Are you looking to earn serious cash while playing Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) Online? While the game is known for its beautiful graphics and a big open world that feels alive, you can’t do much without some serious dough. You’ll miss out on fast cars, planes, boats, expensive houses, and a lot of guns, at the very least. Luckily, the game lets you rack up a lot of cash even when starting. You can use the initial investment to quickly become a millionaire if you know how. Let’s show you how to make money in GTA 5 Online.
What are the best methods to earn cash as a GTA 5 Online beginner?
As a beginner with $0 in your bank account in Grand Theft Auto V Online, you can do these things to earn some cash:
- Capitalize in special game modes. Rockstar Games hosts weekly special game modes that temporarily double or triple cash earning.
- Go on scavenger hunts. Try Los Santos Slasher, the Treasure Hunt with a revolver, and hunting Bounty Targets with Maude.
- Complete missions with collections. Acquire $150,000 from collecting Signal Jammers and Movie Props.
- Use the Casino Lucky Wheel. Do daily wheel spins for extra cash or chips in the casino.
What is the fastest way to earn money in GTA V Online?
The fastest way to earn money in GTA V Online after the 2022 Criminal Enterprises update is the Cayo Perico heist at a potentially $1,5 million per hour profit. There are some caveats—you must invest a lot upfront, do it solo, and time its starts perfectly to make it hard mode. While difficult, the Cayo Perico seems to drastically exceed the money-making amounts of other methods in GTA 5 Online.
1. Do the GTA 5 Online heists
Starting heists in GTA V is an incredible way to earn money, and we recommend these three:
1. Cayo Perico heist
Cayo Perico is the heist that can provide the highest dollar-per-hour amount at a maximum of $1,5 million every hour, making it the quickest way to earn cash in Grand Theft Auto V Online. The prerequisites for the Cayo Perico heist mission are:
- Kosatka submarine (price: $2.2 million and up)
- Becoming a GTA V CEO or VIP for an organization
If you’ve never done it, visit a casino and head to the Music Locker. After getting to know Miguel Madrazo, you can buy the Kosatka submarine, then begin the mission from its planning board. After some preparation and planning, you can perform the first heist. Then, continue to do heists in a private lobby, alone, to earn close to the promised reward. The maximum number assumes you finish the Cayo Perico heist in hard mode for a 10% bonus by starting a new heist within 48 minutes after finishing the last.
3. Doomsday heist
Doomsday heist can net players $500,000 per hour, and mandates only a Facility priced at a minimum of $1,25 million. After starting the heist in the facility, the host player in a group of up to 4 gamers must pay for the heist. All players must go through preparation, setup, and the final heist. Note that the host should receive a bit more money in the final share so that all players receive roughly the same amount.
2. Diamond Casino robbery
If you rob the Diamond Casino establishment, you can earn up to $500,000 per hour, but you need:
- Arcade (+$1.2 million)
- Registering as a VIP or CEO status in an organization
Diamond Casino requires some reconnaissance after you begin the heist from your Arcade’s planning board. There are three approaches, each with several preparational missions (some you can skip). After you are ready to perform the heist, invite between 1 and 3 players. The minimum number the game suggests, e.g., two people for art, and three people for all others, is the way to maximize profits. We suggest starting with the Big Con con and grabbing a helicopter or hiding in the tunnels.
2. Ship special, vehicle, or air freight cargo
Shipping cargo is a slow but low-effort GTA V Online money-making method, and comes in three options:
1. Shipping special cargo
You can ship special cargo to earn up to $500,000 per hour in GTA V multiplayer. However, shipping cargo requires you to:
- Be a CEO of an organization
- Purchase an office (upward of $1 million)
- Have a warehouse ($250,000 at a minimum)
You can find cargo manually but we suggest a passive method of hiring warehouse staff to do it for you. They will find one to three crates every 48 minutes in real-time, which ticks even when offline. Then, simply sell the cargo in bulk (the more you sell in one go, the higher the per-crate price).
2. Transfer vehicle cargo
Another method of making money with shipping in Grand Theft Auto V Online is vehicle cargo that can net you as much as $300,000 per hour. Vehicle cargo prerequisites are:
- Being a member organization CEO
- Having an office (cost: $1 million and more)
- Owning a vehicle warehouse ($1.5 million minimum)
After finishing the first mission (Go to Vehicle Cargo -> Source Vehicle in your office computer) to steal a car and drive it back carefully to dodge repair costs, you can use your warehouse laptop. Get 10 each unique vehicles with a standard and mid-range. After that, the next 12 vehicle missions will be top-range. Sell them all at once for maximum profits, again.
3. Carry air freight cargo
The least profitable cargo money-making method is air freight at a maximum of $150,000 per hour. However, it has the lowest barrier of entry and the biggest benefits with lots of friends. Air freight cargo only needs you to:
- Be a VIP or CEO of a SecuroServ organization
- Have a hangar, costing $1.2 million+
You can then go to your hangar’s computer and source cargo. We recommend focusing on one cargo, preferably medical supplies, narcotics, or chemicals because there’s a bonus for selling one type in one go. The bonus is 35% for 25 crates of one type, and 75% for a maximum of 50 same-type crates.
3. Start an Acid Lab
Acid Lab is a passive way to earn a lot of money introduced in December 2022 as part of the Los Santos Drug Wars DLC. After finishing the six main First Dose Dax Contact missions and a setup mission, you can talk to Mutt near the Brickade 6×6 truck and:
- Buy an Acid Lab for $750,000
- Get an equipment upgrade for $250,000 (full supply sold for $237,500 now becomes $335,200)
Purchasing supplies will cost you $60,000 and a full stock is three. Also, if you sell in a public lobby with up to 25 people, the full supply sale price goes up to $500,000.
4. Create an Auto Shop business
Starting an Auto Shop business can make you roughly $300,000 an hour, but you must:
- Buy an Auto Shop at $1,7 million or more
- Be a VIP or CEO of your organization
After starting Contracts from your job board, you have to finish two setup missions and a finale, each giving you about $170,000 to start. You can then carry on with your contract work. We suggest avoiding car customization and delivery and exporting exotic cars from a money-making perspective.
Can you earn a lot of money in GTA V Online solo?
Yes, you can earn a lot of money in GTA 5 Online as a solo player. The game lets you invite one to three friends or join a public lobby with over 20 players to increase profits. However, there are plenty of high-profit activities you can do alone to rack in cash in GTA V Online, such as Acid Lab, Nightclub ownership, and a Cayo Perico heist.