10 Beginner Mistakes to Avoid in GTA 6

Grand Theft Auto 6 lands on November 19, 2026, and the biggest mistake most new players will make is treating Leonida like a bigger version of Los Santos. Vice City is denser, the map is roughly twice the size of GTA 5's, and Jason and Lucia bring their own habits you'll need to unlearn from past games. Here are the 10 beginner mistakes to avoid so you don't waste your first week in Leonida.

The essentials:

• Slow down during the opening hours instead of rushing the story.
• Save cash for property and businesses instead of spending it all on toys.
• Use the character switch to farm money and side content on both Jason and Lucia.
• Treat masks, disguises and stealth as real tools, not gimmicks.
• Don't assume you can out-star the police the GTA 5 way.
• Clear storage and check your internet connection before launch day.
• Do side content early instead of saving it for after the credits roll.
• Insure or store any vehicle you actually care about.
• Never download "cheat mods" or trainers from third-party sites.
• Fix your settings before your first mission, not after you die ten times.

1. Rushing through the opening hours

It's tempting to skip every conversation and cutscene to get to the open world faster, but the early missions in a Rockstar game double as a soft tutorial for movement, cover, weapon switching and vehicle handling. GTA 6 reportedly reworks aiming, cover and melee compared to GTA 5, so treat the first few hours as practice, not padding. Players who blew through GTA 5's opening chapters often had to relearn basics like sticky cover and target lock hours later, mid-mission, at the worst possible time. Read the prologue and early mission list before you start so you know what to expect.

2. Spending every dollar as soon as you get it

GTA Online taught an entire generation of players that early income should go toward assets, not cosmetics. If GTA 6 follows the same pattern as GTA 5 and GTA Online, the properties and businesses you can afford in the first few in-game days will matter far more later than a paint job you buy on day one. Bank the money, then check our guide on how to make money fast in GTA 6 before deciding what to buy first.

3. Ignoring the character switch between Jason and Lucia

GTA 6 is built around two playable leads, and their stories are meant to interlock rather than run in parallel like Michael, Franklin and Trevor did. New players often stick with whichever character they meet first and forget the other exists for hours. Switching regularly matters for pacing, for money-making opportunities tied to each character, and for seeing content you'd otherwise miss, since some scenes and side activities are written from one partner's point of view only. Learn more about who Jason and Lucia are so you understand why the switch matters from the start.

4. Going in guns blazing every time

Trailers have shown Jason and Lucia planning heists, wearing masks and moving carefully through interiors rather than just shooting their way in. Older GTA games rewarded a "spray and pray" approach because the AI was forgiving; GTA 6's NPCs and police look more reactive to noise, visibility and evidence left at a scene. Try the quiet route first, especially on missions that clearly involve planning. You'll usually get better rewards and fewer stars.

5. Assuming the wanted system works exactly like GTA 5

Every piece of GTA 6 footage released so far shows police coordinating between cars, boats and helicopters in a way GTA 5 never did, and Rockstar has repeatedly described a more grounded response to crime than the classic instant six-star chaos. Whatever the exact mechanics turn out to be at launch, don't assume you can out-run a wanted level the same way you did in GTA 5. Break line of sight, change vehicles, and don't linger near the scene of a crime.

6. Not preparing your console or PC before launch day

This is a massive open world built for current-generation hardware, and day-one patches for games this size regularly run past 50-100 GB. Free up storage on your PS5 or Xbox Series X/S well before November 19, and make sure your internet connection can handle a large download the night before. Don't wait until launch night to discover your console only has 12 GB free, or that your pre-order bonus needs an extra download you haven't queued up. We cover the full checklist in get your PS5 or Xbox ready for GTA 6.

7. Saving side content for after the story

Random encounters, side hustles and Leonida's version of collectibles are usually easiest to enjoy early, when you're still exploring and haven't already seen everything the map has to offer. Waiting until after the credits roll means doing it all as cleanup instead of discovery, and you'll miss context that only makes sense while the story is still unfolding around you.

8. Wrecking vehicles you actually need

GTA 5 players learned the hard way that flipping a rare or mission-critical car into a canal can mean losing it for good unless it's insured or stored. Leonida's flooded backroads, canals and Leonida Keys bridges look like prime spots to total a car you actually wanted to keep. If GTA 6 keeps anything like a garage and insurance system, get in the habit of storing vehicles you like rather than leaving them parked on the street, and drive carefully when you're behind the wheel of something you can't easily replace.

9. Trusting third-party "cheat mods" and trainers

Every launch brings a wave of fake mod sites and "unlock everything" tools that either do nothing, install malware, or get accounts flagged. Rockstar and Take-Two have consistently taken action against third-party cheat tools, especially anything touching GTA Online. If you're curious whether the game will even ship with legitimate cheat codes, read will GTA 6 have cheat codes and stick to official, in-game codes only once they're confirmed.

10. Not adjusting your settings before you start

Aim assist, subtitle size, camera shake, difficulty options and control layout all affect how the first few hours feel, and most players never touch them until after a frustrating death. Check your button mapping too, since driving and shooting inputs sometimes shift between Rockstar games. Spend five minutes in the settings menu before your first mission. It's a small step that saves a lot of controller-throwing later.

The bottom line

None of these mistakes are fatal, but they all cost time, money or immersion in a game you'll likely be playing for years. Slow down at the start, bank your cash, switch characters often, and treat the world as something to explore rather than rush through. For more on what to expect at launch, see our 15 things to do first in GTA 6 and our breakdown of GTA 6 editions if you haven't picked one yet.