Quick Answer

100% completion is best handled after the story. During the story, mark discoveries and keep moving; once your cash, vehicles, weapons, and flight control improve, clean up by region.

Cleanup Order

PriorityContentWhy
1Story and required strangersUnlocks characters, map flow, and later activities
2Hobbies and pastimesFixed activity types are easy to batch
3Stunt jumpsBetter vehicles make failures less painful
4Letter scraps and spaceship partsLarge counts are easier with region routing
5Random events and gold medalsBetter as final cleanup

Region Method

Split the map into city, coast, mountains, desert, and freeway surroundings. Clean one region at a time, combining collectibles, jumps, and strangers before moving on.

100% Checks

  • Finish or nearly finish the story before heavy cleanup.
  • Complete required strangers and activity types.
  • Do not assume one attempt satisfies an activity category.
  • Mark failed stunt jumps and retry with a better vehicle.
  • Save letter scraps and spaceship parts for deliberate route cleanup.