GTA 5 story mode has five heists, and your choices of approach and crew decide how much money Michael, Franklin and Trevor take home. Heists are the biggest paydays in the single-player campaign, because story mode has no businesses to run. This guide lists every heist in order, the approach that pays best, the crew that costs least, and the traps to avoid.
The five GTA 5 story mode heists in order
- The Jewel Store Job
- The Merryweather Heist
- The Paleto Score
- The Bureau Raid
- The Big Score
Some guides also count the North Yankton bank job from the prologue as a sixth heist, but you do not plan that one. The five above are the planned heists where you pick an approach and hire a crew. Lester Crest is the planner for all of them.
How GTA 5 heists work
Every planned heist has three layers. First comes the intel and setup missions, where you scout the target and collect the equipment. Second you choose an approach, which usually has a quiet option and a loud option. Third you hire crew members into roles such as gunman, driver and hacker. Each crew member takes a percentage of the take, and better specialists take a bigger cut. A weaker crew member costs less but makes more mistakes, and mistakes can cost you money. The balance between cut and skill is the main strategy in every heist.
Crew members also improve. A low-skill gunman who survives an early heist becomes a better gunman for later ones, so the cheap options are not always a trap. Sources that track crew skill describe this as a mid-game effect: a rookie you use early can be reliable by the final heist.
Heist 1: The Jewel Store Job
This is the first heist and it involves only Michael and Franklin. You start it by completing the casing mission for the jewelry store, called Casing the Jewel Store. The two approaches are Loud and Smart. Loud uses carbine rifles. Smart uses Bugstars equipment and BZ gas grenades.
Most guides recommend Option B, the Smart approach, because it gives the best result for the effort. The crew that guides recommend is Rickie Lukens as hacker, Packie McReary as gunman and Karim Denz as driver. Packie becomes available if you help him escape in the earlier mission where he is introduced, so do that if you want him later. The in-mission goal is to steal at least 3.3 million dollars of jewelry.
One caution: if you spend a crew member on the first heist, that person may not be available later. Players who want the maximum overall take plan which specialists to save for the Bureau Raid and the Big Score before they hire for the Jewel Store Job.
Heist 2: The Merryweather Heist
The Merryweather Heist stars all three protagonists. It has no hired crew and no cash payday, because Lester forces the experimental device back from Merryweather rather than selling it. The approach you choose changes how the mission plays, not what you earn, so pick whichever approach you find more fun. Think of it as a story heist: it matters for the plot and the equipment you gain, but not for your bank balance.
Heist 3: The Paleto Score
The Paleto Score targets the Blaine County Savings Bank in Paleto Bay. It unlocks after the Paleto Score setup, Predator and Military Hardware missions. Guides describe this heist as having one fixed plan with no extra approach choice. What you can control is the gunman, and the safe pick is Packie McReary or Chef.
The Paleto Score punishes mistakes in a specific way: you lose money every time you or your accomplices get shot in the back. That is why a reliable gunman matters here. A cheaper gunman such as Norm Richards takes a smaller cut but the scripted firefight can end with him lost, and guides tell you to recover the money bag if you go that route. If you want the cleanest result, pay for Packie or Chef.
With the right choices, the total take is a little over 8 million dollars, and each of Michael, Trevor and Franklin should receive roughly 425,000 to 464,000 dollars. One guide gives the best possible payout as 8,016,020 dollars, which leaves each protagonist around 463,000.
Heist 4: The Bureau Raid
The Bureau Raid sends Michael and Franklin into the FIB building to retrieve and destroy a file belonging to Steve Haines. There are two approaches. The Fire Crew approach has the crew pose as firefighters after firebombs go off in the building. The Roof Entry approach has the crew parachute onto the roof for a direct assault. Most guides recommend Roof Entry, which is Option B.
For the crew, the commonly recommended trio for Roof Entry is Taliana Martinez, Daryl Johns and Rickie Lukens. Do not spend Daryl on the Paleto Score. His cut is about 6 percent, which is worth more on the Bureau Raid and the Big Score. Taliana is the high-skill driver you gain from a rescue mission, and she is worth her full price on the Bureau Raid.
