While it might be easy to just get lost in the fun of Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V), it’s important to remember that the game is still, at its core, a multi-player online game (MPG). And just like any other online game, spending money and making money are two very different things (hence why we don’t usually talk about making a lot of money in MMOs – because generally you aren’t going to be making much money at all). In this article we’ll discuss how to make money in GTA V, what you’ll need to gain traction, and how to avoid getting scammed.
The Basics
GTA V is primarily a multiplayer game – that means there will always be people (other players) around you whenever you play. This being said, the single-player mode (which is what you primarily interact with in the game when you’re playing by yourself) doesn’t have any kind of pay-to-play mechanic (like most MMOs). Instead, the only way you can experience the game’s story and gameplay is by spending money on game upgrades or purchasing items with real-world money (like microtransactions). Some of these expenses are mandatory (like the game’s monthly fee), while others can be chosen by you depending on your personal preferences (like the car you drive). So while it might be convenient to just spend money whenever you want in the game (because the gameplay is so fun and easy to learn), don’t expect to make any real money off of it unless you decide to do so.
The Goods
The first and probably most important thing you’ll need to do in order to make money in GTA V is to buy ‘goods’ (aka property) – be it land, buildings, or any other type of luxury item you can think of. The more expensive the good, the more money you’re going to make.
Land is the primary source of income in GTA V – the game gives you a set amount of money at the beginning of each week, and you can decide how much of it you want to allocate to buying property. You’ll start off with a small amount of cash and will have to work your way up to a set limit (which varies depending on the game’s difficulty setting). Not only will buying land help you increase your income, but it also prevents you from receiving penalty fees whenever you commit a crime (which happens with some frequency depending on the game’s difficulty setting).
The Bad
Apart from paying for game time (which we’ll discuss below), there are a few other things you need to be wary of when investing in GTA V property. The first and probably most obvious one is that you’ll need to pay for the privilege of owning property in the first place – although this is usually covered by the game’s monthly fee, it’s still something you need to consider before buying up an entire city (or nation). Another issue you need to be careful of is over-investing – too many possessions (be it real estate or stocks or any other type of investment) can cause you to lose track of reality and eventually lead to financial ruin. So while it might be tempting to just purchase the expensive item right away, take some time to save up the money instead. Be smart about where you spend your money and don’t make expensive purchases without thinking first.
Online Gaming
As discussed above, GTA V is primarily a multiplayer game – which means there will always be other people around you whenever you play. This being said, the game is also available to be played online (either through Xbox Live or PlayStation Network), which provides a larger audience for players to connect with and play with. Even when playing by yourself, you’ll still be able to play against other people online.
Apart from the larger audience and increased chances of connecting with other players, online gaming in general provides some distinct benefits – like being able to play at any time and from anywhere you have an internet connection (which is hopefully already set up). Even better is the fact that you don’t have to set your main monitor to the appropriate resolution just to play – instead, you can play the game on your smaller secondary monitors which are connected to your device (like a laptop or a tablet). This not only makes a difference in terms of how the game looks, but how you interact with the game as well (especially when making a purchase – using a tablet or laptop to confirm the details of a transaction is so much more convenient than having to pull out your phone every time you want to make a small purchase).
In Conclusion
In summary, if you’re looking to make money in GTA V, it’s important to remember that you’re only going to be able to do so by purchasing property. The game itself doesn’t really have any sort of ‘pay-to-play’ mechanic, and while it might be convenient to just spend money whenever you want to in the game (because the gameplay is so easy to learn and fun to do), don’t expect to make any real money off of it unless you decide to do so.