ThatGrand Theft Auto 5still has an active player base more than a decade on from its initial release is incredibly impressive. Despite its age, it still looks great and continues to receive fairly regular updates from Rockstar to keep things feeling fresh. One of the best parts about the game is undoubtedly its heists, which feature both as part of the single-player campaign and the ever-expandingGTA Online.
It took a little while for the service to get off the ground, with the first online heists not being added to the game until nearly two years after its initial release. Since then, though, a steady trickle of newGTA Onlineheists have been introduced, each of which rewards players with thousands of dollars in virtual cash. The best heists inGTA Onlineare highly enjoyable too, providing players with plenty of incentive to try them out.
Updated July 18, 2025, by Tom Bowen:With GTA 6 now looming large on the horizon, players are preparing to say their final farewells to GTA Online. There’s arguably no better way to do that than revisiting some of its many heists, which remain one of the most enjoyable elements of the online title. Completing the highest-paying GTA Online heists is a great way to earn money while also soaking in the incredible online experience with a few friends.
$100,625
$201,250
$250,250
$630,000
$693,000
$700,000
$770,000
$847,000
$350,000
$875,000
$353,500
$707,000
$883,750
$1,100,000
$472,500
$945,000
$1,181,500
$975,000
$1,218,750
$1,300,000
$1,430,000
$1,425,000
$1,781,250
$750,000
$1,500,000
$1,875,000
$1,900,000
$2,090,000
$1,800,000
$2,250,000
$2,115,000
$2,326,500
$2,350,000
$2,585,000
$2,843,500
$3,290,000
$3,619,000
2
$11,500
The Fleeca Job was the very first heist added toGTA Onlineand is the only one that doesn’t allow more than two players. The main objective is to steal bonds from a safe deposit box at a small branch of the Fleeca Bank in Banham Canyon. It costs $11,500 to set up the heist and requires a fairly minimal amount of prep work compared to most of the others.
One of the players will be tasked with driving the getaway vehicle and controlling the bank’s patrons once the heist gets underway. The other must drill into the safe deposit box and secure the bonds as quickly as possible. Upon opening the box, both players will receive a three-star wanted level and will need to meet up with Lester’s getaway guy to escape the cops.
4
$25,000
The Prison Break heist requires a crew of four and will cost $25,000 to set up. To initiate the heist, players will need to speak with Lester, who will introduce them to Agent 14. This mysterious agent will ask them to help break a former military researcher out of jail and deliver him to safety, which is every bit as dangerous as it sounds.
Before freeing the researcher, players will have to obtain several vehicles as well as get hold of the prison transport schedule. They’ll then need to take out several targets. Once everything’s ready, the crew has to break the researcher out of prison and take him to an airfield. After losing the cops and arriving at the drop zone, he’ll take control of the plane, and the crew will parachute to safety.
Series A Funding is a little different from the game’s other heists. Rather than the target being stolen during the finale, the drugs that Trevor has asked for are instead acquired during the setup phase of the heist. Players will need both a crew of four and $25,000 to set everything up.
There are five setup stages, each of which will require stealing a different type of illegal drug. For the heist’s finale, the crew must take the stolen drugs to Trevor while fighting off some of the gangs from whom they were stolen. After meeting Trevor at a lighthouse, his buyer turns out to be an undercover agent, although theloveable psychopathsomehow manages to escape and the crew still gets paid.
The Humane Labs Raid is another heist given to the player by Agent 14. He’ll ask the player to infiltrate the Humane Labs and Research facility to find evidence of nerve agents or other biological weapons. The heist requires a crew of four players and costs $25,000 to set up.
As part of the preparation for the raid, the crew will need to acquire an EMP, a Valkyrie helicopter, and the key codes for the lab. Once everything’s been acquired, the crew will split into ground and air teams. The ground team will be tasked with breaking into the lab and obtaining the data, all while the air team protects them from above.
2-4
The Doomsday Heist consists of three acts, each of which functions as a mini-heist. Players can tackle them using crews made up of two, three, or four people and this will determine the final cut that each player receives. The first few are given to the crew by Avon, who is an associate of Lester’s. The Data Breaches serves as the first act and has a setup cost of $25,000.
In the finale, the crew will head to an IAA base and fight off a unit of Merryweather security agents. As they fight their way through the base, they’ll eventually arrive at the war room, and from here, they’ll be able to control the turrets. After gunning down more Merryweather agents, a cutscene will play out, and the heist will come to an end.
The second of the Doomsday heists requires a lot more prep work and another $25,000 to set up. Thankfully, though, the finale is fairly straightforward, especially for those in the air. The crew will split into two teams, with one taking to the water in a submersible car and the other piloting a military aircraft in the skies above.
