Rockstar shipped GTA V Enhanced on PC on 4 March 2025 as a free upgrade for anyone who already owned the game, which is now called GTA V Legacy. Enhanced adds ray traced shadows, reflections, global illumination and ambient occlusion, DLSS 3 upscaling, AMD FSR 1 and 3, DirectStorage loading and Dolby Atmos audio. It also brings PC to parity with the console version, including Hao's Special Works vehicle upgrades, ambient animals and Career Progress tracking in GTA Online.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best characters, weapons worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Three protagonist switching
Michael, Franklin and Trevor can be swapped at almost any time outside missions, and each has a unique special ability. Franklin slows time while driving, Michael slows time in gunfights, and Trevor takes less damage while dealing more.
Heist prep and approach choice
Each of the five story heists offers competing approaches, usually a loud option and a quiet one, and you hire crew members whose skill level sets their cut. Cheap gunmen fumble and lose part of the take, so paying more can end up netting more.
Ray tracing and upscaling settings
Enhanced adds ray traced shadows, reflections, global illumination and ambient occlusion, each toggled separately. DLSS 3 shipped at launch and DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation arrived in August 2025, which matters because ray traced global illumination is the heaviest setting in the menu.
One time character migration
You can move Story Mode and GTA Online progress from Legacy to Enhanced once. After the transfer the two versions stop syncing, so money and unlocks earned in one no longer appear in the other, and Legacy and Enhanced players cannot share Online sessions.
GTA Online business ownership
Nightclubs, bunkers, hangars and vehicle warehouses generate passive income while you play other content. Enhanced also carries Hao's Special Works vehicle upgrades, HSW Time Trials and the Wildlife Photography Challenge from the console release.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced combat guide.
Characters Overview
| Role | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael De Santa | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Franklin Clinton | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Trevor Philips | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| GTA Online CEO | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Motorcycle Club President | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Weapons Guide
| Weapon | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy Sniper Mk II | A bolt action sniper that accepts explosive, armour piercing and incendiary rounds through the Mk II workbench. | Removing helicopters, armoured vehicles and distant NPC gunners in Online missions. |
| Combat MG Mk II | A light machine gun with a 200 round drum option and steady enough recoil to hold a target through a full burst. | Sustained firefights and any mission where waves of enemies arrive without pause. |
| Special Carbine | An assault rifle with low recoil and better accuracy than the standard Carbine Rifle, making it the general purpose choice for story missions. | Story mode shootouts and any player who wants a single rifle that never feels wrong. |
| AP Pistol | A fully automatic machine pistol that can be fired from inside a vehicle, unlike most rifles. | Drive by shooting, motorcycle work and escaping wanted levels without leaving the car. |
| Sticky Bombs | Remote detonated explosives that attach to vehicles, walls and players. | Heist getaways, destroying pursuing vehicles, and Online sale mission defence. |
Heavy Sniper Mk II: A bolt action sniper that accepts explosive, armour piercing and incendiary rounds through the Mk II workbench. Explosive rounds destroy most vehicles in one or two hits.
Combat MG Mk II: A light machine gun with a 200 round drum option and steady enough recoil to hold a target through a full burst. Mk II upgrades add scopes and specialised ammunition.
Special Carbine: An assault rifle with low recoil and better accuracy than the standard Carbine Rifle, making it the general purpose choice for story missions. It fits every engagement range that matters on foot.
AP Pistol: A fully automatic machine pistol that can be fired from inside a vehicle, unlike most rifles. Extended magazines make it viable well past pistol range.
Sticky Bombs: Remote detonated explosives that attach to vehicles, walls and players. They are the cheapest way to delete a group of pursuing police cars or a target vehicle.
Full breakdowns in our Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Los Santos | Story start onward | Property, vehicle shops, most story missions |
| Blaine County | Available after Trevor's introduction | Paleto Score heist, airfield, off road vehicles |
| Mount Chiliad | Any | Mystery mural, parachute jumps, panoramic viewpoint |
| Fort Zancudo | Any, though expect a five star response | Military aircraft, armoured vehicles |
| Cayo Perico | GTA Online, requires the Kosatka | Solo heist payouts, primary target loot |
Los Santos: The main city, covering Vinewood, downtown, the docks and the beaches. Most story missions, all three protagonists' homes and the majority of Online businesses sit inside its limits.
