The heists in GTA Online are elaborate missions that require a bit of setup before you can make a move on your mark. They require multiple-member crews. These heists are quite lucrative and all players should complete them for that amazing payout at the end.
So what is needed to start a heist in Grand Theft Auto Online? We will look into all the heists available in the game and guide you through each one of their setups.
Quick Overview
To start heists in Grand Theft Auto Online you need to:
- Heist Update:
- Reach rank 12.
- Must own a high-end apartment with a heist planning room.
- Get contacted by Lester Crest to be given the introductory heist.
- The subsequent new heists will unlock as and when you have completed the previous ones.
- The first heist will require a crew of 2 players to complete while the other four heists will require 4 player crew. You can not start these heists with a lower player count.
- Each one of these heists will have an upfront cost that you will have to pay before you begin them.
- There will be a set of setup missions you have to complete before you can go for the main heist.
- Doomsday Heist:
- You need to be a CEO/VIP of an organization or the President of a motorcycle club.
- Have bought a Facility.
- The setup missions or Prep Jobs will have to be completed in the free-roam mode so you can be potentially targeted by other players.
- This heist requires a crew of 2 to 4 players.
- Diamond Casino Heist:
- You need to be a CEO/VIP of an organization or the President of a motorcycle club.
- Must own an Arcade.
- There are three different ways to approach this heist and each has a distinct set of setup missions.
- This heist can be done with a crew of 2 to 4 players.
- The Cayo Perico Heist:
- You need to be a CEO/VIP of an organization or the President of a motorcycle club.
- Must own a Kosatka Submarine.
- You will be tasked by Miguel Madrazo to conduct this heist.
- It will take you to a newly added island where you have to complete a series of Prep Jobs for the final heist mission.
- This heist can be done with a crew of 1 to 4 players.
Heists in GTA Online
With the release of GTA 5 back in 2013 and the players experiencing the unique heists mission in the story mode, they had been clamoring for these types of missions to be part of the Online component of the game. Rockstar did promise to add these elaborate mission-type to the online but it got delayed quite a few times.
The fans rejoiced when finally the much-awaited Heist Update was added to the game in 2015. It came with a set of 5 heists, much like the ones in the story mode, that players can crew up with others online and finish together.
Not only were they more interesting than the basic missions available at the time in GTA Online but they also rewarded the players with considerable money for their efforts, and we all know how much money you need to buy all the latest toys in GTA Online. Hence, these heists gained massive popularity.
Following that, Rockstar added 3 more heists to GTA Online. These were only available to players with the enhanced version of the game. These new heists were:
- The Doomsday Heist was released in 2017
- The Diamond Casino Heist was released in 2019
- The Cayo Perico Heist was released in 2020
Heist Design
The heists in GTA Online are similar to the ones found in the story mode. They involve a series of setup missions that end with a big-payoff crime. These heists are organized by one player or the Heist Leader who has to meet certain criteria to begin this venture (details will be provided for this in each heist section).
The Heist Leader has to invest a sum of his own personal money to finance the job. However, they have the liberty to choose the profit split amongst the crew.
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Heists Update
With basic information out of the way let’s get into each type of heist you can play in GTA Online. First off, the initial Heist Update. There were 5 heists in total in this update. You need to complete each heist to move to the next one in the series at the start. After that, all heists will be unlocked and you can choose which one you want to replay.
To meet the criteria of getting the first heist from Lester Crest you need to be at Rank 12 and must own a High-End Apartment. This particular apartment will have a heist planning room which is necessary for these heists. You can buy the apartment from the Dynasty 8 Real Estate website.
Once you have met the requirements, you will receive a call from Lester and he will introduce the heist concept. You will have to meet up with him and this will launch the first tutorial heist i.e. The Fleeca Job. He will guide you through the whole heist setup process and even cover the cost.
Once you are done with the tutorial, you are then given the option to set up heists from your apartment and become a Heist Leader. As mentioned before, there are 5 heists in this update and each one unlocks in order. As a heist leader, you will also have to have the appropriate amount of money to cover the respective Setup Cost of each heist.
