good money. Sedans and econoboxes are generally worth less.

Also remember that you can only sell one car per in-game day, so that means one every 45 minutes or so. Keep an eye on the clock, and you can keep the green coming in, particularly if you combine it with another low-risk activity.

Another way of generating cash for cars is through Simeon. Check your phone regularly for his text messages in which he’ll ask for specific cars. Deliver that vehicle to him, and you’ll earn a nice chunk of change. And again, be careful when taking the car to the drop-off point. Speed of delivery is not as important as making sure your stolen ride arrives in pristine condition.

Key cars to watch for

Felon GT: $9,5k Gallivanteer Baller: $9k Lampadati Felon: $9k Ocelot F620: $8k Ubermacht Oracle: $8k

If you want to rob stores, get a face mask. This will help you avoid being recognized in the future.

Higher risk money: Robbing places

Knocking off stores is another good way to make cash, though obviously much riskier than a bit of grand theft auto. First of all, before you do any kind of hold-ups, buy a facemask from the store at Vespucci Beach (they have some fun ones). This is essential to ensure you don’t get recognized if you ever return.

Once you’re suitably equipped, start hitting stores and you’ll earn decent money. Note that the bigger stores outside of Los Santos generally yield more cash than smaller stores. Yell into your mic or shoot at the store fixings to make a shopkeeper hand over the money more quickly, always keep your gun trained on him or her, and always stay alert. Some shopkeepers will shoot back given half a chance, so don’t turn your back on them for more than a second or two. Once outside, jump into your car and floor it. The cops will be hot on your tail, but you can use your usual single-player avoidance tactics to shake them off. However, there’s an even easier way to do this… Helicopters are the best getaway vehicles. You can steal one from the airport fairly easily. There's also one on the hospital roof.

Get to da choppa!

One of the keys to easy money is to steal a helicopter and use it as a getaway vehicle. But exactly how do you get one?

Grab a car, drive to the airport and go around the perimeter until you get to the fence near the flight school. With a bit of finessing, you can either drive through the fence or jump over it by using the nearby steps. Once you’ve negotiated this barrier, run over to whichever helicopter takes your fancy, and steal it.

Now the fun can really begin. Fly to your robbery target location, and land safely nearby, well out of line of site of the entrance to the business you want to knock off, so the shopkeeper can’t get an easy shot at you while you’re climbing back inside your chopper with your ill-gotten gains. Pull off your heist, and fly off.

This is a nice way to earn steady money – between $1-$4k per robbery (more if you shoot the shopkeeper and pick up the additional cash). The helicopter enables easy getaways, so head for the hills, flying perpendicular to any main roads, and find a nice spot in a wilderness area where you can hover until you’re free and clear. Then simply turn back to Los Santos and head to the next business you’d like to relieve of their money.

As you do more and more heists, your wanted level will increase, and eventually you'll have to deal with Los Santos PD helicopters. Flying under bridges is a good way to slow them down, as is flying over water at zero feet (just be careful). Don't fly too fast, as they'll very likely respawn in front of you. What you want to do is kite them, staying ahead of them, but out of visual range. Eventually your stars will start flashing and they'll give up. Once you've mastered this tactic, you'll be nigh on uncatchable.

Don’t forget to deposit your cash!

It might feel great strutting the streets of Los Santos with a huge roll of notes in your pocket, but like everyone else in the game, if you get whacked, you drop a bunch of that cash, which can then be picked up and pocketed by the whackee.

How do you avoid this? Don’t carry tons of money: as soon as you earn it, whip out your phone, bring up a browser and use the bank’s online service to make an electronic deposit. You can still deposit your cash via an ATM if there’s one nearby, but the phone is by far your best bet.

Bounty hunting is one of the most dangerous and exciting activities in GTA Online. This is for the confident and skilled only: otherwise you might end up being the guy in the background.

Shoot the red dots

If you’re confident about your shooting and combat abilities, you can hunt wanted people. Simply cruise around and look for red dots on the map. They’re targets with a nice bounty on their heads. Watch them from a distance, and then approach them at speed. Getting the jump on someone is half the battle in GTA Online. If you can initiate combat and get a few good hits in, you’ll swing the odds of success in your favor.

Obviously, be careful. Red dots are likely heavy PvP-er’s who do a lot of killing, so they’re probably not going to be chumps. However, it's this risk and danger that makes this aspect of the game really good fun. If you really want to test your GTA Online mettle, this is probably the best way to do it. Few GTA experiences will get your heart pounding as fast as a really good PvP encounter. But also remember that it’s just a game, and don’t get sucked into trying to get revenge if someone clearly outplays you. Learn from your mistakes, regroup and practice some more, otherwise you might end up getting yourself farmed, which is never a pleasant experience.