Blaine County: The rural north taking in Sandy Shores, Grapeseed and Paleto Bay, and Trevor's home territory. It hosts the Paleto Score heist and much of the game's off road and aircraft content.
Mount Chiliad: The tallest peak on the map, reachable by cable car or a long dirt climb. It is the centre of the game's UFO and Chiliad Mystery hunt and a launch point for parachuting.
Fort Zancudo: A military airbase in the west that triggers a wanted level the moment you cross the perimeter. The hangars hold jets including the P-996 LAZER, which is why players keep breaking in.
Cayo Perico: An island off the coast added for the Cayo Perico Heist, playable solo from the Kosatka submarine. Its scoping stage lets you plan an approach before committing, which makes it the most repeatable heist in Online.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Buy stock in the rival companies before Lester's assassination missions in story mode, and hold off doing them until after the final heist. Doing them in that order turns the missions into the largest legitimate money source in single player by a wide margin.
- Ray traced global illumination is the most expensive setting in the Enhanced menu. If your frame rate is short, turn that one down first and keep ray traced shadows and reflections, which cost far less for a similar visual gain.
- Character migration from Legacy to Enhanced happens once and cannot be reversed. After it, the two versions no longer sync money, rank or unlocks, and you cannot play Online with friends who stayed on Legacy.
- DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation arrived for Enhanced in August 2025 and gives the largest frame rate uplift available on NVIDIA hardware. Pair it with DLSS quality mode rather than dropping the internal resolution.
- For the final heist, choose the Subtle approach and hire the cheapest crew you can that still succeeds. The payout difference between approaches is smaller than the difference an experienced gunman makes to how much of the take survives.
- In GTA Online, buy a Nightclub before any other business. It passively accrues goods from your other properties while you do anything else, which turns the MC and CEO businesses into background income rather than a second job.
- Franklin's slow motion driving is worth spending time levelling because his Driving stat extends how long the effect lasts. Most players finish the story without ever maxing it and make chases harder than they need to be.
- Ambient animals were added to Southern San Andreas with the Enhanced release, and photographing them feeds the daily Wildlife Photography Challenge for rewards. It is one of the few low effort daily activities that does not require a lobby.
- Hao's Special Works upgrades are only available in Enhanced and only apply to a specific list of vehicles. Check the list before buying a car for a HSW build, since the upgrade is what makes those cars competitive in HSW Time Trials.
- Save Sticky Bombs for wanted level escapes rather than combat. Dropping two on a road behind you and detonating as police cars pass removes an entire pursuit faster than any driving manoeuvre.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Doing Lester's assassination missions before the final heist and losing most of the stock market gains.
- Migrating a character to Enhanced without realising Legacy friends can no longer join your sessions.
- Running every ray tracing option at maximum and blaming the game for low frame rates.
- Starting an MC business before owning a Nightclub to accrue the goods passively.
- Hiring the cheapest gunmen for the Big Score and losing more to fumbles than the cheaper cut saved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay for GTA V Enhanced?
No, if you already owned GTA V on PC. Enhanced is a free upgrade released on 4 March 2025, and the old version remains installed separately as GTA V Legacy.
Can Enhanced and Legacy players play Online together?
No. The two versions run separate GTA Online populations, so friends need to be on the same version. Character migration moves your progress across once but does not link the two.
What ray tracing does Enhanced actually add?
Ray traced shadows, reflections, global illumination and ambient occlusion, each with its own toggle. Global illumination is the heaviest of the four on frame rate.
Is the story mode different in Enhanced?
The story is unchanged and still follows Michael, Franklin and Trevor through the same five heists. What changed is presentation, loading speed via DirectStorage, and audio via Dolby Atmos support.
What is Hao's Special Works?
A tuning shop in GTA Online offering top tier upgrades for a specific list of vehicles, plus HSW Time Trials and a weekly Premium Test Ride. It came to PC with the Enhanced release.
More Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Guides
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Best Builds
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Tier List
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Walkthrough
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Beginner's Guide
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Tips & Tricks
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Weapons Guide
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Combat Guide
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Boss Guide
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Maps & Locations
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Crafting Guide
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Classes & Characters
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