Codes are simple until you find that yours is for a different platform or a different patch.
Short answer
They work in single-player only. Anything promising the same online is a scam or a ban waiting to happen.
Some effects stack in ways the developers did not intend and the game does not handle gracefully. Console entry uses button sequences with tight timing, and mistiming reads as a broken code. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing.
How to enter them
A code that softlocks a mission is a known risk in more than one of these games. Controller-entered codes need rhythm rather than speed. A specific answer beats a comprehensive one when you are in the middle of something. Codes typically do not persist through a reload, which surprises people who use them for convenience.
Enabling cheats disables achievements in most games, and the warning is easy to miss. If this seems to describe a different version, it probably does, and that is the thing to check first. Anything requiring an external program is a different category with different risks attached.
Anything promising online effects
A cheat menu built into the game cannot get you banned, whatever the forum says. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see. If a site asks you to sign in to receive a code, it is not a code.
- Enter controller codes with rhythm rather than speed.
- Check the code is for your exact platform.
- Keep a save or backup from before you start — it costs nothing and occasionally saves an evening.
- Save manually before using anything irreversible.
- Ignore any code that requires signing in somewhere.
- Give a method one honest attempt before deciding it does not work.
Before you enable anything
Glitches get patched and codes tend not to, which makes codes the more durable option. Where the game contradicts its own documentation, the game wins. Anything that alters save state can corrupt it, which is why a separate save is worth the ten seconds. Codes are usually case-insensitive but rarely space-insensitive.
Half of what gets described as a bug is a design decision people dislike. Achievement locking is usually per-save rather than per-account, but not always. Console commands and cheat codes are different systems with different consequences.
What gets you banned
Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. Anything that requires downloading a program is not a cheat code. Case and spacing matter more than the lists suggest.
Two sources disagreeing usually means one of them stopped being updated. Codes entered correctly and rejected usually mean the wrong platform variant. A code that worked on an older patch may have been removed rather than changed.
Codes that stopped working
Older threads are worth reading for the reasoning rather than the conclusions. Single-player cheats are a supported feature; the same behaviour online is a ban. Some effects cannot be undone within a save, and the game does not always warn you first.
Where people go wrong
- Reading a summary of the patch notes instead of the patch notes.
- Grinding a method that was patched months ago because a thread still ranks well.
- Following console instructions on PC, or the reverse, and blaming the method.
- Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.
GTA V FAQ
Why do other guides describe this differently?
Most were written for an earlier version and never revisited. Compare the steps against what your build actually shows.
How long does this take?
Minutes if it goes cleanly, an evening if you hit the edge case in the caveats list. Neither is unusual.
Is this still accurate after the latest GTA 5 update?
The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.
Where should I check if this changes?
The in-game version of the information first, then the official patch notes. Community pages update after both.
That is the whole of it — the rest is preference, and preference is allowed to differ.