GTA 6 Walkthrough: Complete Story Mode Guide & All Missions
Navigating the campaign of the modern state of Leonida requires a detailed GTA 6 walkthrough to help you coordinate heists, survive police pursuits, and achieve gold medals on all missions. This step-by-step walkthrough guide provides act-by-act instructions, weapon strategies, and character-switching tips for completing the story campaign.
- •Acts Covered: Act 1 (Kelly County), Act 2 (Vice City), and Act 3 (The Keys).
- •Completion Target: Gold medals require finishing within specific time limits and landing headshots.
- •First Action: Complete the initial chapter to hack and remove Lucia's ankle monitor.
- •Authority Source: Official strategy logs and walkthrough checklists.
How Do You Complete GTA 6 Story Mode?
The campaign is structured as a series of connected missions that you launch by visiting letter icons on the map. The story focuses on the coordination between Lucia and Jason, requiring players to utilize their individual abilities during missions. According to in-game walkthrough checklists, achieving a 100% completion checklist requires completing all heists, clearing 42+ stranger tasks, and performing specific world activities.
GTA V featured a linear walkthrough where you switched between three characters (Michael, Franklin, Trevor) with a final choice at the end. GTA 6 changes this by introducing cooperative mechanics where your choices throughout the campaign alter trust levels and narrative branches. Here is the comparison table detailing how the walkthrough progression compares with GTA V:
| Walkthrough Parameter | GTA V (Previous Version) | GTA VI (Leonida Version) |
|---|---|---|
| Progression Design | Linear chapters with fixed transitions | Cooperative acts, Trust Level influence |
| Gold Medal Checklist | Time limits, accuracy, specific stunts | Time limits, accuracy, headshots, undamaged |
| Mission Replays | Standard replay via pause screen list | Enhanced replays tracking specific parameters |
| Story Branching & Endings | Single decision at ending (Option A/B/C) | Decisions throughout alter trust and end paths |
Act-by-Act Walkthrough Strategy
The story mode progresses through three major narrative blocks, each introducing new mechanics, settings, and challenges:
Act 1: Kelly County Outposts (Missions 1–22)
The initial act serves as a tutorial, introducing the shooting, driving, and character-switching mechanics. Lucia begins the act restricted to Kelly County by her ankle monitor.
Your main goal is to complete the first heist, "The Kelly County Depot," which rewards the duo with enough cash to hire a black-market hacker. This technician removes her monitor, allowing you to explore the rest of Leonida.
Act 2: Entering Vice City (Missions 23–48)
With the state map fully open, the duo establishes safehouses in Vice Port and Ocean Beach. Missions focus on planning robberies, stealing getaway vehicles, and clashing with cartel syndicates.
During this act, you'll need to complete three heist prep missions before launching "The Vice Port Bank Run." This heist requires you to hack keypads as Lucia and cover the escape route as Jason.
Act 3: The Keys Syndicate (Missions 49–68)
The final act takes place across the southern Leonida Keys. The duo is recruited for major smuggling runs and must evade federal police units who are tracking their operations.
The final mission, "The Leonard County Vault," requires you to drill into an offshore vault, triggering a massive police chase that determines the ending of the story.
Gold Medal Requirements & Walkthrough Tips
Replaying missions allows you to earn gold medals by completing specific challenges:
| Challenge Type | Requirement to Earn Gold | Strategic Walkthrough Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Time Limit | Finish the mission within the designated time | Skip cutscenes and use sports cars for transit |
| Accuracy | Maintain a shooting accuracy of 80% or higher | Use Jason's Combat Focus ability to slow time |
| Headshots | Land 10+ headshots during combat sequences | Equip assault rifles with red-dot scopes |
| Undamaged | Complete the mission without losing health or armor | Stay behind cover and use armor upgrades |
This table displays the key parameters for earning gold medals. Replaying missions does not affect your story progress, allowing you to focus on single challenges during each run.
To see details on how the character abilities differ and how to use them, visit our GTA 6 character abilities and switching guide.
How to Prepare for Heists
Heists require preparation tasks that you must complete before starting the main objective:
- Getaway Vehicle: Steal a four-door vehicle, install bulletproof tires, and park it in an isolated location near the heist target.
- Equipment Setup: Purchase body armor, masks, and hacking tools from black-market dealers in Vice Port.
- Crew Selection: Hire hackers, drivers, and shooters from your contact list. Hiring cheap crew members increases your share of the money but increases the difficulty of the heist.
Completing these prep tasks is critical. Choosing poor getaway cars or low-skill crew members often results in failed runs or lost loot during the escape.
For a guide to the optional quests and stranger tasks that unlock skilled crew members, see our GTA 6 side missions guide.
Does the Story Have Multiple Endings?
Yes, the choices you make during the final act shape the ending of the campaign. Your decisions directly affect the trust level between the protagonists, leading to different narrative outcomes.
For a complete explanation of all endings and how to get the secret ending, see our GTA 6 ending guide and analysis.
The GTA 6 walkthrough spans three acts, guiding players through early tutorials, urban bank runs, and high-stakes Keys heists. Earning gold medals requires meeting time limits and accuracy checks. Heists require careful vehicle, equipment, and crew preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you fail missions permanently in GTA 6?
No, failing a mission objective prompts a checkpoint screen, allowing you to retry the segment or restart the mission from the beginning.
How do you unlock the full map in GTA 6?
The map is restricted during the first chapter while Lucia wears her ankle monitor. Completing the Act 1 heist hacks the monitor, opening Leonida.
Can you skip cutscenes during missions?
Yes, pressing the skip button during dialogue or cutscenes advances the gameplay immediately, which is useful during gold medal speedruns.
Do you get cash rewards for replaying missions?
No, replaying completed missions is strictly for earning medals and achievements; cash payouts are only awarded on your first playthrough.
Which character is better for getaway driving?
Jason is the better choice for getaway driving due to his higher starting vehicle control stats and special ability traction buffs.
