That Grand Theft Auto 5 still has an active player base more than a decade after its release is incredibly impressive. In spite of its age, it still looks great and is receiving 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-expanding GTA Online.

It took a while for the service to really 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 new GTA Online heists have been introduced, each of which rewards players with thousands of dollars in virtual cash. The best heists in GTA Online are highly enjoyable too, providing players with plenty of incentive to try them out.

Updated October 9, 2023, by Tom Bowen: There's still no concrete news on when exactly franchise fans can expect to get their hands on GTA 6, but that doesn't seem to matter too much to some people. Despite now being more than a decade old, Grand Theft Auto Online still boasts a healthy player base and plenty of content for those players to sink their hungry teeth into. The highest-paying GTA Online heists are a great way to earn money, not to mention a fun way to enjoy the online experience with friends. The game also boasts a number of special contracts, which are similar to heists in a lot of ways and provide even more opportunities to make bank.

The Fleeca Job ($57,500 - $143,750)

The Fleeca Job was the very first heist added to GTA Online and 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 other heists.

One of the players will be tasked with driving the getaway vehicle and controlling the bank's patrons once the heist is 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 must meet up with Lester's getaway guy to escape the cops.

The Prison Break ($200,000 - $500,000)

The Prison Break heist requires a crew of four and will cost $40,000 to set up. To initiate the heist, players must speak with Lester who will introduce them to the mysterious Agent 14. He will ask them to help break a former military researcher out of jail and deliver him to safety.

Before freeing the researcher, players must obtain a number of 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.

The Humane Labs Raid ($270,000 - $675,000)

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 $54,000 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 these things have been acquired, the crew will split into ground and air teams. The ground team must break into the lab and obtain the data while the air team protects them from above.

Series A Funding ($202,000 - $505,000)

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 $40,400 in order 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 the loveable psychopath is able to escape and the crew still gets paid.

The Pacific Standard ($500,000 - $1,250,000)

The Pacific Standard is the last heist that offers an easy difficulty setting and is by far the most profitable in the Heists update. It's also the most expensive to initiate though, with a hefty $100,000 setup cost. As well as the money, players will need a crew of four in order 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 is a lot of setup work involved with numerous vehicles required for the task's finale. Once everything's ready, the crew must 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.

The Data Breaches ($650,000 - $812,500)

The Doomsday Heist consists of three acts, each of which functions as a mini-heist. Players are able to tackle them using crews of between two and 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 $65,000.

In the finale, the crew must head to an IAA base and fight off a unit of Merryweather security agents. As they fight their way through the base, they will eventually arrive at the war room and from here can control the turrets. After gunning down more Merryweather agents a cutscene will play out and the heist will end.

The Bogdan Problem ($950,000 - $1,187,500)

The second of the Doomsday heists requires a lot more prep work and $95,000 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 and the other must gain access to a submarine. After tracking down the target, it becomes apparent that Avon has not been completely honest with the crew. The sub's self-destruct sequence activates and, along with the target, the crew must escape before it explodes. From here, they must fight off the incoming forces while flying to safety.

The Doomsday Scenario ($1,200,000 - $1,500,000)

The Doomsday Scenario serves as the narrative climax for the Doomsday Heist and requires the crew to take out Avon. It costs $120,000 to set up and is by far the most challenging. 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 is able to trick it into opening the blast doors and the crew must complete a hacking mini-game in order to disarm the missile. The crew must then disable Clifford and take out Avon before regrouping at the Galileo Observatory, which shares a striking resemblance to the Griffith Observatory.

The Diamond Casino Heist - Cash ($2,115,000 - $2,326,500)

The Diamond Casino Heist offers by far the biggest payout of all of the game's heists, but just how big depends on what is in the target vault. Perhaps surprisingly, cash is the worst of the four possibilities but it's still a great way to earn money. 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.

The Diamond Casino Heist - Artwork ($2,350,000 - $2,585,000)

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 in spite of the set-up cost being exactly the same. 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 must be sure to stay in character to avoid arousing suspicion. If undetected, they will have more time in the vault but will have to bypass some security locks to gain entry.

The Diamond Casino Heist - Gold ($2,585,000 - $2,843,500)

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 is actually 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 will have a minimal amount of time inside the vault, although they are able to use thermal charges to gain access rather than having to hack the locks.

The Diamond Casino Heist - Diamonds ($3,290,000 - $3,619,000)

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 is a possibility of the safe containing diamonds, players can repeatedly cancel and then restart the heist until the safe contains diamonds. Although they will lose $25,000 each time they cancel, the difference in takes means that they can afford to cancel up to 31 times and still guarantee a greater profit than gold.

The Cayo Perico Heist ($900,000 - $2,090,000+)

Added into the game in late 2020, The Cayo Perico Heist marked one of the largest Grand Theft Auto Online updates so far. 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.

GTA Online Contracts

In addition to its many heists, GTA Online also boasts eight special contracts. Like heists, these money-making missions require players to complete a number of setup tasks before providing them with an opportunity to make some serious cash. They can be tackled solo or with friends and offer huge rewards for those who are able to successfully pull them off. Players can trigger contracts via the job board, although there will only be three available at any given time. They rotate regularly though, so anyone looking for a particular contract should check back often and keep an eye out for messages from Moodymann regarding updates.

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