Heists do require a crew of online players. The first heist only needs to have one other player along with you (Heist Leader) while the next four heists require a crew of 4 members including you. You can not begin these heists if you don’t have the mandatory number of crew members.
Heists, Crew Required, Setup Cost, and Potential Reward
Below are the names of each Heist in order, the number of players or crew required for each heist, the setup cost of each heist, and the potential reward that you can split amongst the crew at the end.
| Heist | Number of players | Setup cost | Potential Reward (easy) | Potential Reward (normal) | Potential Reward (hard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fleeca Job | 2 | $11,500 | $100,625 | $201,250 | $250,25 |
| The Prison Break | 4 | $25,000 | $350,000 | $700,000 | $875,00 |
| The Humane Labs Raid | 4 | $25,000 | $472,500 | $945,000[ | $1,181,500 |
| Series A Funding | 4 | $25,000 | $353,500 | $707,000 | $883,750 |
| The Pacific Standard | 4 | $25,000 | $750,000 | $1,500,000 | $1,875,000 |
Other things of note about these heists are:
- Players who have joined the heist leader will receive a certain amount of money from the setup cost for participating in the setup missions.
- The heist leader won’t receive any money until the last main heist.
- Any of the heist missions will fail if even one crew members leave mid-mission. You can however start the mission again with the same player or find another one. The whole heist won’t reset.
- The heist leader decides at the end mission the cut of each crew member.
- Depending on the heist or setup mission, the objectives could involve the whole crew either working together or completing separate goals.
- You can do these heists with random players but it is highly advised to invite friends or players who can communicate well and have mics as these missions require constant communication.
- The Pacific Standard Heist is the only heist where you can lose money if you take damage so there is a likely chance that you won’t receive the actual potential reward.
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The Doomsday Heist
The rest of the heists later added to the game function similarly to the ones in the Heist Update however there are a few differences that we will highlight.
Next up is the Doomsday Heist. It is a 3-act heist and is only available to players who are either a CEO/VIP of an Organization or President of a Motorcycle Club. You must own a Facility. Once these conditions are met, you will be contacted by Lester who will introduce you to Avon Hertz, and the planning for the heist will begin.
Much like the Setup Missions in previous heists, the Doomsday Heist has Prep Jobs. These jobs are different because they involve stealing equipment while in the Freemode session. This means that you can be targeted by other players in the lobby adding a bit of a challenge to the mix.
To bypass this annoyance, you can buy the equipment rather than stealing it altogether or you can even steal it from other players doing their Prep Jobs in the open world.
Unlike previously mentioned heists, the Doomsday Heist doesn’t have a strict number of players requirement. You can do it with 2 to 4 players. If you do it with just 2 players then there is the advantage of getting a bigger cut at the end however the difficulty might be overwhelming.
Doomsday Heists Missions, Crew Required, Setup Cost, and Potential Reward
Below are the names of each mission in order from the Doomsday Heist, the number of players or crew required for each mission, the setup cost of each mission, and the potential reward that you can split amongst the crew at the end.
| Heist | Number of players | Setup cost | Potential Reward (normal) | Potential Reward (hard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Data Breaches | 2-4 | $25,000 | $975,000 | $1,218,750 |
| The Bogdan Problem | 2-4 | $25,000 | $1,425,000 | $1,781,250 |
| The Doomsday Scenario | 2-4 | $25,000 | $1,800,000 | $2,250,000 |
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The Diamond Casino Heist
The Diamond Casino Heist is only accessible to players who are either a CEO/VIP of an Organization or President of a Motorcycle Club. You need to own an Arcade to start this heist. Mechanically, this heist is somewhat identical to the Doomsday Heist although there is a major difference at the start.
There are Prepe Jobs and Setup Missions like other heists however unlike other heists, three possible approaches can be selected before the player can start completing Heist Prep missions. They are:
- Silent & Sneaky
- Aggressive
- The Big Con
Depending on your selection, the Prep Jobs / Setup Missions will be according to the approach. This heist can also be done with a crew of 2 to 4 players. No strict number of players requirement.
In the Prep mission Vault Content, you need to obtain information about the items or Target that you will be stealing from the heist. Your end reward will depend on the information you have gathered and the items you are about to steal.
