Look, let's be real for a second. We’ve all been there. You’re tearing through Los Santos, five stars flashing on the UI, and the LSPD is throwing everything—including the kitchen sink—at your bumper. You need a way out. Or maybe you just want to see how long you can survive a fall from a Luxor Deluxe without a parachute. That’s where the invincibility cheat for GTA V PS4 comes in, but there’s a massive catch that almost everyone forgets until they’re mid-air and staring at a "Wasted" screen.
Rockstar Games has a bit of a sadistic streak. Unlike the old-school San Andreas days where you could be a literal god until you turned the console off, the modern era of Grand Theft Auto handles god mode with a ticking clock.
The Button Combo You Actually Need
Forget searching through endless menus. To trigger the invincibility cheat for GTA V PS4, you have to input a specific sequence of directional pad presses and face buttons. You’ve gotta do it fast. If you’re too slow, Franklin or Michael will just end up jumping or punching thin air like a lunatic.
The sequence is: RIGHT, X, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, R1, RIGHT, LEFT, X, TRIANGLE.
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If you did it right, a small notification pops up above the mini-map. It tells you the cheat is active. But—and this is the part that kills people—it only lasts for five minutes. That’s it. Three hundred seconds of glory before you’re suddenly mortal again. It’s honestly kind of a buzzkill when you’re in the middle of a massive shootout at Fort Zancudo and the timer hits zero while a tank shell is screaming toward your face.
The Cell Phone Alternative
Maybe you aren't great at memorizing button combos. Honestly, same. If your muscle memory fails you, pull out the in-game smartphone. Go to your contacts, bring up the dial pad, and type in 1-999-724-654-5537 (which spells out PAINKILLER).
It does the exact same thing. It triggers that five-minute window of safety. Some people find it easier to remember the "Painkiller" mnemonic than a string of d-pad movements, but in the heat of a chase, the button combo is usually faster if you can burn it into your brain.
What Nobody Tells You About God Mode
There is a lot of misinformation floating around about how these cheats interact with the game world. People think they can just turn on the invincibility cheat for GTA V PS4 and go hunt for Trophies or complete their 100% checklist.
Nope.
The moment you enter a cheat code, Rockstar disables Trophies for that session. If you’re trying to platinum the game, do not touch these codes. You’ll have to reload a clean save to get your achievements back. It’s a "use at your own risk" situation for your save file's integrity. Also, don't even bother trying this in GTA Online. It won't work. Rockstar blocked cheats in the multiplayer mode for obvious reasons—nobody wants to play against a guy who can’t die while they’re trying to deliver cargo.
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It Doesn't Protect Your Car
This is a huge point of confusion. Being invincible means your character won't take damage. Michael, Franklin, and Trevor become walking tanks. However, the car you’re driving? It’s still made of metal and glass. If you drive a Zentorno off a cliff while the cheat is active, you’ll walk away from the wreck, but the car is going to explode.
If you want the car to be invincible too, you’re out of luck. There isn’t a single "invincible vehicle" code. You have to use the "Repair Armor and Health" cheat repeatedly to keep your ride from smoking. It’s tedious. It's basically a full-time job just keeping a car together during a high-speed pursuit.
The Strategy of the Five-Minute Reset
Since you’re on a timer, you have to be tactical. Real pros don't just wait for the timer to run out. They keep an eye on the clock. When you have about ten seconds left, find a piece of cover. Re-enter the code. This resets the five-minute clock.
You can stack it indefinitely, but you have to be proactive. If you wait until you’re actually taking damage to re-enter the code, you’re probably going to die before the last button press. The animation for some of these buttons—like "X" making you jump—can actually get you killed if you’re standing on a ledge or near an explosive.
Director Mode: The "Permanent" Loophole
If you’re sick of the five-minute limit, there is one legitimate way to stay invincible forever on the PS4 version. It’s called Director Mode.
- Bring up the Interaction Menu (hold the Touchpad).
- Scroll down to Director Mode.
- Once you’re in the trailer, go to Settings.
- Toggle "Invincibility" to ON.
In Director Mode, you can play as almost any NPC or main character, and the invincibility never expires. You can't play story missions here, but if your goal is just to cause absolute chaos without looking at a watch every four minutes, this is the way to go. It’s basically the sandbox mode Rockstar never explicitly gave us in the main campaign.
Why Does Rockstar Restrict the Fun?
It seems weird, right? In GTA III or Vice City, you were a god forever. The shift to a timed invincibility cheat for GTA V PS4 was likely a design choice to keep the game’s engine from breaking. When you’re invincible, you can do things that the physics engine isn't always prepared for. By limiting it to five minutes, Rockstar ensures that players don't permanently glitched their save states or end up in situations where the game logic falls apart.
Plus, it adds a layer of "management" to your rampage. It makes you feel like you're playing a game rather than just watching a movie where nothing matters.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't use it in water: You can still drown. Invincibility protects you from bullets and falls, but your lungs still need air. Use the "Lower Wanted Level" or "Fast Swim" if you're stuck in the middle of the ocean.
- Watch the "Wasted" Screen: If you fall from a height so great that the game triggers a "death script," sometimes the cheat won't save you. Usually, you'll survive, but clipping into the map can still kill you.
- The Mission Fail: Using cheats can occasionally glitch out mission triggers. If an NPC is supposed to kill you as part of a cutscene or a specific fail state, having god mode on can soft-lock the game.
Take Action: Your Next Steps in Los Santos
If you're ready to go on a tear, here is your checklist to make the most of it. First, create a "Chaos Save." Never use cheats on your main, 100%-completion-path save file. Save the game in a new slot, then go wild.
Second, memorize the "Painkiller" phone number. It’s much easier to dial from the phone while running than it is to get the d-pad movements right while the camera is shaking from explosions.
Finally, if you really want the "Ultimate" experience, combine the invincibility cheat for GTA V PS4 with the "Explosive Melee" and "Super Jump" codes. It turns the game into a weird superhero simulator that feels nothing like the gritty crime drama it started as. Just remember: when that timer hits 0:01, you're just another guy in a tacky Hawaiian shirt. Get to cover.
To maximize your session, try these steps:
- Load your "Chaos Save" slot.
- Enter the Invincibility code: RIGHT, X, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, R1, RIGHT, LEFT, X, TRIANGLE.
- Immediately follow it with the "Give Weapons" code (TRIANGLE, R2, LEFT, L1, X, RIGHT, TRIANGLE, DOWN, SQUARE, L1, L1, L1) so you have the hardware to back up your godhood.
- Set a real-world timer on your phone for 4 minutes and 30 seconds so you never get caught off guard by the expiration.
- Head to the Los Santos International Airport or Fort Zancudo to test your limits against the military.