Grand Theft Auto V: Complete Walkthrough & Boss Guide
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🗺️ Main Story Walkthrough
Tick off each step as you go — your progress saves locally, no account needed.
Grand Theft Auto V opens in 2004 in Ludendorff, North Yankton, during a violent bank robbery gone wrong. You control Michael Townley alongside Trevor Philips and Brad Snider. The prologue is a cinematic shootout that ends with a police ambush — Michael appears to be killed and buried in Ludendorff, though in reality he faked his death as part of a secret deal with FIB agent Dave Norton. This sequence establishes the game's core tone and introduces the morally compromised relationship between Michael and Trevor that drives the entire story. Pay attention to the environmental storytelling in North Yankton; the location returns during a pivotal late-game mission.
The story jumps to 2013 in Los Santos, where Franklin Clinton works repossession jobs for a shady Armenian car dealership. The early Franklin missions — including repossessing a Bagger motorcycle and wrangling a repo job gone wrong involving Michael De Santa's son Jimmy — are extended tutorials for driving, shooting, and the switch system between protagonists. Franklin's unique ability slows time during driving sequences, making the repo chases significantly easier. When Michael accompanies Franklin on the Simeon dealership job, use Franklin's ability during the police chase to buy time for cover-fire decisions. This arc ends with Franklin moving into a Vinewood Hills safehouse funded by Michael.
Lester Crest, Michael's former criminal associate, proposes robbing Vangelico's jewelry store on Rockford Hills. This heist has two approaches: Smart (use a pest-control van to pump knockout gas through the vents, grab jewels quietly, escape on bikes) or Loud (straight smash-and-grab with a shootout escape). For maximum take, choose the Smart approach and select Rickie Lukens as hacker (lowest cut, acceptable performance) and a cheap gunman — the quality of the jewel haul depends primarily on how many cases Franklin smashes during the timed grab phase. Each additional case grabbed is worth approximately $5,000 extra payout. The Smart approach nets roughly $4.9 million split among the crew.
Trevor Philips erupts back into the story after spotting a news report about the Vangelico job and recognizing Michael's MO. Trevor's introduction missions in Blaine County establish his chaotic personality and introduce Sandy Shores as a new operational hub. The three protagonists reunite for the Merryweather Heist, targeting a private security firm's experimental submersible weapon in the Pacific Ocean. Important: This heist pays nothing — by narrative necessity the weapon must be returned. Choose the Offshore approach for its cleaner mission structure; the Freighter approach is longer and more punishing. Treat this heist as a mechanical rehearsal for crew coordination before the paying scores begin.
Forced to fund an FIB operation, Michael and Trevor lead a heavily armed daylight robbery of Blaine County Savings Bank in Paleto Bay. The Paleto Score is the most combat-intensive heist in the game — the escape route is a running gun battle through the entire town against local police and then military intervention. Hire Packie McReary or Chef as gunman (both take 8% cut) for solid combat performance. The heist yields approximately $8 million total, but most is seized by the FIB immediately, leaving the crew a working fraction. Max your armor stock before the mission and equip the Special Carbine — you will fire it continuously for the 10-minute escape sequence.
The FIB tasks the crew with destroying evidence inside the IAA-FIB Bureau headquarters. Choose the Roof Entry approach over Firefighter: rappel down the building from a helicopter, plant charges on the server room, and extract by helicopter. Taliana Martinez (5% cut) is the best driver choice for this approach — she handles the getaway helicopter cleanly and her low cut maximizes your take. The Firefighter approach (entering via fire truck) is longer and requires more setup missions. Regardless of approach, the Bureau Raid is the mission that unlocks the game's climax. After completing it, Michael's relationship with former FIB handler Dave Norton deteriorates, setting up the three-ending choice.
The Union Depository heist is GTA V's largest and most complex job. Choose the Obvious Approach for the highest raw payout — a total pool of approximately $201.6 million. Crew selection is critical: hire Taliana Martinez (5%) and Karim Denz (8%) as drivers; Karim must drive the train in the Obvious approach, and his lower experience is acceptable for that role. Use Rickie Lukens as hacker (lowest percentage). For gunmen, hire Daryl Johns and Norm Richards or Chef — cheap gunmen keep more money in the split. Each protagonist walks away with approximately $41.6 million after the Obvious approach with the optimal low-cut crew, compared to roughly $34 million via the Subtle approach after its mandatory expenses.
After the Big Score, Devin Weston orders Franklin to kill Michael while FIB agent Steve Haines orders Franklin to kill Trevor. Choosing Option C (Deathwish) is the canonical ending and lets all three protagonists survive. Franklin calls Lester, who orchestrates a trap at a steel foundry, luring both the FIB and Merryweather into conflict using the gold from the Union Depository as bait. The crew then splits to eliminate all four antagonists simultaneously: Trevor kills Steve Haines, Michael kills Harold “Stretch” Joseph, Franklin kills Wei Cheng, and all three converge on Devin Weston's cliff-top mansion. Devin is pushed off the cliff in his car. This ending unlocks all three protagonists for free-roam and is the only ending that preserves the full story without losing a playable character.
