There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

In most cases the straightforward approach works. The exceptions are specific and listed below.

The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional.

Why it works this way

The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one.

Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of GTA Online. Everything below is framed around the current state of GTA Online rather than a launch-week impression. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively.

When the usual advice fails

Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Region and platform change more than people expect, so confirm both.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • If a menu path does not exist for you, your build is older or newer than the one described.

What to do instead

If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows.

It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice.

The practical answer

There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of.

There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it. Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration.

Worth knowing alongside this

Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. GTA Online is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

Where people go wrong

  • Copying a setup wholesale from a streamer without understanding what each part does.
  • Changing five things at once and then not knowing which one helped.
  • Treating a rare edge case as the normal behaviour and planning around it.
  • Skipping the prerequisite because it looked optional in someone else's summary.

GTA Online FAQ

Is this still accurate after the latest GTA Online update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

Does this work the same on console and PC?

The logic is identical. Menu paths and button prompts differ, and any real difference is flagged above.

What if none of this works for me?

Then something in your setup differs from the assumption — version, region or platform. Check those three before anything else.

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

Anything that shifts with the next GTA Online update will show up as a changed number, not a changed approach.