It’s no secret that money makes the world go round in GTA: Online. Having a fair few tricks up your sleeve in order to maximise your revenue, helps make your life infinitely easier. We all know how hard it is to trawl through site after site to find the answer to that immortal question: “How do I make more money in GTA: Online?”
Here are – in no particular order – the best ways to earn money in GTA: Online.
Horse Racing
Horse racing in GTA is gloriously simple: pick a horse, drop a bet, watch the race. The real strategy to horse racing in GTA comes from returning visits and keeping track of which horses win more often-than-not. Earning money by horse racing is a simple case of choosing the favourite, then dropping all your money on it, and watching, as it careen towards the finish line.
Nine times out of ten, the favourite will come in first. This will result in a smaller payout than a long-shot but when repeated, you will notice that your earnings far outweigh your losses.
There are also some wonderful tools out there to help you with horse names, positions and intricate strategies to maximise your income per race, but personally, I always bet on the favourite. It may be multiple races and profit at a slower rate, but at least it IS profit.
You can find the tool below:
Motorcycle Club
In recent times, the MC Club has come into its own. It is a wonderful way of earning money if you have a dedicated group of people to play with. Always be wary of being in open-lobbies and trying to sell your materials, as there are rival gangs out to destroy your profits.
For this reason, I tend to gravitate towards doing most of my selling in invite-only or friend lobbies. This does result in losing a bonus for “high demand”, but at least it makes sure that you walk away with some money for your efforts, rather than a face full of C4 and an empty truck.
Arms Dealing
Arms dealing in GTA is simple; there are a few steps to follow but they all-but guarantee a tidy profit margin. The steps are:
- Buy a bunker
- Steal or buy supplies
- Run delivery missions of your product
- Upgrade systems to allow for larger and faster production
- Rinse and repeat
When selling product and wanting to earn the most in a short-time, it is always best to opt for open-lobbies as always you earn a bonus for this on top of your standard sale price. The bonus is largely due to the added threat of other players. Selling in solo lobbies is perfectly feasible but remember, the more product you have to sell, the more delivery vehicles you must manage alone, so bring a friend.
Selling Drugs
Would it really be a GTA game if you couldn’t sell drugs?
Doing so in GTA: Online is extremely easy. As long as you have a business which accumulates the drugs; cannabis, cocaine and acid.
You are able to sell to street dealers. Certain dealers will give you a bonus for selling them specific product so keep an eye out for this as it can almost double your profit margins.
Heists
Heists are still one of the most reliable and best ways to earn money in GTA: Online, almost 10 years since it’s release. Most heists require multiple players and the take at the end of the heist is split between the players according to the percentages set by the heist leader during the setup of the heist.
A good heist crew can rake in millions per hour, especially with the latest heist Cayo Perico. Cayo Perico can see one player walk away with over a million in takings just for themselves, this creeps up exponentially with more players added. Heist payout averages can be seen below so you can decide which ones are worthy of your time.
Original Heists
The original heists become available once you own a high-end apartment and reach level 10.
| Heist | Number of players | Setup cost | Potential take (easy) | Potential take (normal) | Potential take (hard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fleeca Job | 2 | $11,500 | $100,625 | $201,250 | $250,250 |
| The Prison Break | 4 | $25,000 | $350,000 | $700,000 | $875,000 |
| 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 |
Doomsday Heist
The Doomsday Heist becomes available once a facility has been purchased.
| Heist | Number of players | Setup cost | Potential take (easy) | Potential take (normal) | Potential take (hard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Data Breaches | 2-4 | $25,000[20] | N/A | $975,000[21] | $1,218,750[22] |
| The Bogdan Problem | 2-4 | $25,000[23] | N/A | $1,425,000[24] | $1,781,250[25] |
| The Doomsday Scenario | 2-4 | $25,000[26] | N/A | $1,800,000[27] | $2,250,000[28] |
Diamond Casino Heist
The Diamond Casino Heist is playable as soon as an arcade is purchased and can only be played when playing as part of a CEO or MC Club. The President must own an Arcade. It can be played with a minimum of 2 players which results in smaller takes but larger cuts.
