GTA V Online: Complete Roleplay Guide (2024)

(Image: Rockstar Games via HGG / Brett Moss)

Human Made

Penned by Brett Moss

I've been playing video games pretty much nonstop ever since I got my first 360. I love arena shooters, MMOs, and MOBAs, but I'll pretty much try any kind of game.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Grand Theft Auto V released a decade ago, but it remains one of the most popular games in the world. It’s often still fairly high up on Steam’s current players list, peaks on Twitch all the time, and still outsells many brand new games. It’s safe to say that people are still playing GTA, but how are they playing it? A lot of people still play the standard GTA Online, but since that’s gotten a bit old at this point for many players, some have migrated to modded roleplay servers. In this article we’ll take a look at GTA roleplay servers, including what they are, how to play/access them, terminology, and more!

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What is GTA V Role-Play?

When you hear the term “roleplay” there’s a lot that could come to mind. In GTA, roleplay simply means taking on the personality of your character in-game. For example, where in a standard online lobby players often kill each other randomly without any communication, RP servers focus on the social interactions between players. Instead of randomly killing people, you have to act out scenarios and actually communicate with others.

There are so many different things you can do in roleplay servers that there’s no way we can list them all, but here’s a general overview of what you can expect in most servers. When you load in you get to create your character, just like in normal GTA (although it is usually more glitchy). Then you choose a spawn location and get dropped into the world with nothing, also just like actual GTA. You’ll need to make money, so there are usually jobs you can get. Yes, jobs. Stuff like being an electrician or a delivery driver. But, it is still GTA, so it’s still more interesting than real-life jobs.

On the other side, there are also plenty of ways to make money in the more traditional GTA style. Every roleplay server has criminal groups and gangs you can join, which leads to money. Just like in GTA Online, you can operate “businesses” and fight rival gangs, but the roleplay element adds more to it than mindless violence. You can’t just run up, shoot someone, and loot their body in roleplay servers.

First, you’ll have to at least interact with them in some way. Players are required to roleplay as if their in-game life is real (not literally, just in terms of not putting your character in random danger), so it’s a more dynamic process. Want to steal someone’s loot? Well, you’ll have to mug them and make them give it to you. In a shootout? Well, just grab the nearest player and take them hostage! It’s clean, wholesome fun.

From there, it’s really up to you. There’s no end to the possibilities, as long as you follow the server rules (more on that in the next section). Interacting with other players is the key to having fun in roleplay servers. Act out scenarios, track down rival gangs, be a full-time electrician… there’s always something to do.

How to Play GTA V Roleplay

The first thing you’ll want to do when getting into GTA roleplay is download the FiveM app. It’s the client used for most roleplay servers, as well as a bunch of other modded servers. If you’re going to do GTA roleplay, you’ll have to have FiveM.

Once you get FiveM downloaded, using it is really simple. Obviously you’ll need a copy of GTA V to play, but that’s about it. When you open FiveM, you might get overwhelmed with choices. You can ignore pretty much everything on FiveM other than the play button, which opens the full server list. You can also take a look at the rotating “top servers” if you want to quickly jump into a populated one.

Once you pick a server, however, you probably won’t be able to connect to it immediately. The majority of servers (especially the really good ones) require players to join the server Discord and agree to the rules and/or verify their account before joining. Some servers even require applications before even joining. Not all servers require these extra steps, but it’s best to go ahead and link your Discord anyway. Most servers give out valuable information via Discord, so it’s usually worth joining them.

Regardless, no matter what server you join, make sure and read their rules. Rules can usually be located either in Discord, on the server’s website (if they have one), or even in-game sometimes. The absolute most important rule of GTA roleplay is to stay in character at all times. Even if someone else starts breaking rules, you’re going to be expected to play along and not break character. You also have to treat your character’s in-game life as if it were really in danger. This means that you can’t just say “no” if someone tries robbing you or anything else. You have to go along with the scenarios as they come and go. A lot of servers even have rules against using real-life terms like “keys” or “loading in”. They’ll say something like “muscle” for keys, or “flying in” for loading in.