The Diamond Casino Heist Target, Crew Required, Setup Cost, and Potential Reward
Below are the names of each target, the number of players or crew required for each mission, the setup cost, and the potential reward that you can split amongst the crew at the end.
| Target | Number of players | Setup cost | Potential Reward (normal) | Potential Reward (hard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | 2-4 | $25,000 | $2,115,000 | $2,326,500 |
| Artwork | 2-4 | $25,000 | $2,350,000 | $2,585,000 |
| Gold | 2-4 | $25,000 | $2,585,000 | $2,843,500 |
| Diamonds | 2-4 | $25,000 | $3,290,000 | $3,619,000 |
Other things to know about this heist are:
- Diamonds are available for a limited time only.
- An additional $30,000 to $200,000 can be stolen from the secondary vault.
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The Cayo Perico Heist
The Cayo Perico Heist is the latest heist added to GTA Online. It is unique as it takes place on a new island away from the main map of the game.
This heist is available to players who are either CEO/VIP of an Organization or President of a Motorcycle Club. You need to have the Kosatka Submarine. You will be contacted by Migeul Madrazo after meeting the requirement where he will task you to collect information on the rival cartel.
Using the Submarine, you will be transported to Cayo Perico island. You will have to sneak around the island and discovers the location of the data by hacking their security system, as well as finding various side loot like paintings, weed, cocaine, cash, and gold.
It has the same format as the last two heists where you will have to carry out a couple of Prep Jobs and Setup Missions in order to progress to the Finale mission/heist.
However, the biggest difference about this heist is that it doesn’t have any player requirements. The heist can be done with 1 to 4 players. So if you are looking for a challenge with the highest reward possible then you can take a crack at it on your own. Just be extra prepared for this massive undertaking.
The heist has a bunch of Primary and Secondary Targets to obtain information about. These targets will determine the reward at the end of the heist. Primary Targets’ information is gathered during the Heist Prep mission Gather Intel. Secondary targets will randomly spawn during the mission.
You will only have a limited loot bag in this heist so do not get greedy and try to steal everything.
The Diamond Casino Heist Target, Crew Required, Setup Cost, and Potential Reward
Below are the names of each target both Primary and Secondary, the number of players or crew required for each mission, the setup cost, and the potential reward that you can split amongst the crew or take yourself at the end.
Primary Targets
| Target | Number of players | Setup cost | Potential Reward (normal) | Potential Reward (hard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinsimito Tequila | 1-4 | $25,000 | $900,000 | $990,000 |
| Ruby Necklace | 1-4 | $25,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Bearer Bonds | 1-4 | $25,000 | $1,100,000 | $1,210,000 |
| Madrazo Files* | 1-4 | N/A | $1,100,000 | N/A |
| Pink Diamond | 1-4 | $25,000 | $1,300,000 | $1,430,000 |
| Panther Statue** | 1-4 | $25,000 | $1,900,000 | $2,090,000 |
- The Madrazo Files are only available in the first playthrough of this heist. They won’t be available in subsequent playthroughs.
- Panther Statues are available exclusively for event weeks.
Secondary Targets
| Target | Reward (any difficulty) | Maximum numbers of secondary targets (to fill the loot bag) |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | $328,584-$333,192/Gold bar stash | 1.5 ($492,876-$499,788 total) |
| Cocaine | $220,500-$225,000/Cocaine brick stash | 2 ($441,000-$450,000 total) |
| Artwork | $176,200-$199,700/Painting | 2 ($352,400-$399,400 total) |
| Weed | $145,980-$149,265/Weed brick stash | 2.66 ($389,300-$398,050 total) |
| Cash | $78,480-$89,420/Cash stack stash | 4 ($313,920-$357,680 total) |
An additional $50,000 to $99,000 can be stolen from the safe in El Rubio’s office inside the compound. Note that it does not take up space inside the loot bag.
The heists in GTA Online are some of the most fun missions in the game. They also have the best payout of all the activities but do require a bit of time and a whole lot of effort to complete but they are worth it. They are best played with a set of good players/crew who not only share the burden but also add to the overall thrill.