What Happens if You Overwrite Your Character in GTA Online?

As an avid Grand Theft Auto gamer with over 1000 hours across the series, I‘m often asked – what actually happens if you choose to overwrite your existing character in GTA Online? It‘s a risky move that can reset hundreds of hours of hard work, so let‘s break it down.

Your Character Gets Completely Reset

First and foremost, overwriting means that your character slot will be completely reset as if it were brand new. All properties, vehicles, businesses, weapons, stats and inventory on that character will be permanently lost.

I cannot stress this enough – overwritten characters cannot be recovered! However, according to Rockstar Support, your bank account balance does carry across characters. So your hard-earned cash stays safely tucked away for future use.

You Retain Your Level and Unlocks

Your main reputation level transfers over too. So while an overwritten character starts from scratch again, they retain all the special skill unlocks and upgrades you previously earned.

For example, if your old level 120 character could already fly planes and helicopters – your new level 120 character can too. That saves you having to grind those early game milestones again!

Say Goodbye to Your Businesses and Toys

On the flip side, all those fancy toys and assets like your penthouse, arcade warehouse, garages of custom vehicles etc will be gone:

• Properties need to be repurchased
• Businesses will reset to startup state
• Vehicles and their upgrades will be lost
• Yachts, bunkers and hangars reset

It can be devastating to see hundreds of hours of hard work disappear before your eyes. Personally, I‘d avoid ever overwriting my main character who owns pretty much everything after years of effort!

Reasons Players Overwrite Characters

However, for one reason or another, some players still take the overwrite plunge. After polling other hardcore GTA forums and reddits, here are the most common reasons:

1. Wanting a Fresh Start
   • Level 240 and own everything already – bored!
2. Hitting Nasty Progress-Breaking Glitches
   • Missions won‘t complete even after patch
3. Testing Out Character Creation Ideas
   • Made character years ago, want something cooler now
4. Making Room to Migrate Old Characters
   • Make space to bring old gen console character across

I‘ve been there for reason #2 – previous money glitches have completely stalled my progression, leaving overwrite a frustrating last resort if support cannot help.

Risks and Downsides of Overwriting

Before you click that overwrite button, here are some major downsides to consider first:

• No way to recover erased character or progress!
  • Support fairly rigid against restoring
• Need to rebuy properties and vehicles
  • $100m+ loss easily
• Businesses reset to startup state
  • Goodbye fully upgraded nightclub!
• Lose all special inventory
  • Limited edition clothing, fireworks etc

As you can see, one small click can undo hundreds of hours of work. So I only recommend overwriting characters if you are absolutely sure or have seriously broken progression.

What are Some Alternatives?

Before resorting to overwrite characters, please explore these options:

1. Change Appearance
   • Cheap way to redesign character looks
2. Start a Brand New Second Character
   • Make new one alongside main
3. Submit Support Ticket
   • Explain issues clearly and politely
4. Retry Fixes and Wait for Patches
   • Every bug gets patched eventually

Believe me when I say that avoiding an unnecessary overwrite should be your top priority!

I hope this clearly demonstrates what happens if you overwrite your GTA Online character. Please let me know if you have any other questions!