The payout from this raid is small compared with the final heist, and sources disagree on the exact figures, with one listing about 332,000 dollars from the FIB budget and another saying only Franklin gets a share. The reason to do it well is the crew experience and the setup for the Big Score.
Heist 5: The Big Score
The Big Score is the final story heist and the biggest by far. It targets the gold at the Union Depository, and it has two approaches: Subtle, which uses a quiet entry and an EMP, and Obvious, which uses a loud entry with an attack helicopter. Guides that chase the maximum take choose Option B and report that each protagonist can receive over 41 million dollars. The gold is stored first, so the money lands after the story ends, not at the finale.
Recommended crew slots are two gunmen, one hacker and one driver. The usual advice is Taliana Martinez as first driver, Karim Denz as second, the cheapest available gunman, and Paige Harris if you need a strong hacker for the Subtle approach. Guides also say to bring only Chef or Packie as gunman here, so you have plenty of options, and to keep Daryl Johns for this heist because his cut is small.
Rules that apply to every heist
- Save before each heist, before Lester jobs and before the ending choices, because you cannot undo a failed approach after the money is paid.
- Use the cheapest crew that is still reliable. Small cuts add up across five heists.
- Plan crew across all heists, not one at a time. A specialist spent early may be gone later.
- Do not spend your own money early on cars and guns. Story mode vehicle ownership is less forgiving than GTA Online.
- Practice the shooting and cover system before the Paleto Score, where shots in the back cost money.
Common mistakes that cost money
The most common error is hiring the most expensive crew in every heist. A top specialist can take a double-digit share, and across five heists that gap is millions. The second error is treating the heists as separate jobs. Because crew members improve with use and because a few are shared between heists, the order in which you spend them matters as much as the approach you pick.
The third error is rushing the Paleto Score. Because you lose money each time a teammate is shot in the back, play it slowly and keep your own character in cover. The fourth is skipping the setup missions. Intel and setup missions give you the equipment that the quiet approaches depend on, such as the Bugstars gear and gas grenades for the Jewel Store Job.
Finally, remember that heist money is tied to the story. The Big Score gold is paid after the story ends, so if you are saving toward a large purchase, do not plan around money you have not received yet.
When each heist unlocks
Heists unlock in story order through Lester Crest. The Jewel Store Job comes first, followed by the Merryweather Heist, the Paleto Score, the Bureau Raid and the Big Score. Some of the later heists need their setup missions finished first, so a heist can appear to be missing until you clear the previous planning jobs. If a heist does not start, check your mission list for outstanding setup steps and switch characters, because another protagonist often holds the next clean step.
Quick reference table
- Jewel Store Job: Michael and Franklin. Best approach: Smart. Crew: Rickie Lukens, Packie McReary, Karim Denz.
- Merryweather Heist: all three. No crew, no payday.
- Paleto Score: all three. Fixed plan. Gunman: Packie or Chef. Take about 8 million in total.
- Bureau Raid: Michael and Franklin. Best approach: Roof Entry. Crew: Taliana, Daryl, Rickie.
- Big Score: all three. Best approach: Option B. Over 41 million each, paid after the story ends.
Frequently asked questions
How many heists are in GTA 5?
Five planned heists in story mode: The Jewel Store Job, The Merryweather Heist, The Paleto Score, The Bureau Raid and The Big Score.
Which GTA 5 heist pays the most?
The Big Score. With the best approach and crew each protagonist can take over 41 million dollars, paid after the story ends.
Which approach is best for the Jewel Store Job?
Option B, the Smart approach, with Rickie Lukens, Packie McReary and Karim Denz.
Does the Merryweather Heist pay anything?
No. There is no hired crew and no cash take.
Which crew members should I save for the end?
Guides recommend saving Daryl Johns and Taliana Martinez for the Bureau Raid and the Big Score.
What does Lester Crest do in the heists?
Lester plans every heist and sets up the intel and setup missions.
Can I play GTA 5 heists in GTA Online?
Online heists are a separate set of jobs, such as The Pacific Standard Job. This guide covers story mode only.
Figures vary slightly between guides because crew skill, approach and mistakes change the final cut.