Missions come in many forms for GTA Online. Considering that this online game has been around for almost a decade, it’s no surprise that it’s brimming with content. Some of the best missions in GTA Online feature teamwork, fun dialogue, and objectives that won’t have the player pulling their character’s hair out.
Some of the best story missions in GTA Online go deeper than merely delivering a briefcase to a location. The best story missions are deeply embedded into the many different Heists across GTA Online.
10 The Fleeca Job
As an introduction to what’s to come, The Fleeca Job does a great start at establishing what players have to look forward to in GTA Online. This mission will see two players head to the Fleeca Bank, with the sole objective of robbing the place. For a starting heist in GTA Online, it can be rather intense.
One player needs to drill open the safe, whilst the other uses a shotgun to intimidate civilians. Then, players are in for a police chase on the highway. It’s pretty exciting but ranked rather low considering GTA Online only grows with potential from here.
9 The Cayo Perico Heist
By no means is the Cayo Perico Heist a bad story mission in GTA Online, it simply does not fit in with the rest of the game’s narrative, and requires far too much time and money to invest in for new players. However, the Cayo Perico Heist is a great way to earn money in GTA Online and has a bundle of random items to steal for more cash. However, players will need to make the weird purchase of a submarine to start this adventure.
The story itself focuses on the player being contacted by the son of a Mexican crime lord, to steal the documents in the possession of a drug lord. Throughout the heist, players will scope out the island, with daring stealth and action-packed additions, it’s fun to work solo or with a team to get through this one.
8 Series A Funding
Series A Funding feels rather rewarding for fans of Grand Theft Auto 5, as it features prominent members of the game’s cast of characters. The ruthless Trevor Philips returns and runs rampant over the business of the silent players. It’s always fun to see Trevor in Grand Theft Auto, especially when he’s being a wild card, as per usual.
The story involves Trevor forcing the players to work for Trevor Philips Industries, in which they will have to help set up and negotiate a drug sale. It’s a lot of hard work, with plenty of death and driving on the line, making for a frustrating series, but not a bad one.
7 The Humane Labs Raid
The first entry into being a super spy is thanks to the Humane Labs Raid. This story mission sees the players team up with Agent 14 and the IAA to infiltrate the secret research facility of the Humane Labs. It’s a mission that requires teamwork and espionage, with a whole lot of ammunition.
For some, the mission might be frustratingly long, especially when two players need to keep to the sky and fight jets and helicopters, whilst the other two infiltrate the lab, mowing down security guards to locate their data.
6 The Data Breaches
The Data Breaches is the first Act of the Doomsday Heist, an important update to GTA Online that truly changed the way that players think about their vehicles and the story content. In this beginning act, players will be protecting an IAA base under the Satellite Relay Station in the desert from hostile characters.
This opening siege will have players stop these enemies of the government from hacking and stealing important servers. Not only does this mission reunite players with Lester and Avon, but it brings to light a larger world and the importance of the GTA Online protagonist, with a whole lot of killing.
5 The Pacific Standard Heist
For a long time, the Pacific Standard Heist was the finale in Lester Crest’s missions. This finale of the best heists in GTA Online saw the players target the Pacific Standard bank, which required plenty of preparation and hard work to make sure it went off without a hitch.
This is the true heisting experience, as it features players intimidating civilians with guns, whilst other players fill their duffle bags with as much money as they possibly can. The action is intense, and the chase to escape features difficulty and fun, with each shot taken meaning more money lost.
4 The Bogdan Problem
The second Act of the Doomsday Heist becomes a mission of epic proportions, with political intrigue involved. Players are tasked with launching an attack on a foreign submarine that lurks off the coast. With one team boarding the submarine from deep underwater, and the other fighting the many agents of warfare from above in an Avenger, there’s a great entry of teamwork and mayhem.
The Bogdan Problem continues to intrigue the Doomsday Heist’s story, and this mission takes many twists and turns, whilst bringing forth new and exciting characters. It’s also extremely fun to check corners and infiltrate a militarised submarine with a looming threat of nuclear war.
3 The Prison Break
Breaking into prison is never really a good idea, but when faced with a large amount of cash, and pairing 4 silent people that can get the job done, it begs the question of why not. In the Prison Break heist mission, players will need to break into Bolingbroke Penitentiary using a stolen inmate transport bus, and a smugglers’ plane in the off-road deserts.
Two players take to the skies, waiting for the ground team to bring the rescued prisoner to safety. It requires a lot of moving parts, and one slip-up could spell disaster and failure for the heist crew. However, it’s one of the best story missions in GTA Online.
2 The Diamond Casino Heist
With every update to story missions in GTA Online, the content continues to evolve. The Diamond Casino Heist was and still is, regarded as one of the best pieces of content for its ease of execution and the fact that it only needs 2 players minimum to activate. This Heist fully utilizes the new Diamond Casino in Los Santos, with many different ways to make money and spend it on expensive items.
Players will team up with the Cheng family to infiltrate the Diamond Casino, which boasts of how secure it truly is. Players can complete this mission in complete stealth, or, they can go guns blazing, with an abundance of ways to play.
1 The Doomsday Scenario
Act 3 is the finale of the Doomsday Heist, and the Doomsday Scenario will see the active players of GTA Online take the fight to Avon and Clifford in an attempt to not only save the day but the entire world. From what started as petty criminals, the players are now agents of the government, working together to stop Avon Hertz from launching a missile and starting a war.
The mission ahead may be difficult, with the team of players infiltrating a Missile Launch Base against Avon’s goons, but there’s an exhilarating thrill knowing that Los Santos is on the line. There’s also the added fun of knowing players will finally experience jetpacks in GTA Online, a mission bound to turn anyone into a rockstar.
Grand Theft Auto Online is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.