What Is a ‘Tryhard’ on GTA Online? How to Identify and Become One?

In many online video games, you’re likely to come across players described as Tryhards. They are often over-enthusiastic and take too much time and effort to play. In Grand Theft Auto Online, a Tryhard takes on a similar yet more specific meaning. 

In GTA Online, a Tryhard is someone who’s not only over-enthusiastic about the game but also uses mods to cheat and does their best to kill other players. Tryhards are most notorious in Player Versus Player (PvP) scenarios where they kill lower-level players to up their kill-death (KD) ratios. 

In GTA Online, there will be many interactions with other players, some will be friendly, while most others will be hostile. Read on to discover how you can identify Tryhards, any advantages of being a Tryhard, and how to become one. 

What Is a ‘Tryhard’ on GTA Online?

On GTA Online, a Tryhard is someone who tries really hard to be the best at the game, but uses unfair advantages. They typically find the best or easiest money-making optimization strategies. Apart from Tryhards, there are two other types of players regularly confused for Tryhards:

KD Warrior

A KD warrior is the most common type of a Tryhard. They take pleasure in ambushing other players and killing them to improve their Kill-Death ratio. Because their focus is on the KD ratio, a KD warrior always seeks less talented players because they present soft targets. The KD warrior will avoid skilled aggressive players.

Griefer

This kind of player uses similar tactics to a KD warrior but isn’t a type of Tryhard. A griefer’s main aim is to suck the fun out of other players’ GTA experience. They will kill you for no reason, not even to improve their KD ratio. 

They will take you out with sniper fire, place a bomb in your car, or blow up your stock. They are notorious for spending more than they gain. For instance, they will use $20K to burn your $2K stock. 

Tryhard

A true Tryhard will kill other players to gain items, money, weapons, and other goodies. The focus is not on the KD ratio and the targets are often not lower-level players. Tryhards will invest lots of real currency to buy third-party mods to secure added advantages over everyone else. 

How to Identify ‘Tryhard’?

In GTA, there is Player-Killing (PK) or Player Versus Player (PvP) which is only available in the online edition. There are gameplays such as Deathmatches where players can earn money by killing other players. You earn $100 for each kill and gain the dead player’s money. 

You may also encounter other players in Freemode and a Tryhard may get the jump on you. There are several tell-tale signs that identify a Tryhard. These include:

Privacy Settings

Tryhards most often have their social club profile set to private. It doesn’t mean that everyone set on private is a Tryhard or is a cheater, but that is one of the most common red flags.

Username

If the username has spaces, say ‘Noob Killer’, then that player is definitely using a mod that allows them to change their username in-game to reduce chances of being reported. That’s a sure sign of a Tryhard.

KD Ratio

Though not all Tryhards are KD warriors, most of them still have a higher-than-average KD ratio. 

Never Wanted

Tryhards will invest lots of money on mods. For example, if you’re fighting someone and the cops seem to have no interest in them, then the person is likely using a mod menu with an option for ‘Never Wanted.’

All-Max Stats

While it is possible to attain maximum stats, it’s not an easy thing to achieve. If you notice someone with maximum stats, especially at a much lower level than the stats would warrant, then that is most likely a Tryhard using mods to cheat.

Armor Value

Tryhards will invest in mods which keep their health bar at maximum at all times. You can only inflict a little bit of damage on them, but not beyond a certain point. 

Off The Radar (OTR)

Does the player go OTR without a notification? Whenever you use OTR with Lester or SecuroServ the game sends out a notification. Tryhards use mods so they can go OTR without sending out notifications. 

Speed

Is the other player unreasonably fast in their chosen vehicle? They are probably using a mod menu with ‘horn boost’ option which significantly increases their speed in car pursuits. 

Special Vehicles

Does the other player seem to very conveniently find a special vehicle? They are most likely using a mod that has the ‘Vehicle Spawner’ tool. 

Reloading

When the other player kills you, do they reload their weapon? Most Tryhards will have mods that support automatic reloads and infinite clips. They never have to reload. 

Quick Fix Damage

Was their car damaged just a moment ago and now looks and works fine? That’s a Tryhard cheating using a mod with a Clean/Fix vehicle option. 

How to Become a ‘Tryhard’ on GTA Online?

Many people consider being a Tryhard as taking the easy way out. You want to level up and gain money fast, at the expense of other players. The fastest tried-and-tested path to succeeding as a Tryhard is to invest in quality mods. If you’re looking to become a Tryhard, these are the steps you should take:

Mods

Join GTA communities to learn where you can access the best mods and gain unfair advantage over legitimate players. Tryhards rarely have the patience to earn their way through the levels and weapons. They will buy mods to gain access to specialized weapons and vehicles even though they lack the experience to handle them. 

Outfit

You will need a rebreather mask, the scarier and more menacing the better. You also need a dark outfit, and a bullet-proof helmet. The outfits help you hide while the helmet protects you from snipers. The mask induces fear in your naïve low-level opponents. 

Username

Create a hard to remember username. Maybe use barcodes and too many special characters. Make yourself look cryptic and even terrifying. 

Time

Devote all your time to playing GTA and finding shortcuts to advance. 

Emotion

Be highly emotionally invested as you dedicate time, effort, commitment, and enthusiasm to the game.