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 walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Los Santos | Three protagonist switching basics | Franklin Clinton | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Blaine County | Heist prep and approach choice mastery | Franklin Clinton | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Mount Chiliad | Ray tracing and upscaling settings + gear | Michael De Santa or Franklin Clinton | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Fort Zancudo | Build optimization | Michael De Santa | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Cayo Perico | Min-max | Michael De Santa or Motorcycle Club President | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (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.
Level/Difficulty: Story start onward Key Rewards: Property, vehicle shops, most story missions
What to Do in Los Santos
- Learn Three protagonist switching. Michael, Franklin and Trevor can be swapped at almost any time outside missions, and each has a unique special ability. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Franklin Clinton as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first weapons upgrade: Combat MG Mk II or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Three protagonist switching fundamentals
- Franklin Clinton selected and functional
- Los Santos main content cleared
- Ready for Blaine County
Phase 2: Early Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Available after Trevor's introduction Key Rewards: Paleto Score heist, airfield, off road vehicles
What to Do in Blaine County
- Work on 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. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Combat MG Mk II if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Mount Chiliad.
- Consider whether Michael De Santa might suit your playstyle better than Franklin Clinton.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Heist prep and approach choice integrated into gameplay
- Combat MG Mk II acquired
- Blaine County fully cleared
- Ready for Mount Chiliad
Phase 3: Mid Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Any Key Rewards: Mystery mural, parachute jumps, panoramic viewpoint
What to Do in Mount Chiliad
- Master Ray tracing and upscaling settings. Enhanced adds ray traced shadows, reflections, global illumination and ambient occlusion, each toggled separately. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Heavy Sniper Mk II. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in One time character migration for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Ray tracing and upscaling settings mastered
- Heavy Sniper Mk II acquired or in progress
- Mount Chiliad fully cleared
- Ready for Fort Zancudo
Phase 4: Late Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Any, though expect a five star response Key Rewards: Military aircraft, armoured vehicles
What to Do in Fort Zancudo
- Finalize your build. You should be running Michael De Santa or Franklin Clinton with optimized gear.
- Heavy Sniper Mk II should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- GTA Online business ownership optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Cayo Perico.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Heavy Sniper Mk II upgraded to max
- Fort Zancudo fully cleared
- Ready for Cayo Perico
Phase 5: Endgame (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.
Level/Difficulty: GTA Online, requires the Kosatka Key Rewards: Solo heist payouts, primary target loot
What to Do in Cayo Perico
- Cayo Perico tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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.
- The endgame loop: run Cayo Perico, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Motorcycle Club President for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where GTA Online business ownership mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Cayo Perico fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Guides
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Overview
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Best Builds
- Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Tier List
- 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
Similar Games
If you enjoy Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, check out these related guides:
- Helldivers 2 Walkthrough: action game with similar mechanics
- Black Myth: Wukong Walkthrough: action game with similar mechanics
- Monster Hunter Wilds Walkthrough: action game with similar mechanics
