How to Start GTA Online KnoWay Out at the Calais Ave Xero Gas Station

The KnoWay Out mission chain in GTA Online is one of the standout additions from the A Safehouse in the Hills update. It teams you up once again with the eccentric hacker Avi Schwartzman as you move against a tech company that’s trying to blanket Los Santos with a surveillance network powered by self-driving vehicles. The catch? Everything begins with a cryptic text and a very specific payphone at the Xero gas station on Calais Avenue, which can be surprisingly hard to track down if you don’t know exactly where to look.

This guide explains how to find the right gas station, how the payphone system works, how the missions are structured, and what rewards and unlocks you can expect for seeing the whole KnoWay Out chain through to the end.

Background: What KnoWay Out Adds to GTA Online

KnoWay Out is a series of linked missions delivered through payphones scattered around Los Santos. The narrative centers on a fictional tech firm deploying a fleet of autonomous vehicles that secretly feed data into a citywide monitoring grid. Avi recruits you to sabotage their operations, wreck their PR campaigns, and ultimately cripple the company’s infrastructure.

In practical gameplay terms, KnoWay Out offers:

• A sequence of five structured contact-style missions triggered through payphones.
• Objectives focused on self-driving vehicles, depots, data centers, and PR stunts.
• Cash and RP rewards that scale with performance and completion time.
• Unlock conditions tied to new mansions and an additional mission featuring Michael if you own a qualifying property.

The missions are cooperative-friendly and can be played solo or with a small group, similar to other contact missions, but they’re framed in a more narrative-driven way than standard open-world objectives.

Requirements Before KnoWay Out Can Start

There are a few basic requirements that determine whether you’ll receive the initial mysterious text that kicks off the chain:

• Game version: Your copy of GTA Online must be updated to include the A Safehouse in the Hills content. Rockstar uses title updates to add new missions, vehicles, and properties to GTA Online, so staying updated is essential for accessing recent content such as KnoWay Out.¹
• Online character: You must be in GTA Online with your multiplayer character, not in single-player story mode.
• Session type: KnoWay Out can be triggered in public or invite-only sessions. As with other contact-style missions, performance in a quieter lobby may be more consistent because there are fewer griefers and random events to interfere with.
• Initial text trigger: The text comes from an unknown number and references Xero. Calais Ave. Payphone. Answer it. After it arrives, the game places a mission marker for the first payphone.

There is no strict level requirement published for this mission chain, but given the difficulty and the expectation that players own properties introduced in newer updates, it’s reasonable to assume Rockstar expects players to have progressed beyond the earliest stages of GTA Online.²

Finding Calais Avenue and the Xero Gas Station

Calais Avenue is a named street in Los Santos that runs through Little Seoul and La Puerta, not far from the city’s major freeway system and the maze of overpasses that connect to the port area.³ The Xero gas station you need sits along this avenue, and the payphone is located near the forecourt.

How to Recognize Calais Avenue on the Map

If you zoom in on your Los Santos map, you’ll see street names appear when you hover over them. Look for:

• A horizontal avenue near the western part of the city, in the blocks between Little Seoul and the docks.
• Nearby labels such as La Puerta and Little Seoul.
• Proximity to the major highway loops and the canals leading toward Vespucci.

The update helps you by placing a large yellow mission marker (typically an “A” icon) on the map once the initial text is received. You do not have to guess which station it is; just set a waypoint to that marker and drive there.

Spotting the Correct Xero Gas Station

Xero is a fictional petroleum brand used throughout the Grand Theft Auto series, with brightly colored signage and distinctive branding.⁴ On Calais Avenue, the station you want has:

• A covered pump area with Xero branding above the forecourt.
• A small convenience store structure behind or to the side of the pumps.
• A payphone positioned on the sidewalk edge of the station or just off the forecourt.

As you approach, listen for the sound of the phone ringing and look for the mission prompt. Walking into the marker lets you interact and answer the call.

Answering the First Payphone and Starting KnoWay Out

Once you reach the Xero station and step into the interaction marker, you’ll be able to answer the payphone. This kicks off an introductory sequence:

1. Intro call: Avi introduces the situation and outlines the broad threat posed by the autonomous vehicle fleet.
2. Cinematic setup: You may see a brief sequence establishing the tech company, its vehicles, or the surveillance grid they’re building.
3. Follow-up marker: After this initial call, Rockstar spawns another payphone marker elsewhere in the city, again indicated with a map icon.

The first visit to Calais Ave Xero is primarily about unlocking the mission chain. You won’t be thrown straight into a full operation; instead, the game uses this first call to pull your character into Avi’s plan.

How Subsequent Payphone Calls Work

After the opener, the structure is consistent:

• A new yellow map icon appears at another payphone.
• Travel there and answer the phone to start the next mission.
• Complete the objectives, escape any pursuers, and receive your cash and RP reward.
• At the end, Avi typically prompts you through another call, or the game signals that the next payphone location is now active.

Because the missions are linear, you cannot skip ahead; each completed assignment enables the next payphone and the next step in Avi’s campaign against the company.

Overview of the Five KnoWay Out Missions

The KnoWay Out series is composed of five missions, each chipping away at a different aspect of the tech company’s operations. While exact mission names and sequences may vary in presentation, the structure consistently touches on the following themes:

1. Targeting the PR Campaign

The early part of the chain focuses on damaging the company’s public image. You’re sent to sabotage a major PR push built around the safety and efficiency of their autonomous vehicles. Expect objectives such as:

• Infiltrating a vehicle depot where demonstration pods are stored.
• Eliminating guards or security contractors watching over the fleet.
• Hijacking or remotely controlling one of the vehicles to cause high-profile chaos.

