Survival

Survival is a game mode in Grand Theft Auto Online. They are unlocked at level 15 when Ron notifies the player about one, and survivals are fought to keep Trevor Phillips Enterprises in monopoly of drugs in Blaine County and Los Santos. There are 10 waves of survival, all increasing in difficulty, with enemies using more advanced weaponry and having stronger body armor.

The number of enemies in each wave, however, does NOT increase with each wave, as it will increase at first, then decrease again and increase again at the last wave. Survivals are marked as a blue shield on the map, and up to four players can play a single Survival match. If a player dies, he/she must spectate the other players who are alive, and will respawn at the start of the next wave. If all the teammates die, everyone fails the Survival.

Survival is a unique activity due to getting a reward for effort rather than success. The player will get a multiple of $200 for the wave they reached and failed at ($200 at first wave, $400 at second wave, $800 at third wave, etc). If the player(s) is able to complete all 10 waves, they will get an additional $10000, making the complete reward $30000 (originally $20000 in the pre-patch).

Weapons
Depending on the wave, different weapons will spawn. Health packs and armor are available from start, and reappear every wave.

Wave 1
Combat Pistol

Micro SMG

Wave 2
SMG

Wave 3
Norinco Type 56-2

Wave 4-7
Advanced Rifle

Sticky Bomb

RPG

Assault Shotgun

Tear Gas

Grenade

Wave 8-10
Minigun

Boneyard
A vacant scrapyard in the middle of the Grand Senora Desert filled with decommissioned aircraft. There are various different hiding spots. Rednecks are the enemies.

Del Perro Pier
A large pier that has many tourist attractions and public bathrooms to hide in. The Lost MC are the enemies. Del Perro Pier was opened as a Survival location for the Beach Bum pack.

Processed
Located in the car scrapyard of El Burro Heights, Processed is a risky area for Survival. There are several shipping containers in the area for hiding in case the enemies become overpowered.

Sandy Survival
Being set right in the middle of town, there are few good locations to hold out. It is recommended to climb to the rooftops or go inside one of the stores, but even then, Sandy Shores is one of the more difficult Survivals. The enemies are the O'Neil Brothers.

Industrial Plant
An abandoned industrial plant in the Grand Senora Desert. Watch out for enemies hiding behind the cargo shipments. Gruppe 6 are the enemies.

Railyard
It is located at the old railyard in El Burro Heights. Enemies include LSPD and Merryweather.

Sawmill Plant
It is located at the abandoned sawmill plant in Paleto Forest. The enemies are the O'Neil Brothers.

Maze Bank
It is located outside at the Maze Bank Tower entrance. Enemies include LSPD and NOOSE. Maze Bank was opened as a Survival location for The Business Update.

Legion Square
It is located in Legion Square. Enemies include LSPD and NOOSE. Part of the I'm Not a Hipster Update. It is a vastly, open area with many covered that can be flanked by enemies. Vehicles are parked outside of the Legion Square area and are recommended for providing cover for flanked players.

Trivia

 * If the player picks up any weapon that he/she has not unlocked yet, they will be able to keep the weapon until he/she exits the current session.
 * The O'Neils being the enemies in one of the survivals is a joke on the big amount of O'Neil brothers which Trevor mentions in story mode.
 * Vehicles cannot be used in Survival as the game will prevent you from opening the door. However, it is possible to use sometimes. It may be a glitch or error. For a helicopter, even if it manages to be intact after losing its pilot and crashing, players will be unable to use it.
 * In Legion Square Survival, parked vehicles can be used and driven to provide cover for flanked players. It is noted, however, that players must not stray far away from the Legion Square area while in a vehicle. The same applies for Del Perro Pier survival, although parked cars are outside of the survival area, so players must make haste.
 * Miniguns used to spawn with the maximum ammo capacity, but since the patch 1.14, they usually have around 500 bullets in them.