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GTA Online Survival Mode Guide

The best weapons and tactics for each round in GTA Online Survival Mode.


Survival

Survival Mode is a great way to build up money and RP in GTA Online. You’ll earn RP for your kills and $20,000 if you complete it. Even if you don’t, you’ll earn $18,000 if you last until the 10th round.

While playing solo, you can build up all of the ammo you need by collecting it in the first few rounds when only one opponent is left. Use your machine gun or submachine gun at the start, and switch to the AP pistol later on. Use your RPG and Grenade Launcher to fight vehicles.

Use a minigun, machine gun, or heavy sniper rifle against the helicopters, and aim just ahead of where they’re flying. If accuracy is a problem, you can destroy the helicopters by dealing enough damage to them. Sticky bombs can be useful if you want to camp. Save your grenades for when you need them the most. You can conserve ammo by trying to get headshots, which are instant kills.

Make sure you buy food in order to restore your health. If you have money to spare, you can also spent $5,000 to call Merryweather for support.

Begin by playing either Processed solo or Boneyard co-op to build up ammo and practice. Processed is a great place to start because the helicopters appear less frequently than on other maps. Once you can get to the 9th round on Processed, you can get the minigun, which will help you on other maps. You can use the minigun in co-op matches to play a support role.

No matter what map you want to play on, make sure you understand its layout. If you explore it and become familiar with the landscape, you’ll be that much better off.

Use the following tips to help you with specific Survival maps:

Processed

While playing co-op, your team can effectively camp in a shed together. The easiest shed to use is the lower one on the left of the road.

Boneyard

Start out near the spawn point in the northwest section of the map. There are good spots to camp for both solo and co-op players. If you’re alone, stay to the right and throw sticky bombs left.

Sandy Survival

If you like faster-paced gameplay, Sandy Survival is a good map for fighting while in motion.
If you’d prefer to camp, stay near the starting area. Use either the red building or the garage for cover. The garage is an especially useful spot if you’re playing co-op and want to help from a support role.

Industrial Plant

Play this map if you want a challenge, especially if you fight from the industrial plant’s rooftop.
Try camping in the southeast area, using the crates by the body armor as cover. From there, you should be able to take out most enemies and the helicopters.

Survival

Sawmill Plant

For the majority of Sawmill Plant, there aren’t good spots to camp. Just practice with this map until you learn how to play it well. Cooperation among teammates is particularly important here.
You can camp when the helicopters appear by entering the sawmill itself. This is ineffectual against other enemies, because they often will just wait instead of coming to you.

Railyard

In this map, try staying in the southern area and killing enemies as they approach. If you have the minigun, you can hide behind the containers and attack.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GTA Online Survival?

GTA Online Survival is a cooperative multiplayer game mode where players must work together to fend off waves of enemies and survive for as long as possible.

How do you unlock Survival mode in GTA Online?

You unlock Survival mode after reaching level 15 and finishing the Industrial Plant survival tutorial event. Access it through the Jobs menu or by locating Survival icons on the map.

How to play Survival in GTA Online?

To play Survival mode in GTA Online, you must defend your location against waves of enemy NPCs, with each wave increasing in difficulty. You can do this either alone or with three other players.

How many waves are there in GTA Online Survival?

In GTA Online Survival mode, each survival job consists of 10 waves of enemy attacks.

Matt Gibbs
Matt Gibbs // Articles: 273
Driven by a lifelong obsession with Grand Theft Auto, ever since first renting GTA III in 2001, Matt created the ultimate online resource for fans - GTA BOOM - where as owner and developer he continues enhancing its game guide library and news hub to deliver everything GTA enthusiasts might want. // Full Bio