GTA Online: How to Play Solo and Avoid Griefers

Looking for how to play solo and avoid griefers in GTA Online? Rockstar's online sandbox delivers an incredible and unique experience, but it can be infuriating when you spend hours on tasks like How to Get Rich with Vehicle Cargo and Special Cargo at the Office and How to Get Rich with Warehouse Management at the Nightclub, only for adversaries to destroy your precious cargo in Freemode before you can deliver it. As such, if you want to know How to Make Money Fast, then you're going to need to know how to play solo and avoid griefers. As part of our GTA Online guide, we're going to explain how best to shield yourself from these pests.

GTA Online: How to Play Solo and Avoid Griefers

If you keep getting killed by rival players in Freemode while playing GTA Online, then you're going to want to know how to play solo and avoid griefers.

Solo and Invite Only Sessions

One way you can enjoy the sights and sounds of GTA Online without being griefed is by joining an Invite Only Session. This will allow you to explore Los Santos and practically everything it has to offer without idiots in Oppressor Mk II vehicles. You can launch an Invite Only Session from the single player mode: select Options > Online > Invite Only Session. You can also choose to launch a Solo Session if you don't even plan to invite any friends to your game.

While initially Rockstar prevented you from completing your Business missions in Invite Only Sessions, it's since changed that policy, and you can now do pretty much everything in the game in your own instanced version of Los Santos. This is the best and easiest way to play solo and avoid griefers.

Enable Passive Mode

Another option to avoid griefers is to Enable Passive Mode while you play. You can do this by holding down the touchpad to bring up the Interaction Menu and selecting Enable Passive Mode. The downside to this is that you won't be able to register as a CEO or Motorcycle Club President. This means that you won't be able to make money with your Businesses while you have the safety net of Passive Mode enabled.

Find New Session

The reality in GTA Online, as in life, is that some players are more annoying than others. If you're constantly getting targeted and killed by the same group, then one solution may just be to Find New Session. You can do this by pushing Options > Online > Find New Session. Always try to get a feel for how people are playing in your Public Lobby before flogging expensive goods. While it's certainly not a fool-proof strategy, you can generally sense whether rivals are minding their own business or baying for blood.

GTA Online: How to Discourage Griefers

As mentioned previously, griefing is part of the GTA Online experience, so if you insist on playing in public servers there are at least some ways to mitigate it. For the next part of this guide, we're going to discuss some steps you can take to help you at the very least help you to learn how to discourage griefers.

Fly the Akula

As discussed in our Best Cars and Vehicles to Buy and Own guide, the Akula helicopter from Warstock Cache & Carry allows you to activate a stealth mode which will take you off the radar, even when you're working your Businesses. This means you'll be hidden from the map of rivals, allowing you to go about your work without fear of detection. It's worth noting that players will still be able to see you — this helicopter isn't invisible, after all — but the likelihood of you being attacked is much lower when they don't where you are on the map.

Install a Missile Lock-On Jammer

If you're constantly getting targeted by homing missiles, then it might be wise to refer to How to Start The Contract and the Best Agency to Buy. In your Vehicle Workshop you can install Imani Tech on select vehicles, including the Missile Lock-On Jammer. While this costs a pricey GTA$400,000, it will help discourage griefers from constantly setting your car ablaze.

Enlist SecuroServ's Ghost Organization Ability

If you're playing as a CEO then you can call upon SecuroServ's Ghost Organization Ability to temporarily remove you and your precious cargo from other players' map. To use this, hold the touchpad to bring up the Interaction Menu and select SecuroServ CEO > CEO Abilities > Ghost Organization. While this operates on a timer, it should provide you with a large enough window to complete your missions without being attacked. It does cost GTA$12,000 to use, but that's a drop in the ocean when you've got GTA$500,000 worth of hard-earned cargo in your Delivery Vehicle.

Hire Associates or Prospects

You may be more of a solo player, but GTA Online is designed in such a way as to encourage you to play together. As such, whether you're working as a CEO or Motorcycle Club President, it can be beneficial to have some allies by your side. Hold the touchpad down to bring up the Interaction Menu and select either the SecuroServ CEO or MC President menu. From here you can choose to recruit friends or strangers to your company, either by inviting people or simply selecting that you're looking for work.

Fight Back

It's a last resort, but Los Santos is a dog-eat-dog world. Remember, you can't be killed if you've already got the upper-hand. Make sure you're driving armoured vehicles like the Nightshark or using heavily armed Personal Aircrafts such as the Buzzard Attack Chopper. The better protected you are, the safer you'll be in GTA Online, but remember that you may have to spend significant sums of money to upgrade your fleet and equip it with features like Homing Missiles.

Do you have any other suggestions for how to play solo and avoid griefers in GTA Online? Have a look at our other GTA Online guides, and try not to get Wasted in the comments section below.