⚔️ Boss Guides
The Jewel Store Job — LSPD Pursuit (Smart Approach)
Attack Patterns
After the Vangelico grab, LSPD units flood Rockford Hills immediately — two patrol cars plus helicopter support engage within 30 seconds of exiting the store. The helicopter is the most dangerous element: it tracks the bikes from altitude, radioing ground units to cut off escape routes on the major boulevard. Without a shooter in the crew capable of downing helicopters, the aerial surveillance significantly extends the pursuit. LSPD units attempt PIT maneuvers at 30 mph differentials.
Strategy
On the Smart approach, escape is on Sanchez dirt bikes. Use Franklin's time-slowdown ability during the initial boulevard sprint to weave between converging police vehicles without collision. At the first available dirt path, turn off-road immediately — LSPD cruisers cannot follow unpaved canyon routes and pursuit drops to one star within 60 seconds. The pre-planned route takes you through a flood channel; stay in the center of the drainage canal to avoid the cruisers waiting at the upper road exits. The wanted level expires automatically once you reach the LS River drainage exit marker.
Merryweather Mercenaries — Offshore Approach
Attack Patterns
During the Merryweather Heist Offshore approach, Trevor pilots a submersible to the ocean floor to retrieve the superweapon cargo, while Merryweather mercenaries scramble a counter-team of armed divers and surface gunboats. The divers close quickly once the weapon is moved — they fire speargun-style underwater weapons with moderate accuracy. The gunboats above depth create explosive concussion waves if the submersible surfaces prematurely. Merryweather helicopter gunships arrive during the surface extraction phase.
Strategy
Stay at maximum depth (the submersible's crush depth is not modeled as a hard limit) while approaching the cargo — divers cannot descend below 40 meters effectively. Retrieve the package and return to mid-depth before surfacing, giving Michael time to acquire sniper positions on the helicopter. During surface extraction, use Michael's ability to slow time and eliminate the helicopter pilot through the windscreen before it can fire rockets. Franklin covers the gunboat crews with the assault rifle from the support boat while Trevor completes the extraction sequence.
Paleto Bay Military Response — The Paleto Score Escape
Attack Patterns
The Paleto Score escape is a sustained running battle. After the bank alarm fires, Paleto Bay police deploy first, followed within four minutes by National Guard soldiers in military-spec vehicles including Crusader armored SUVs and eventually a tank. Soldiers use coordinated suppressing fire — one unit pins while another flanks — and the close terrain of Paleto Bay's main street offers minimal cover. The tank is the decisive threat: it destroys cover objects in one shot and cannot be damaged by conventional small arms.
Strategy
Hug building facades on the north side of Main Street — the military vehicles advance from the south and building walls block their line of fire during reload windows. When Trevor's Minigun pickup spawns at the second checkpoint marker, grab it immediately and use it to destroy the two Crusader SUVs that otherwise create a roadblock. Attach sticky bombs to the tank's rear during the brief window when its turret faces south; two sticky bombs destroy it cleanly. The escape ends at a pre-positioned getaway vehicle; sprint the final 200 meters ignoring the remaining infantry as the wanted level clears automatically at the extraction point.
FIB Helicopters — Bureau Raid Rooftop Escape
Attack Patterns
During the Bureau Raid Roof Entry approach, after the charges detonate in the server room, FIB counter-units rappel onto the Maze Bank Tower rooftop and pursue via helicopter as the crew descends. Two FIB helicopters orbit the building — one attempting to land agents on the roof and one providing aerial fire support with a door gunner. The door gunner has sustained suppression fire that pins the crew against the building face during rappel sequences. The pursuing helicopter also attempts to hover-block the crew's extraction helicopter landing zone.
Strategy
Before triggering the charges, position Michael at the rooftop edge facing east — this gives him the angle on both helicopters before rappelling begins. Use Michael's bullet-time ability and land one sniper round through the fire-support helicopter's windscreen to kill the pilot, dropping it before the door gunner can open fire. Rappel down the east face while Franklin covers the extraction zone below. Taliana's extraction helicopter is faster than the standard pilot option, reducing the window the second FIB helicopter has to intercept. Reach the extraction vehicle and accelerate to 60 mph immediately — the FIB pursuit helicopter de-spawns once you are two blocks from the landing zone.
The Third Way — Foundry Ambush and the Four Targets
Attack Patterns
The Deathwish ending's foundry phase pits all three protagonists against combined FIB and Merryweather forces lured into a trap. Wave one is eight Merryweather mercenaries, wave two adds six FIB agents in tactical gear, and wave three is a combined 12-soldier assault before Lester triggers the explosion that ends the foundry fight. Afterward, the crew splits for the four simultaneous target eliminations: Steve Haines at the Del Perro Pier, Stretch at a Chamberlain Hills basketball court, Wei Cheng at his yacht in the Alamo Sea, and Devin Weston at his Tongva Hills mansion.
Strategy
In the foundry, use the conveyor belt structures as elevated cover — both FIB and Merryweather forces advance from ground level and cannot easily flank elevated positions. After the explosion, the target assignments are fixed by character: Trevor handles Haines (sniper shot on the pier — wait for the crowds to clear), Michael handles Stretch (drive-by or on-foot approach at the basketball court; Stretch has only two bodyguards), and Franklin handles Cheng (board the yacht via jet ski and breach the main cabin). Devin Weston at his mansion has a ten-man private security team — approach via the rear hillside to bypass the gate guards, then clear the mansion terrace before confronting Weston in the garage. All four kills trigger the closing cutscene.