In Grand Theft Auto V, heists are complex story missions that can net you huge amounts of loot. You will need to do five different heists throughout the campaign.
If you complete these jobs, you can earn millions of dollars. Here’s how to get the maximum possible share for each heist.
All Heists and Their Maximum Possible Shares in GTA 5
In this GTA 5 heist guide, we’re going to delve into all six heist missions. Each of these heists requires you to select an approach and a crew before starting, and we have a guide for each one.
There’s a lot of money on the line for you to complete this heist, and that means there are several obstacles you should expect to jump through to get to the end. It’ll take time to become a professional at these jobs, but over time, you’ll hone your skills and figure out small details to give yourself an edge each time you work to finish one.
Heist 1: The Jewel Store Job
The GTA 5 jewelry heist is the first heist mission in the game’s main story. In it, Michael De Santa and Franklin Clinton will break into a jewel store and take as many valuable items as possible. Your goal is to steal at least 3,300,000 dollars from this place.
Best Approach for The Jewel Store
The Jewel Store Job Best Crew
- Hacker – Rickie Lukens
- Gunman – Packie McCreary
- Driver – Karim Denz
Using Rickie Lukens as your hacker will give you more time in the store, allowing you to grab all the jewelry during GTA 5 heist. Packie McCreary is the best option for your Gunman. He will perform the same as the others but costs less money. To unlock Packie as a heist crew member, you must complete his random event where he is robbing a store near Franklin’s house and needs a getaway driver. This random event takes place at the Dollar Pills Pharmacy in Strawberry.
Under no circumstances should you pick Norm as a Gunman, he will crash during the getaway, and you will lose his part of the take. If you pick up his bag by driving over it after his crash, you’ll get more money in the end, and you want Norm to stick around for future heists. He is not worth it if you are looking for the maximum possible share from The Jewel Store Job Heist, and bringing him means he won’t be available for later heists.
Picking Karim Denz as the driver makes the chase sequence a little bit harder because you have to ride street bikes instead of dirt bikes, but it’s worth it. It doesn’t affect your take, and he is a cheaper option than Eddie Toh.
You can expect a total take of $4,946,153, with Michael’s cut coming to $1,223,073 and Franklin taking home $293,539.
Heist 2: The Merryweather Heist
The Merryweather Heist is a mission in Grand Theft Auto V in which Trevor, Michael, and Franklin orchestrate a heist to steal a high-value device from Merryweather, a private military company. This heist is unlocked once you’ve completed Three’s Company.
Best Approach for The Merryweather Heist
The Merryweather Heist Best Crew
Due to narrative reasons, this GTA 5 heist is botched, and there is no way to avoid it going wrong. You will be stuck with going through the story progression. It’s the first time the three main characters will all be on a heist together, and everything goes to hell. As such, play through this Heist in whatever way you like and enjoy the story.
Heist 3: Blitz Play
In Blitz Play, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor team up to rob an armored car for the FIB. They block the road with a garbage truck, ram the security truck with a tow truck, and then take out the guards and police. This heist starts after Michael, Franklin, and Trevor meet up with Dave, Steve, and Andreas at the Murrieta Oil Fields.
Best Approach for Blitz Play
- Doesn’t apply to this heist
Blitz Play Best Crew
- Doesn’t apply to this heist
For this GTA 5 heist, the crew doesn’t have to worry about losing money as they’re not stealing cash. The mission is more about executing a perfect heist for the FIB. The crew needs to be quick and efficient, taking out the guards and police swiftly to avoid attracting more attention.
Your final take for Blitz Play is not monetary but rather the successful completion of the heist for the FIB. The mission is a success if the crew manages to steal the security truck, secure the loot, and escape without getting caught.
Heist 4: The Paleto Score
This Heist is available after you’ve completed Military Hardware. In The Paleto Score, Michael, Trevor, and a chosen gunman rob the Blaine County Savings Bank in Paleto Bay. After triggering the alarm and stealing money, they fight their way through police and military forces, eventually escaping with Franklin’s help in a bulldozer.
Best Approach for The Paleto Score
- Doesn’t apply to this heist
The Paleto Score Best Crew
- Gunman – Packie McCreary/Chef
For this GTA 5 heist, you lose money every time you or your accomplices get shot in the back. You start with $8,016,020, and you should also be aware that there is an unavoidable loss of $20,0000 dollars during the heist. Packie McCreary and Chef are the best options to bring along for this heist.