Another common rule in GTA roleplay is that players aren’t allowed to kill each other randomly or without engaging in some roleplay scenario. Doing this is a sure-fire way to get banned, and it’s usually taken even more seriously than the staying in character rule. As long as you read through the rules and make sure not to intentionally break any, you should be good to go. Other players will often help you along, as long as you’re not trying to be a jerk. It’s common for players to slip up with the rules, so just be careful.

GTA V Roleplay Terms and Abbreviations

Most games, especially community-driven ones, have lots of terms and lingo you’ll need to know. GTA roleplay is no different. Here is a list of terms, abbreviations, etc. that you’ll want to know!

• RDM – random death match. This just refers to killing another player for no reason, without engaging in roleplay or anything else.
• VDM – vehicle death match. Refers to killing another player with your vehicle for no reason.
• IC – in character
• OOC – out of character
• Third Eye – a way of referring to the Left Alt button mechanic. While holding down Left Alt, you can interact with certain objects.
• EMS – emergency medical services (paramedics)
• PD – police department. Some servers use terms like Los Santos Police Department or another regional variation, so just check beforehand.
• Metagaming – using knowledge your character would not have to get an advantage. Basically, just stick to the in-game knowledge your character has and don’t break character or use real-life knowledge to your advantage.
• Powergaming – this one is hard to explain, but basically it refers to taking action against another player without allowing them to respond/retaliate. Think of it as talking over someone else. Nobody likes that, so don’t do it.
• FearRP – fear role-playing. It refers to the idea of treating your character’s life as if you only have the one (fearing for your life). Just react to dangerous situations as you would in real life.
• FailRP – the term used when someone fails to participate in role-play or breaks a scenario.

These are some of the most important terms that you’ll need to know in any server, but there are plenty more than might come up. When you read a server’s rules, it should have descriptions of the terms relevant to their server.

Best GTA RP Servers

The best GTA roleplay servers are the ones that don’t utilize pay-to-win/monetization strategies and have good admins that don’t allow too much rule-breaking to go down. FiveM allows you to sort through servers to find ones you like, but they provide little information into the actual server quality. You’ll probably want to make sure the servers you try out have a good amount of people online (at least 40+ or so), and check the server description to see if it asks you for money. A lot of servers do unfortunately have pay-2-win aspects, but if one is begging for money in their description just skip it. FiveM has a review system, and while it’s validity isn’t certain (there might be lots of fake reviews), the top reviews usually show you what to look out for. Here’s a few servers that are good to try out:

• Paradise State Roleplay – it does have in-game purchases, but it’s a great server nonetheless and good for beginners.
• VLife RP 2.0 – pretty chill server with a good amount of people, beginner friendly.
• GLife: Extinction – not a RP server, but it has some really fun other game modes like Gun Game and Zombies.

The best way to find a server you like is to just get out there and try a bunch out. You can have good experiences in bad servers, and bad ones in good servers. It all depends on who you play with, what happens, and of course, a bit of random luck.

Popular GTA Roleplay Streamers and Creators

If you want to watch some other people play GTA roleplay, you’re in luck! GTA is still one of the most popular games on Twitch and YouTube (as well as other platforms), and a lot of those people play on roleplay servers. Here are a few streamers and content creators for GTA roleplay that are worth checking out:

• Chadoy – YouTube
• LennyBarn – YouTube
• Elanip – YouTube
• summit1g – Twitch, YouTube
• Kiwo – Twitch, YouTube

What to Watch Out for in GTA RP

While GTA roleplay servers are tons of fun, there are a few things you should watch out for. Since it’s a modded community game, there are some servers that will try to take advantage of players. Generally, avoid any server that pushes loot boxes, donations (for rewards, not just in general), or any other financial incentives. There are plenty of completely free servers out there, and many of them are better quality than the pay-2-win ones. Servers accepting donations is fairly standard since it likely isn’t cheap to run the servers themselves, but any that push/require you to donate or give money aren’t worth your time.

Remember that not all players follow the rules. It’s easy for someone to join a server and start attacking players and causing problems. The best way to get around that is to use a recording/clipping software so you can report those players to admins. It won’t work everytime, but it’s the most you can do. Just try to find servers where those things are taken seriously and you’ll have the best chance of finding players who are actually fun to play with.

Join the High Ground

We hope you enjoyed our guide about roleplaying in GTA Online. If we missed anything or you want to share your favorite RP server, just drop us a comment below!