Balloon Exploit

The Balloon Exploit, often incorrectly referred to as the Balloon Hack, is an exploit which allows players to float on top of balloons.

Execution
The exploit is performed by first spawning in a balloon whilst standing behind a Ford car and facing away from the vehicle. Note that this will not work with any vehicle type other than a Ford. Immediately after spawning in the balloon, the player must run backwards onto the roof of the car, then jump forwards, landing on top of the balloon. This maneuver is difficult to pull off, as the player's aiming and timing must be precise. Also, if a room has a significant amount of players in it, causing lag, then the player will often fall through the balloon even if they landed correctly.

Discovery
On May 30th, 2020, YouTuber 2parkway uploaded a video titled "Downtown 1930s Mafia Floating on Balloon Hack," in which they performed the exploit in the street next to the Arcadia diner. This is the earliest known recording of the exploit.

Advantage
The actual advantage that the exploit has is limited (largely due to its difficulty to perform correctly). The only arguable advantage it does have is a height advantage, as the player floating atop the balloon will be able to shoot other players on the ground, with less chance of being spotted. However, the same can be accomplished more efficiently via rooftops, and players who do notice the floating players will easily be able to take them down with a single shot of the balloon, causing them to suffer from fall damage and thus be weakened.

Notable Uses

 * On July 8th, 2020, player Tommy Cornela uploaded a video on his YouTube channel, in which he attempted to scale the side of the Lighthouse via a jumping exploit. At around 14 minutes and 15 seconds in the video, while using the Balloon Exploit, he manages to reach the upper floor of the Lighthouse, which was previously thought to be inaccessible.
 * A few days later, on July 15th, T Bone utilized the technique from Cornela's video, but took it a step farther; he managed to land on top of the roof of the Lighthouse, becoming the first recorded player to do so.