Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced: Story Mode & GTA Online Guide

What the Enhanced PC edition changes, how to squeeze the most out of Story Mode, and how to start and grow a GTA Online career on PC Enhanced, including the September 2026 events.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the Business Rivalries Event (September 2026) and The Kortz Center Heist era (released July 14, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Enhanced is the free upgrade, not a new game. It launched on PC on March 4, 2025. Owning GTA V on Steam gives you both Enhanced (app 3240220) and Legacy, the original PC build.
2. Enhanced and Legacy don't share lobbies. GTA Online sessions are separate, so play the same version as your friends.
3. Migrate once, then commit. You can move one Story Mode save and your GTA Online characters from Legacy to Enhanced. It only goes one way, and nothing you do after migrating syncs back.
4. New Online characters get Career Builder. Choose a starting career (Executive, Gunrunner, Nightclub Owner or Biker) and spend a one-time GTA$4,000,000 on a business, vehicle, weapons and property. This skips the worst of the early grind.
5. Buy income before toys. A business that makes money comes before supercars, apartments or clothes.
6. September 2026 is a business month. The Business Rivalries Event pays 10x the usual prize (an extra GTA$1,000,000) for each weekly business challenge. Details are below.
7. In Story Mode, delay Lester's assassinations (except the Hotel one) until after the final heist. That's where Story Mode money comes from.
8. Don't mod GTA Online. Online uses BattlEye anti-cheat, and bans apply to the whole account. It also means Online won't run on Steam Deck or Linux.

Enhanced vs Legacy at a Glance

Which should you play? If your PC can run Enhanced (SSD, a DirectX 12 card), play Enhanced. That's where the extra Online features, HSW cars and events are. Stay on Legacy only if your hardware is too old, or if you depend on Story Mode mods that haven't been updated for Enhanced.

Recommended PC Settings

• Use DX12 and an SSD install. Enhanced was built around them, and streaming stutter on an HDD is severe.
• Turn on upscaling first. DLSS (NVIDIA) or FSR is the cheapest FPS win, especially if you want ray tracing.
• Ray tracing: RT global illumination changes the lighting the most. RT reflections cost a lot and you mostly notice them on wet streets. Start with RTGI on and reflections off.
• Grass and MSAA are the classic FPS killers in GTA V. Drop them first if you're struggling.
• Driver issues: If you see visual glitches after a driver or upscaler update, try a different upscaler preset or roll back the driver before blaming the game.

Story Mode

The three protagonists

Stats (Stamina, Shooting, Strength, Stealth, Flying, Driving, Lung Capacity) go up by doing the activity. The quickest boosts are Flight School at Los Santos International for Flying and the Ammu-Nation shooting ranges for Shooting.

The heists

1. The Jewel Store Job: loud or smart approach
2. The Merryweather Heist: offshore or freighter
3. The Paleto Score
4. Blitz Play: the armored-truck job for Devin Weston
5. The Bureau Raid: fire crew or roof entry
6. The Big Score: subtle or obvious

Crew tip: Cheap crew members level up each time you use them, and skilled crew lose less loot. For long-term payouts, use the cheap-but-promising gunmen and drivers you meet early (Packie McReary shows up through a random event).

Stock market: Lester's assassinations

All the real money in Story Mode comes from buying stock before one of Lester's hits and selling after it rises. Rules of thumb:

• Hotel Assassination is required, so you can't delay it. Put everyone's cash into Betta Pharmaceuticals before the hit. Sell after it rises, then buy Bilkington Research for the rebound.
• Do the rest (Multi Target, Vice, Bus, Construction) after The Big Score, when all three characters have their heist money.
• The target stocks are Debonaire for Multi Target, Fruit for Vice, Vapid for Bus and GoldCoast for Construction.
• Stocks are split between two in-game sites, LCN and BAWSAQ. If you can't find a company on one, check the other.
• Prices move in in-game time. Sleep at a safehouse to advance the clock, and save before each hit.

Endings and missables

• The final choice is A, B or C ("The Third Way"/Deathwish). Option C keeps all three protagonists alive and playable. Make a manual save before choosing.
• Strangers and Freaks missions (the "?" icons) can expire as the story moves on. Do them as they show up.
• Random events (blue dots) unlock crew members and some one-off rewards.
• Cheats disable achievements for that session. Reload a save before you go achievement hunting.

Collectibles for 100%

GTA Online on Enhanced

Your first hours

1. Finish the tutorial and go through Career Builder if it's a new character. Pick one career and spend the GTA$4M on its core business first.
2. Career picks for beginners:

3. Use the Career Progress tracker. On Enhanced it lists goals per career and pays out rewards for completing them. It works as a to-do list if you don't know what to do next.
4. Then add solo earners: the Agency (Dr. Dre contract and Payphone Hits), the Acid Lab (unlocked through The First Dose missions) and the Kosatka for the Cayo Perico Heist.

