You've been lied to. Honestly, if you’re scouring the internet for gta 5 cheats ps3 infinite money, you’re probably seeing a lot of flashy YouTube thumbnails and sketchy websites promising a magic button combination. They’ll tell you that hitting R1, R2, L1, X, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up will rain cash from the sky.
It won't.
That specific code? It’s the weapons cheat. Rockstar Games, for reasons known only to their design team and maybe a very stressed-out accountant, decided that a direct money cheat simply wouldn't exist in Grand Theft Auto V. It’s frustrating. It’s a massive departure from the days of San Andreas where "HESOYAM" was practically burned into our muscle memory. But on the PS3, if you want a billion dollars in Franklin’s bank account, you have to play the system, not just input a code.
The Harsh Truth About Money Cheats on PS3
Let’s be real for a second. There is no traditional button-sequence cheat for money in GTA 5. Period. Rockstar wanted the game's economy to feel "heavy." They wanted you to feel the weight of every heist and the risk of every investment. If you could just tap a few buttons and buy the Golf Course for $150 million in the first hour, the entire progression system would fall apart.
This creates a bit of a vacuum. People want the shortcut. Because of that, the term gta 5 cheats ps3 infinite money has become a magnet for misinformation. You’ll see "money glitches" that have long since been patched or "save editors" that might just brick your console if you aren't careful.
But don't give up. While there isn't a cheat, there are exploits and strategic maneuvers that feel like cheating because of how much wealth they generate. We’re talking about turning a few thousand dollars into enough money to buy every property in Los Santos twice over. It just takes a little bit of patience and a lot of timing.
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The Lester Assassination Method: The Real Infinite Money
If you want to talk about the closest thing to gta 5 cheats ps3 infinite money, you have to talk about Lester Crest. Most players burn through his assassination missions as soon as they pop up. That is a massive, multi-million dollar mistake.
Here is how you actually "cheat" the system.
You wait. You finish the entire main story first. Keep those assassination missions—except for the first one, which is mandatory to progress the story—untouched until the "Big Score" heist is finished. At that point, each of your three characters will have roughly $25 to $30 million. Now, you’ve got leverage.
Manipulating the LCN and BAWSAQ
When Lester tells Franklin to take out a CEO, he’s not just giving you a hit; he’s giving you insider trading info. You need to dump every single cent from Michael, Franklin, and Trevor into the specific stock that is about to rise.
Take the "Hotel Assassination" for example. Before the hit, you put everything into Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) on the BAWSAQ exchange. Once the target is dead, the stock price rockets. You sell at around a 50% profit. Then, you wait for the rival stock—Bilkington—to bottom out, buy it cheap, and wait for it to recover.
It’s a cycle.
- The Multi-Target Assassination: Invest in Debonaire (LCN). Sell after the mission for an 80% gain. Then buy Redwood once it hits its floor.
- The Vice Assassination: Buy Fruit (BAWSAQ). Sell for 50%. Buy Facade on the rebound.
- The Bus Assassination: This one is different. You don't buy before. You buy Vapid (BAWSAQ) after the mission when the stock has crashed by exactly 50%. Wait for it to bounce back and double your money.
- The Construction Assassination: Gold Coast (LCN). 80% profit. Simple.
By the time you finish this "legal" version of gta 5 cheats ps3 infinite money, you will likely have over $2 billion per character. That is the hard cap of the game's bank account. You literally cannot have more money than that.
The Hidden Briefcases and the "Switch" Glitch
Maybe you don't want to wait until the end of the game. Maybe you're at the beginning and you just want to buy a cool car or some body armor without going broke.
There used to be a very famous exploit involving hidden packages on the ocean floor. You’d find a briefcase with $12,000 or $25,000, grab it, and immediately switch characters. Then you’d switch back. Because the game "reloads" the area for the returning character, the briefcase would respawn.