Packie will have a slight edge in stats if you bring him on the jewel store job, so if you follow this guide for all the heists, then make sure you pick him. If you bring Norm Richards or Daryl Johns, they will be hit by a police car and pinned against a wall about halfway through the mission, and you’ll be forced to leave him behind and lose a third of the money. You will want to keep Norm around for later Heists, however. This will be taken care of if you pick Packie as your Gunman.
Your final take for The Paleto Score will boil down to how well you play, so don’t get shot in the back. You should be able to make it out with over $8 million, netting anywhere from $425,000 to $464,000 each for Trevor, Franklin, and Michael.
Heist 5: The Bureau Raid
In The Bureau Raid, you will infiltrate the FIB building. Your goal is to retrieve and eliminate a file belonging to Steve Haines from the FIB servers. Depending on the approach, the crew will either pose as firemen after setting off firebombs in the building or parachute onto the roof for a direct assault.
Best Approach for The Bureau Raid
The Bureau Raid Best Crew
- Hacker – Rickie Lukens
- Gunman – Norm Richards
- Driver – Taliana Martinez/Karim Denz
Franklin is the only playable character to get paid in this GTA 5 heist, so don’t worry about Michael’s cut. Rickie Lukens is fine as a Hacker. A better one means you can finish the hacking minigame faster, but this won’t impact your take. Norm Richards will be more than adequate as a Gunman, so you don’t need to spend more money on a better option.
Taliana Martinez is cheaper than Eddie and will perform just as well as a Driver. She can be found along the side of the freeway in the northeast area of the map, next to an overturned car. You can find her near the Great Ocean Highway around Mount Chiliad, and Braddock Pass after The Jewel Store Job is complete. You will need to drive her to Sandy Shores before she dies, making her available as an option during heists. If you want to maximize your take in the last two heists, then Taliana is the best option, so make sure you unlock her before starting this heist.
Taliana will be waiting outside in an ambulance, allowing you to drive past the cops without attracting their attention. This works very well as it allows you to avoid any attention from the police. Sometimes Norm might shoot at the cops when you’re escaping in the ambulance, and you’ll gain a wanted level. It’s not a major deal, and you can easily solve it by hiding from the cops.
Franklin should be able to earn about $240,000 on this heist, but remember, Michael won’t earn anything.
Heist 6: The Big Score
The Big Score is the final heist of GTA V. In this mission, the main characters and your chosen crew will use drills to create an opening in the bank vault and steal a massive amount of gold. The team will then escape from the police and Merryweather troops, fight their way through the airport, and fly out of the city with the gold.
Best Approach for The Big Score
The Big Score Best Crew
- Driver #1 (Helicopter) – Taliana Martinez
- Driver #2 (Train) – Karim Denz
- Gunman #1 – Pick the cheapest option
- Gunman #2 – Pick the cheapest option
This is the real GTA 5 heist that all the others have been leading to and a payday of epic proportions. You can potentially earn over $41,000,000 per character on this heist. Have Taliana pilot the chopper; she’ll do the job just fine and won’t lead to any major issues during the heist. Karim should drive the train because if he flies the helicopter, he will crash it. For the Gunmen, go with the cheapest options, as they cannot mess anything up or cost you any money by getting caught or killed.
Option A will earn you roughly $6,000,000 less per character, so it’s best to take Option B if you want to make the maximum possible share from this heist.
While there will be some variance in how much money you earn based on performance, the above options will set you up to earn the best possible sum from each heist. After that, it all boils down to how well you play through the missions, so don’t be afraid to replay them if something goes very wrong.
Unlocking Special Heist Crew Mates
There are a few special crew members you can get while playing through the campaign. Here’s each crew mate and how to get them.
- Rickie Lukens – After completing the mission “Friend Request,” you’ll get a phone call from Rickie Lukens after about 10 minutes or so. Make sure you play as Michael and do nothing else but wait.
- Patrick McReary – After Rickie’s call, switch to another character like Franklin, then wait a few minutes. This should unlock McReary.
- Chef – You unlock Chef after completing the mission “Blitz Play.”
- Taliana Martinez – You have to complete Trevor’s first mission which involves you teaching the local bikers a lesson. This is given right after the first time you play as Trevor. You’ll need to then drive east of Paleto Bay on the freeway until you find her lying on the ground on the side of the road. Help her up and she becomes available for quests.
GTA V has holiday events like many other multiplayer games. You’ll want to check out our guide on the game’s Christmas treasure hunt event. Also, if you’re excited to see a little more about GTA 6, check our thoughts on the Super Bowl trailer.