Money priorities

Recent updates you should know

The Kortz Center Heist (July 2026)

• Requirement: a Mansion with the Art Studio upgrade. Mansions came with A Safehouse in the Hills. GTA+ members got a GTA$2,000,000 Mansion discount at launch.
• Contacts: Mr. Faber is the buyer and Raf De Angelis is your point man through the prep. A counterfeiter moves into your Art Studio and makes forgeries to swap for the real pieces.
• Target: a rotating Primary Target in the Bell Building vault inside the Kortz Center. You can fence it to Mr. Faber's buyers or keep it to display in your Mansion. The Primary Target changes weekly, and your first Primary Target sold each week earns a bonus.
• Solo-friendly: Play solo or with up to three other players. Rockstar says extra hands may help you escape with more, since Secondary Targets in the vault and displays add to the take.
• Security: guards, CCTV and intersecting laser tripwires. Scout properly and plan your route. Gear you gather during prep builds up in the Art Studio for your Finale loadout.

September 2026: Business Rivalries Event

Running September 3-30, 2026:

• Weekly Challenges pay 10x the usual prize. Each one pays an extra GTA$1,000,000 plus branded clothing:

• A free business property each week for players who don't own that business yet. Check each week, because this is a cheap way to fill gaps in your empire.
• Associates and Bodyguards share in the spoils, so friends who own no businesses can still earn by joining your organization or MC.
• The event also carries a vehicle reward and other bonuses; check the Rockstar Newswire for the claim conditions and window.

Look for the next event on the Rockstar Newswire or the Steam news page when the weekly reset hits on Thursday.

GTA+ on PC

GTA+ is Enhanced-only. It's a monthly subscription that gives you a monthly GTA$ deposit, free vehicles (members claimed the Grotti Veleno GT in July and the Gallivanter Warden in August 2026, each a week before public release), discounts and the Vinewood Car Club. It's worth it only if you'll play most of the month. Otherwise, one good business outearns it.

Hao's Special Works (HSW)

HSW, at the LS Car Meet, upgrades selected vehicles to much higher top speeds. It used to be exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Enhanced brought it to PC. There are separate HSW races and Time Trials, and GTA+ periodically discounts HSW conversions (50% off in July 2026). If you race, HSW cars are the top tier on Enhanced.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Blowing the Career Builder money on cars. Put it into the career's main business first.
• Selling in full public lobbies. Sell missions get griefed. Use invite-only or solo sessions when the mission allows it.
• Grinding un-boosted content. Check each Thursday's bonuses before you pick an activity.
• Migrating before deciding. It's one-way. After you migrate, Legacy progress stops counting toward Enhanced.
• Running Legacy mods on Enhanced. Many Story Mode mods and script tools needed Enhanced-specific updates. Check that each one explicitly supports Enhanced, and never use them online.
• Doing Lester's hits early in Story Mode (except the Hotel one).

Advanced Tips

• Stack passive and active income. Resupply the Bunker, Acid Lab and Nightclub, then run a heist or contract while they produce.
• Use the Kosatka for Cayo Perico travel and for fast setups.
• Combine event multipliers. During Business Rivalries, sell the business the weekly challenge asks for so each sale counts twice: normal pay plus progress toward the GTA$1M prize.
• Story Mode investing: Move all three characters' cash into the target stock. The bigger your stake, the bigger the percentage gain in dollars.
• Race tuning: check a vehicle's HSW eligibility before buying it for racing. The same car can be a different tier after conversion.
• Performance: If RT costs too much, leave RTGI on and cut reflections. Most of the visual difference comes from the lighting.

FAQ

Is GTA V Enhanced free if I own GTA V on PC? Yes. The Steam purchase includes both Enhanced and Legacy.

Can I play GTA Online with Legacy players? No. Enhanced and Legacy use separate Online sessions.

How do I transfer my character? Start GTA Online on Enhanced and follow the migration prompt. It moves your Story save and Online characters once. Later progress doesn't sync back.

Does GTA Online work on Steam Deck? No. BattlEye anti-cheat blocks Online on Steam Deck and Linux. Story Mode can still run.

What's the best early money maker? The business from your Career Builder pick, then the Agency, Acid Lab and the Cayo Perico Heist. Check weekly bonuses for whatever is boosted.

How do I start The Kortz Center Heist? Buy a Mansion, add the Art Studio, then follow Raf De Angelis's prep.

What's the best GTA V ending? Option C (Deathwish), where all three protagonists survive.

Sources

• Steam News — Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced (Business Rivalries Event, The Kortz Center Heist, GTA+ posts, 2026)
• Rockstar Newswire
• Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced on Steam (store page, migration and features)
• Wikipedia — Grand Theft Auto Online