GTA Online players literally walking in circles for free stuff

The new Los Santos Tuners update is giving players a new reason to go AFK.

If you’ve ever played Grand Theft Auto Online, you’ll know that the game’s most dedicated players will go to any length to obtain the newest, shiniest items available. Players realized that one of the best ways to get ahead is to simply not play in last month’s Los Santos Tuners update, which brought new outfits and car paint jobs. More specifically, go AFK and make the game think you’re still playing.

Players have had to get a little more creative to passively accrue Tuner XP and unlock the update’s new outfits and car liveries, thanks to a recent patch that nerfed the most frequent AFK tactics (players used to simply watch TV in their flats and chill). Many, as noticed by Dirty_Worka on Twitter, are resorting to a classic: walking your character around in circles for hours upon hours.

To gain Tuner XP, players must congregate at a “Car Meet” and take advantage of the modest XP bonus that is awarded every few minutes just for being present. Car Meets are designed to be multi-player lobbies where you can show off your ride’s insane hydraulics, trash talk about who’s faster, and queue up for races like the one in every Fast & Furious film. However, if you invite AFK farmers to your car meet, all you’ll witness are a bunch of confused people walking into walls. Some fans have complained that once you achieve level 100, this is a rather slow way to level up your Tuner rep (winning actual races will get you there much faster), but hey, free is free.

What strategies are players employing to stay mobile? I prefer the traditional rubber band around the thumbstick method, but Reddit user ElsonDaSushiCheff thought outside the box when they put a single battery on the W key, just hefty enough to keep it pushed. I can only say kudos to th3d0wnfa11’s double-stick rubber band method, which he employed to grind on two different surfaces at the same time.

That LS Car Meet Reputation Grind… ???? from gtaonline

Rockstar’s previous nerf to AFK farming was understandable, but I’m not sure stopping a rubber band will be that simple. Although the circle walkers aren’t preventing other players from doing what they want, it must be rather annoying to show up at a car meet for a legal hang only to be confronted with a pack of mindless vehicle zombies. There is one other way to farm Tuner XP that requires leaving a test race and chilling in the exit menu, but Rockstar probably will patch that one out at some point.