One mission in particular emphasizes using a remote-controlled taxi to cause maximum destruction; if you destroy multiple targets this way, you earn a higher payout compared to using ordinary weapons or vehicles.

2. Sabotaging Depots and Infrastructure

Once the company’s PR arm takes a hit, Avi moves on to their logistical backbone. These missions often involve:

• Breaking into storage depots and maintenance yards.
• Destroying or stealing self-driving cars waiting for deployment.
• Downloading or corrupting data stored on-site that controls routing and scheduling.

These mid-chain missions tend to escalate in difficulty, with larger waves of enemies and tighter time limits, rewarding coordinated group play and a balanced loadout.

3. Attacking the Surveillance Network

The next step is to neutralize the company’s network backbone. Narrative beats focus on how the vehicles feed data into centralized systems that can track the entire city. Gameplay tasks here can include:

• Locating key network nodes, server stacks, or communications relays.
• Defending a position while Avi or a device uploads malware or siphons data.
• Escaping heavy police or private security response once the hack is complete.

The difficulty curve continues to climb, so heavier armor and weaponry become increasingly important. Having an armored personal vehicle or access to weaponized cars can help you survive firefights and block off entrances.

4. The Finale: A Clean Break

The final KnoWay Out mission is a larger-scale operation designed to deliver a decisive blow. The objective is to cut the company off at the knees, often by destroying remaining critical infrastructure and ensuring that their autonomous fleet can’t be salvaged or quickly rebuilt.

Key characteristics of the finale include:

• Multi-stage structure with several locations and objectives.
• High density of enemies, including armored opponents and vehicles.
• Strict escape requirement with a long wanted level or persistent pursuit.

Completing this final mission as the host/leader may tie into a limited-time Weekly Challenge, offering a sizeable bonus such as GTA$400,000 for finishing the finale in the first week of a new update period. Rockstar regularly rotates Weekly Challenges and special bonuses to encourage players to try new content, so checking the official Newswire gives the most current reward details.⁵

Rewards, Bonuses, and Mansion Unlocks

Every KnoWay Out mission pays out standard GTA Online cash and RP, affected by completion time, difficulty level, and performance. Some missions also include bonus conditions, such as extra money for staying within a particular vehicle or using specified tools to cause destruction.

Weekly Challenge Bonuses

During the launch window of the update that introduced KnoWay Out, Rockstar tied a Weekly Challenge to the finale, offering a significant cash bonus for players who completed the final mission as leader before the bonus period expired. While specific figures change from event to event, these launch-week incentives typically offer more generous rewards than normal mission payouts, making it worthwhile to complete the chain sooner rather than later.

Mansion Ownership and Michael Mission Unlock

The update also connects KnoWay Out to new high-end mansion properties. If you meet the following conditions:

• You own at least one mansion introduced in the same update as KnoWay Out.
• You successfully complete all KnoWay Out missions from start to finish.

Then you can unlock an additional mission featuring Michael, known as Home Sweet Home. This is a continuation of GTA Online’s trend of folding single-player characters into multiplayer updates, offering more narrative content and unique mission design for long-time players.

Tips for Beating KnoWay Out Efficiently

Although KnoWay Out missions are accessible to a wide range of players, they can become hectic, especially during later stages. These pointers will help you finish them quickly and capitalize on time-sensitive bonuses.

Recommended Loadout

• Primary weapon: A reliable assault rifle or carbine with good range and accuracy.
• Secondary weapon: A compact SMG or shotgun for close-quarters fights inside depots and cramped interiors.
• Explosives: Sticky bombs and grenades for destroying multiple vehicles quickly.
• Protection: Heavy armor and plenty of snacks, so you can recover between firefights.

Vehicle Choices

• Use a durable, armored vehicle for traveling between objectives and surviving ambushes.
• If you have access to flying vehicles, consider them for speed, but be mindful of mission restrictions that sometimes lock you into specific vehicles or areas.
• When missions emphasize the remote-controlled taxi, commit to using it for destruction to maximize your payout.

Solo vs. Co-op Play

All missions can be approached solo by experienced players, but running them with friends or crew members makes objectives faster and safer. Divide tasks like hacking, driving, and crowd control so one player isn’t overwhelmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why haven’t I received the text about the Calais Ave Xero payphone yet?

First, confirm that your game is fully updated and that you’re in GTA Online rather than story mode. If your character is relatively new, spend some time completing other missions and activities; Rockstar often uses progression triggers and background timers before delivering new content texts. Switch sessions or restart the game if the message still doesn’t arrive.

Do I need to own a mansion to play KnoWay Out?

No. Mansion ownership is only required to unlock the additional Michael mission Home Sweet Home after you finish KnoWay Out. You can play the entire KnoWay Out chain without buying any of the new properties.

Can I replay individual KnoWay Out missions?

Yes. After completing them, you can typically replay missions through the Jobs menu, from recent activity lists, or when they appear as Job Replays. Repeating missions is a good way to refine your strategy and farm additional cash and RP.

Is the Calais Ave Xero gas station used for anything else?

Beyond KnoWay Out, the Calais Ave Xero station functions like other gas stations in the city — it’s a recognizable landmark and sometimes appears in other activities, but its unique role in the update is primarily to host the first payphone that unlocks this mission chain.

Is KnoWay Out time-limited?

The missions themselves are part of a permanent content update and remain available indefinitely. Only specific Weekly Challenge bonuses and promotional payout boosts tied to new updates are time-limited and rotate according to Rockstar’s event schedule.