GTA 5 and Online: Unlocking Money-Saving Tips

Author: Zachary Feb 07,2025

This guide explains how to save your progress in Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) Story Mode and GTA Online. Both games feature autosaves, but manual saves offer extra security.

GTA 5 Story Mode Saving:

There are two primary methods for saving in GTA 5's Story Mode:

1. Sleeping at a Safehouse:

  • Locate a Safehouse (marked with a white house icon on the map).
  • Approach your character's bed.
  • Press "E" on keyboard or the Right D-Pad button on a controller to sleep and trigger the save.

2. Using the Cell Phone:

  • Open your cell phone (Up arrow key on keyboard or Up on the controller's D-pad).
  • Select the cloud icon to access the Save Game menu.
  • Confirm the save.

An orange, rotating circle in the bottom-right corner indicates an autosave in progress.

GTA Online Saving:

GTA Online doesn't have a dedicated manual save menu. Instead, you can trigger autosaves using these methods:

1. Changing Outfits/Accessories:

  • Open the Interaction Menu (M key on keyboard or touchpad on controller).
  • Select "Appearance," then "Accessories."
  • Change any accessory, or switch your entire outfit.
  • Exit the Interaction Menu. Look for the orange circle to confirm the save. Repeat if necessary.

2. Accessing the Swap Character Menu:

  • Open the Pause Menu (Esc key on keyboard or Start button on controller).
  • Go to the "Online" tab.
  • Select "Swap Character." You don't need to actually change characters; accessing the menu triggers a save.

Cell Phone Save Menu

Swap Character Menu