GTA Online New Player Starter Guide
Everything you need to know to get started
Los Santos Guide • Updated 2026
So you've just created your GTA Online character and spawned into Los Santos for the first time. You're standing on the street with $1,000 in your pocket, no weapons, and no idea where to go. Don't worry — every billionaire player started exactly where you are right now. This guide will walk you through your first hours in Los Santos and set you on the path to building your criminal empire.
When you first load into GTA Online, you'll be greeted by Lamar Davis who takes you on a short tutorial mission. This introduction sequence is simple — just follow the on-screen prompts. You'll steal a car, drive to a clothing store, and get into your first scuffle with the locals. This tutorial earns you your first $20,000 and unlocks the basics of movement, driving, and combat.
After the tutorial, you'll be dropped into freemode with a few thousand dollars and a pistol. The next steps are critical — don't waste that money on clothes or car modifications yet.
Your very first major purchase should be a high-end apartment. These apartments cost around $200,000 to $400,000 and come with a 10-car garage and, more importantly, a heist planning room. The cheapest high-end apartment is at Del Perro Heights ($205,000) or the one at Eclipse Towers for $315,000. The heist room is essential because it unlocks the original heists, which are some of the best moneymakers for new players.
To reach your first $200,000, complete the tutorial, then play some of the quick jobs from the phone menu. Contact missions from Simeon, Gerald, and Martin Madrazo pay $15,000-$25,000 each and can be played solo or with others. Focus on these until you have enough for that apartment.
Once you own a high-end apartment, head to the heist room in your property and launch The Fleeca Job. This is the simplest heist in the game and requires only two players. You can matchmake with a random through the heist planning screen or bring a friend. The Fleeca Job pays $142,500 on hard mode with first-time bonuses pushing it even higher.
The Fleeca Job serves as a tutorial for the heist system. One player drives the Kuruma while the other drills the vault. Communication is minimal, making it ideal for first-timers.
After completing The Fleeca Job, you unlock the ability to buy the Armored Kuruma ($525,000) after completing The Prison Break — specifically after the Plane Prison setup mission. The Armored Kuruma is arguably the best investment for new players. Its bulletproof windows make contact missions, heist setups, and freemode combat significantly easier.
Save up and buy the Kuruma as soon as it becomes available. It will carry you through the rest of the heists and make grinding missions a breeze.
Once you have a decent weapon loadout and the Kuruma, start joining other players' heists through the Quick Job app on your phone. Select 'Heists' and you'll be put into lobbies with other players. As a crew member, you earn 15-25% of the final take — $100,000 to $400,000 per heist depending on the difficulty.
Focus on completing the original heists (Fleeca, Prison Break, Humane Labs, Series A, Pacific Standard) to earn the 'All In Order' and 'Loyalty' bonuses, which pay an extra $1,000,000 each.
Your ultimate goal as a new player should be saving up $2,200,000 for the Kosatka submarine. This purchase unlocks the Cayo Perico Heist, which can be completed entirely solo and pays $1,000,000-$1,500,000 per run. The Kosatka is the single best investment in GTA Online — it turns your grinding time into millions per hour.
To get to $2.2 million, run the original heists, join other players' Cayo Perico heists as a crew member, and take advantage of weekly double money events.
Once you have the Kosatka generating steady income, start buying businesses in this order:
GTA Online's first few hours can be overwhelming. There is so much content now that it's easy to get lost. The key is to follow a structured path: tutorial → apartment → Fleeca heist → Armored Kuruma → grind missions → Kosatka → Cayo Perico heist → expand businesses. Follow this progression and you'll go from street-level criminal to Los Santos millionaire faster than you think.
Remember that GTA Online is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time, learn the mechanics, and don't burn out trying to get rich overnight. The content is designed to keep you engaged for hundreds of hours, so pace yourself and enjoy the ride.