The air team need only fight off any incoming planes or choppers, while the other team gains access to a submarine. After tracking down the target, it becomes apparent thatAvon has not been completely honest with the crew. The sub’s self-destruct sequence activates, and, along with the target, the crew will need to escape before it explodes. From here, they must fight off the incoming forces while flying to safety.
The Pacific Standard is the last heist that offers an easy difficulty setting and is by far the most profitable heist from the Heists update. When first released, it boasted a hefty $100,000 setup cost, though this has since been lowered to just $25,000. As well as the setup money, players will need a crew of four to get the ball rolling.
Lester wants the crew to rob the main branch of The Pacific Standard Bank in Downtown Vinewood. Due to the size of the bank, there’s a lot of setup work involved with numerous vehicles required for the task’s finale. Once everything’s ready, the crew will have to fight their way down to the vault and complete a special hacking minigame. After escaping with the cash, there’s then an incredibly elaborate escape sequence.
1-4
$100,000
Added into the game in late 2020,The Cayo Perico Heistmarked one of the largestGrand Theft Auto Onlineupdates to date. With as many as six primary targets available to choose from and the ability to earn more money by stealing additional items, it’s incredibly replayable and a great way for players to earn some quick cash. Better still, this heist can be tackled solo, allowing players to walk away with the entire take.
As with the casino heist before it, the Cayo Perico Heist features a rare target,the Panther Statue, which only shows up during special events. Stealing this statue will reward players with a little over $2 million, which can be further supplemented with an additional half a million or so if players fill up the loot bag with secondary targets and crack open the safe in El Rubio’s office.
The Doomsday Scenario serves as the narrative climax for the Doomsday Heist and requires the crew to take out Avon. Like the previous two heists, it costs $25,000 to set up, although ends up being a lot more challenging than its predecessors. Players can either choose to tackle the mission using an ATV or a tank, with the player who paid to set up the heist receiving the value of the other.
The crew must head to a secret tunnel within Mount Chiliad and fight their way through Avon’s army. Eventually, Avon’s AI network, Clifford, begins the launch sequence for a missile destined to destroy Los Santos. Lester manages to trick it into opening the blast doors, which allows players to disarm the missile by completing a hacking mini-game. The crew must then disable Clifford and take out Avon before regrouping at the Galileo Observatory, which isbased on the Griffith Observatory.
The Diamond Casino Heist is the highest-payingGTA Online Heist, but just how big the payout will depend on what’s in the target vault. Perhaps surprisingly, cash is the worst of the four possibilities, but it’s stilla great way to earn money inGTA Online. The minimum number of players needed for the heist is two, although most choose to take a full crew of four to guarantee success.
It will cost $25,000 to set up the heist and there are three different approaches to completing it. The silent & sneaky approach is the least disruptive but requires players to be incredibly stealthy. Should players alert the guards at any point, reaching the vault will be incredibly difficult. As such, it requires a strong crew.
Although it offers significantly more than the cash heist, the artwork heist is still far from desirable. Its pay can be more than a quarter of a million dollars lower than other heists, despite the setup cost being exactly the same, so players may want to think twice before initiating it. There are also no noticeable differences when it comes to the difficulty of the heist.
For those who lack the skills for the stealthy tactic, the Big Con approach may be more appealing. The crew wears disguises to gain access to the vault, although they’ll need to be sure to stay in character to avoid arousing suspicion. If they can remain undetected, they’ll have more time in the vault, although they’ll still have to bypass some security locks to gain entry.
Generally, gold is considered to be a good outcome, as it offers around half a million dollars more than cash. There are times when it’s technically possible to earn more, but obtaining a better outcome can be very difficult due to the low chances, and at times, it can actually be impossible.
The final tactic for the Diamond Casino Heist is the aggressive approach. As the name suggests, it involves the crew fighting their way to and from the vault. They’ll have a minimal amount of time inside the vault, although they are able to use thermal charges to gain access a lot faster than they would if they hacked the locks.
Despite the significantly larger take, the set-up cost for the diamond heist remains the same. Unfortunately, though, there is a catch. Diamonds are only available during certain periods and the probability of getting them is significantly lower than the other three targets. Thankfully, there’s a way around this.
During periods when there’s a possibility of the safe containing diamonds, players can repeatedly cancel and then restart the heist until the safe contains diamonds. Although they’ll lose $25,000 each time they cancel, the difference in the potential payouts means that they can afford to cancel up to 31 times and still guarantee a greater profit than if the safe contained gold.
FAQ
Q: Which GTA Online Heist Pays the Most Money?
The Diamond Casino Heist is by far the most profitable heist inGTA Online, with players able to earn between $2,115,000 and $3,619,000 depending on what’s inside the vault and the difficulty setting that they choose.