The Heist can be played a various number of ways and each of them have their own pros/cons, so choose accordingly.
| Target | Number of players | Setup cost | Potential take (easy) | Potential take (normal) | Potential take (hard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | 2-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $2,115,000 | $2,326,500 |
| Artwork | 2-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $2,350,000 | $2,585,000 |
| Gold | 2-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $2,585,000 | $2,843,500 |
| Diamonds* | 2-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $3,290,000 | $3,619,000 |
The Cayo Perico Heist
The Cayo Perico Heist is playable after purchasing a submarine (minimum cost: $2,200,000) and being a CEO/VIP/MC President.
Primary Targets
| Target | Number of players | Setup cost | Potential take (easy) | Potential take (normal) | Potential take (hard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinsimito Tequila | 1-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $900,000 | $990,000 |
| Ruby Necklace | 1-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $1,000,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Bearer Bonds | 1-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $1,100,000 | $1,210,000 |
| Madrazo Files* | 1-4 | N/A | N/A | $1,100,000 | N/A |
| Pink Diamond | 1-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $1,300,000 | $1,430,000 |
| Panther Statue** | 1-4 | $25,000 | N/A | $1,900,000 | $2,090,000 |
* – The target for the first playthrough, can not be encountered on subsequent playthroughs.
** – Locked exclusively for event weeks, similarly to the Diamond Casino Heist’s diamonds loot.
Secondary Targets
| Target | Take (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) |
All heist payout data, etc. is sourced from: https://gta.fandom.com/wiki/Heists_in_GTA_Online#Heists
Races
Fancy yourself the newest member of the Midnight Club? GTA: Online has you covered. Races in GTA payout levels are determined by your finishing position. To maximise your earnings you can also bet on your self using the ‘wager’ system.
The races can vary in length, complexity and difficulty but the payout is only ever dependant on your personal rankings so no need to push the boat out on this one.
Missions
Missions in GTA: Online are exceptionally varied and always a fun time. Sometimes better with friends and sometimes not. The missions in GTA payout at varying levels, with the longer it takes to complete the mission resulting in the larger payout.
They may not be the absolute best way to earn money in GTA, but they are the tried-and-tested way of earning a consistent income. Usually with virtually no problem or risk to you.
VIP Work
Becoming a CEO in GTA: Online via the in-game menu results in large rewards and benefits. CEOs have access to vehicles, abilities and cronies to deliver their hot new rides but on top of all of this, they also get the opportunity to complete VIP work.
VIP work is a collection of CEO specific contracts. In the right vehicles and with the right mindset and crew, a good CEO can make a very tidy profit from VIP work indeed.
Payphone Hits
Added during a recent update, Payphone Hits are on the best ways to earn money in GTA: Online. They are contract hits which the player carries out for Franklin. You are given a target, a location and a special request. If the special request isn’t completed, the payout will be smaller due to forfeiting the bonus. If, however, you do opt to complete the contract using the special request, then you will be rewarded with around $60,000 extra per hit.
These hits are available every 48 minutes (in-game day) and when stacked, with some other activities on this list, can net you a very comfortable living.
Auto Shop
The AutoShop was another recent addition to the GTA: Online world. The Auto-shop is a location where customers drop their cars off in order to get them repaired/upgraded. All upgrades are paid for upfront by you, and reimbursed upon successful delivery.
When the option to deliver the car yourself or have a member of your staff deliver them appears. I would always exercise caution. Your employees can deliver instead but this often leads to accidents. The accidents are reflected in the value and deductions in your final paycheck. Basically, if you want the higher payout, you have to do the work and deliver it yourself.
Nightclub
My personal favourite way of earning money is the Nightclub. ‘legal’ capital accumulates upon purchasing on a daily basis (every 48 minutes). Keep an eye on the safe level and going back every hour to ensure you don’t lose your cash. As it gathers illegal goods which are then sellable via completion of delivery missions, is the basement. The basement is accessible via an elevator in your personal office – same place you collect your cash from the safe.
Nightclubs generate income daily without much interference as long as the popularity meter is kept high enough. This is achieved via a small five-ten minute activity which can range from distributing flyers from a chopper over a given area, or attacking/defending a gang/person of interest in order to build reputation.
The illegal side of the nightclub, is the delivery of the aforementioned nefarious goods, similar to the ones for other businesses
The vehicle which you use to deliver changes regularly. All of the vehicles are upgradeable with weaponry, armor and survivability upgrades.
With it’s passive income and delivery missions, the nightclub activity is certainly still one of the best ways to earn money in GTA: Online.
So there we have it, a veritable shopping list of the best ways to earn money in GTA:Online.
What are you waiting for? Your criminal empire awaits…
