To open the GTA 5 radio wheel, sit in a vehicle and hold Q on PC, or hold Left on the D-pad on PlayStation and Xbox. Move the mouse or the right stick to a station, then release the button. The game slows down while the wheel is open. In GTA Online, you can also remove stations from the wheel in the Interaction Menu.
How do you open the radio wheel in GTA 5?
The radio wheel shows all the stations in a circle. Rockstar added it first in GTA V, and the same wheel is in GTA Online. When you open it, the game uses a slow motion effect, so you can change the station safely while you drive.
Use these default controls:
| Action | PC (keyboard and mouse) | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open the radio wheel | Hold Q | Hold Left on the D-pad | Hold Left on the D-pad |
| Select a station on the wheel | Move the mouse, then release Q | Tilt the right stick, then release the D-pad | Tilt the right stick, then release the D-pad |
| Next radio station | . (period) or mouse wheel down | Tap Left on the D-pad, or swipe up on the touch pad | Tap Left on the D-pad |
| Previous radio station | , (comma) | Swipe down on the touch pad | No default listed |
| Next Self Radio track | = | Not available | Not available |
| Turn the radio off | Select Radio Off on the wheel | Select Radio Off on the wheel | Select Radio Off on the wheel |
You do not have to push the right stick in. Tilt it and release the D-pad. A controller on PC uses the same D-pad and right stick method on the default layout.
How do you change the station without the radio wheel?
Use the quick controls when you know the station order. On PC, press the period key to go forward and the comma key to go back. The mouse wheel also changes the station, but only when your control settings give it that job. If the mouse wheel changes your weapon, use the keys or the wheel.
On a controller, tap Left on the D-pad. One tap moves to the next station. Hold the same button to open the full wheel.
Each car has its own radio. If you get into a different vehicle, it can play a different station. Open the wheel again and select your station. Some missions also change the station or turn off the radio. Test the radio again in free roam if this happens.
How do you remove stations from the radio wheel in GTA Online?
All stations are favorites by default, so all of them show on the wheel. If you remove a station from your favorites, the station goes off the wheel. A short wheel is faster to use.
Do these steps:
- Open the Interaction Menu. On PlayStation, hold the touch pad.
- Select Inventory.
- Select Radio Station Favorites. A list of all stations with check boxes opens.
- Clear the check box of each station that you do not want.
- Close the Interaction Menu.
Now hold Left on the D-pad (or Q on PC) in a vehicle. The wheel shows only your favorite stations. To get a station back, go to the same menu and select its check box again.
Why are radio stations missing from the GTA 5 radio wheel?
Look at these causes first:
- You removed the station from your favorites. Check Inventory > Radio Station Favorites in the Interaction Menu.
- You are on Cayo Perico. The radio stations are not available on that island.
- Rockstar moved the station. Rockstar added new stations in updates. Each time, the wheel became larger and the order of the stations changed.
- You look for Self Radio on a console. Self Radio is a PC feature. PlayStation and Xbox do not have it.
If a song is missing and not a full station, the cause is different. Some songs are no longer in GTA 5. Our post Songs Removed From GTA 5: The Full List and Why lists them and tells why.
How do you add your own music to the radio wheel?
On PC, the Self Radio station plays your own music files. Rockstar Support gives these steps:
- Open your Documents folder.
- Open Rockstar Games > GTA V > User Music.
- Copy MP3, WMA or M4A files with no DRM into this folder. You can also put shortcuts here to your music folders.
If you play GTA V Enhanced, make sure that you use the User Music folder of the edition that you start. Then open the Pause Menu, select Settings > Audio, and do a scan. After the scan, hold Q in a vehicle and select Self Radio on the wheel.
The Audio settings control how Self Radio works:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Self Radio Mode: Sequential | Plays the files in folder order. You can skip songs. |
| Self Radio Mode: Shuffle | Plays the files in a random order. You can skip songs. |
| Self Radio Mode: Radio | Plays the files in a random order, with adverts and DJ talk between tracks. You cannot skip songs. |
| Auto-scan for music | Does a Quick Scan each time the game starts. |
| Perform Quick Scan for Music | Scans the folder and plays the files as they are in the folder. |
| Perform Full Scan for Music | Scans the folder and does more analysis of the files. |
Self Radio is not the same as the Media Player in GTA Online. Select Self Radio for your own files. If the radio is too quiet, go to Settings > Audio. Increase Music Volume and decrease SFX Volume a small quantity.
How do you find Non-Stop-Pop FM and its DJ on the wheel?
Open the wheel and move to the Non-Stop-Pop FM icon. Then release the button. Use the Radio Station Favorites menu if you want only a small number of stations on your wheel. Keep Non-Stop-Pop FM checked to keep it.
DJ Cara hosts Non-Stop-Pop FM. Read who DJ Cara is in GTA 5 for her lines and her playlist. Each station on the wheel has its own host. Our post GTA 5 Radio DJs: Every Station Host and Who Voices Them names all of them.
You can also make DJ Cara say your own line. Type it in the GTA radio voice generator, and the voice reads it over the Non-Stop-Pop FM intro. The voice is an AI recreation of the radio character, not Cara Delevingne, and Rockstar has nothing to do with it.
Sources
- https://support.rockstargames.com/articles/5L6IP5RzI8kQXyXCddPO2Z/how-to-play-custom-music-on-the-self-radio-station-in-gtav-and-gta-online-on-pc
- https://www.pushsquare.com/guides/gta-online-how-to-customise-your-radio
- https://www.gtaboom.com/GTA_5_Controls:_PC_Keyboard,_PlayStation_and_Xbox
- https://www.bisecthosting.com/blog/gta-v-controls-guide-pc-playstation-xbox-keyboard-mouse-gamepad
- https://gamingimba.com/how-to-change-the-radio-station-in-gta-5-pc-playstation-xbox-self-radio/
- https://www.gtabase.com/grand-theft-auto-v/radio-stations/
- https://gta.fandom.com/wiki/Radio_Station_Wheel
- https://gta.fandom.com/wiki/Radio_Stations_in_GTA_Online