How to Lose Your Wanted Level in GTA 5 and GTA Online
Short answer: to lose a wanted level in GTA 5, break the police line of sight and get outside the search area shown on the minimap. Once the stars start flashing, the police are searching for you rather than chasing you, and if they do not spot you again the stars disappear. In GTA Online you can also pay Lester to remove your wanted level, or use the Bribe Authorities ability as a CEO. Story mode players can type a cheat, but that disables trophies and achievements for the session.
Below you will find how the star system works, which escape methods are the most reliable, and the mistakes that keep players stuck at four or five stars for far too long.
How the wanted system works
Your wanted level is shown by stars in the top right corner of the screen, from one to five. Each crime witnessed by the police, or reported by a civilian, can add stars. The higher the level, the more units respond and the more aggressive they become.
| Stars | Typical response |
|---|---|
| 1 star | A few police officers, small search area. Easy to lose. |
| 2 stars | More patrol cars, officers ready to shoot. |
| 3 stars | Police helicopters join the chase and roadblocks appear. |
| 4 stars | Heavily armed tactical units (NOOSE) and more helicopters. |
| 5 stars | Maximum pressure: large numbers of units on the ground and in the air. |
Two states matter. When the stars are solid, the police know where you are and are actively chasing you. When the stars flash grey, they have lost sight of you and are searching. On the minimap, the red and blue blips are police units and the cones in front of them show their field of view. Stay out of those cones and the search eventually ends.
The most reliable ways to lose the cops
1. Break line of sight, then leave the search area
This is the core method and it works at every level. Turn several corners quickly, drive through alleys, or head under bridges and into tunnels. Once the stars flash, slow down, avoid main roads and drive away from the police blips. Speeding past a patrol car while the stars flash will put you straight back into a full chase.
2. Hide under cover from helicopters
From three stars, helicopters are your real problem because they see you from above. Tunnels, parking garages, underpasses and the storm drains of Los Santos block their view. Park in a dark covered spot and wait for the stars to start flashing.
3. Use a respray
Driving into a Los Santos Customs garage without being seen and paying for a respray changes your car’s look and clears the wanted level. It only works if the police do not see you enter, so lose them first, then drive in calmly.
4. Switch vehicles out of sight
Police look for the vehicle they last saw. Ditching it in a hidden spot and taking another one, or continuing on foot through back streets, makes it easier to slip away. Water is another option: police struggle to follow a fast boat or a player swimming far from shore, although helicopters can still track you.
5. Go off-road
Police cars are fast on tarmac but weaker on hills and dirt tracks. A motorbike or an off-road vehicle heading into the hills north of the city can create the distance you need to break line of sight.
GTA Online options
GTA Online adds paid shortcuts that do not exist in story mode:
- Call Lester: from your phone contacts, Lester can remove your wanted level for a fee that scales with the number of stars. There is a cooldown between uses.
- Bribe Authorities: if you are registered as a CEO, this ability in the SecuroServ section of the Interaction Menu clears your wanted level for a fee and blocks new stars for a while.
- Passive mode and session changes do not erase a wanted level, so they are not a real shortcut.
Exact prices and cooldowns can change with game updates, and some weeks bring discounts covered in our explainer on how GTA Online weekly bonuses work. If you are building a business empire, the CEO route pays off quickly, as explained in our ranking of the best GTA Online businesses.
Story mode: the cheat option
In GTA 5 story mode, the cheat LAWYERUP lowers your wanted level by one star each time it is entered. On PC you type it in the cheat console opened with the tilde key, and on consoles there is a button combination. Keep in mind that activating any cheat disables trophies and achievements until you reload a save, and cheats cannot be used in GTA Online. Our GTA 6 cheats tracker covers what is known about the next game.
Mistakes that keep you wanted
- Shooting back at police while the stars are low: each kill can raise your level.
- Driving in a straight line on a highway in full view of a helicopter.
- Hiding too close to where you were last seen: the search area is centred on that spot.
- Driving fast past patrols once the stars flash.
- Entering restricted zones such as Fort Zancudo, the military base, which instantly brings a high wanted level.
Will GTA 6 work the same way?
Rockstar has not published a detailed explanation of the GTA 6 police system, so any specific claims about how it works should be treated with caution until the game is in players’ hands. Our comparison of the confirmed differences between GTA 6 and GTA 5 only lists what has been officially shown.
FAQ
How long does it take to lose a wanted level?
It depends on the number of stars. Low levels clear quickly once the stars flash; at four or five stars the search lasts longer and the area is bigger.
Does changing clothes remove the wanted level?
No. Changing outfits does not clear stars in GTA 5. Breaking line of sight and leaving the search area is what counts.
Can you lose five stars without paying?
Yes. It is harder, but hiding in a tunnel or garage away from helicopters, then moving slowly away from the search area, works at every level.
Does Lester’s service work in story mode?
No. The paid removal from Lester is a GTA Online feature. In story mode you rely on escape tactics or the LAWYERUP cheat.