On the unpatched, original PS3 version (the one on the disc), this works like a charm. It’s a grind, but it’s infinite. However, if you’ve ever connected your PS3 to the internet and downloaded an update, there’s a high chance this has been "fixed." Rockstar is quick with the hammer when it comes to the economy.
If you're playing offline on a base version, head to the north of the map, specifically the wreck of a large plane underwater. There’s a $12,000 briefcase there. It’s tedious. It’s slow. But it’s the only way to get "free" cash without doing a lick of work.
Why the "Cell Phone Cheats" Don't Work for Cash
In GTA 4, we had the phone. In GTA 5, we still have the phone, but the "cheats" menu is gone. You have to manually dial numbers or use the button combos. There are codes for "Drunk Mode," "Fast Run," and even spawning a "Buzzard Attack Chopper."
People often try to find a phone number for gta 5 cheats ps3 infinite money. It’s a common search. But if you dial a random string of numbers hoping for a bank transfer, all you’ll get is a busy signal or a funny little easter egg dialogue. Rockstar explicitly designed the phone to be a tool for mayhem—spawning vehicles or changing the weather—not for financial gain.
The Tinkle Investment Trick
There is one more "semi-cheat" that a lot of people overlook because it happens during a random world event. While driving around Chumash (the western highway), you might encounter a man whose car has broken down. He needs a ride to the airport.
If you get him there in under two minutes, he gives you a tip. He tells you to invest in Tinkle (TNK) on the BAWSAQ.
If you immediately switch to all three characters and dump their entire net worth into Tinkle, you can see a return of about 30% within a day or two of in-game time. It isn't a billion dollars, but if you do this after a heist when you have a few million, that 30% is a massive windfall for doing essentially nothing but driving a guy to his flight.
Understanding the PS3 Hardware Limitations
One reason people still look for gta 5 cheats ps3 infinite money on this specific console is because the PS3 version of the game is frozen in time. Unlike the PS4, PS5, or PC versions, the PS3 stopped receiving updates years ago. The "Ill-Gotten Gains" update was basically the end of the line.
This means that any glitch that existed in 2015 still exists on your console today if you are playing the latest available version for that hardware. You don't have to worry about a new patch coming out tomorrow and "fixing" your favorite money-making method.
The Reality of GTA Online Cheats on PS3
We have to touch on the Online mode. If you’re playing GTA Online on PS3—well, technically, you can’t anymore. Rockstar shut down the PS3 and Xbox 360 servers for GTA Online in December 2021.
Back when they were live, "cheats" for money usually involved "modders" dropping bags of cash on people’s heads. It was a wild west of hacking. But since the servers are dark, the search for gta 5 cheats ps3 infinite money should be strictly focused on the Single Player / Story Mode experience.
Actionable Steps for Your Los Santos Empire
Stop looking for a code. It’s not there. Instead, follow this exact sequence to ensure you never run out of money:
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- Step 1: Play the story naturally. Don't buy expensive cars or unnecessary properties early on. The stock cars for each character are actually quite good once upgraded.
- Step 2: Save all Lester Assassination missions (except the first one). This is the most critical rule.
- Step 3: Complete the "Big Score." Choose the "Obvious" approach and pick the best crew to ensure the highest payout.
- Step 4: Execute the stock market manipulation strategy detailed above. Use the "Sleep" mechanic (saving the game without actually saving) to advance time quickly and see the stock prices move.
- Step 5: Once you have your $2 billion, buy the Los Santos Golf Club. It’s the ultimate status symbol and generates $600,000 in weekly income, though at that point, money is basically an abstract concept to you anyway.
The beauty of GTA 5 on the PS3 is the chaos. While a money cheat would have been nice, the feeling of "earning" it through corporate sabotage and high-stakes heists fits the narrative of the game far better than a button combo ever could. If you want to break the game, use the Invincibility cheat (Right, X, Right, Left, Right, R1, Right, Left, X, Triangle) and go to war with the military. Let your investments handle the finances while you handle the firepower.