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MenuGTA Online Best Heists (All Heists Ranked Least to Most Fun)
Updated: 25 Jul 2024 5:28 pm
A Couple of Crooks Skillfully Rob The Pacific Standard Bank
BY: Matthew M.
Grand Theft Auto Online’s heists have, for better or for worse, kept Grand Theft Auto Online relevant for over a decade.
GTA Online heists are large robbery missions where players earn in-game money. Many players exclusively complete certain heists repeatedly because they pay better than others (which I find VERY boring).
Other players, like myself, enjoy the fun, thrilling, and role-playing aspect of GTA heists, with the payout being an afterthought.
If you're a fellow thrill-seeker looking for a list that ranks GTA Online heists purely based on their FUN factor, then you're in the right place. I'll be sharing my personal rankings of every GTA Online heist, from least to most fun.
8. Prison Break (Least Fun)
Grand Theft Auto V - ONLINE - Part 15 - THE PRISON BREAK HEIST - 4K 60FPS UHDAh yes, ‘Prison Break’. The source of frustration for many gamers in the 2010s.
‘Prison Break’ had potential. The main heist splits four players into groups of two that simultaneously work to break Maxim Rashkovsky, a former head of the army, out of prison.
The biggest flaw is its lack of a checkpoint in the final mission.
No matter how far you progress, if you run out of lives, the entire mission restarts. While I love a challenge, this decision by Rockstar was extreme.
Please, for your own sanity, only do this heist with friends. The lack of a checkpoint makes heist nearly IMPOSSIBLE to complete with random players online.
Also, breaking someone out of prison doesn’t fit the traditional heist image. Other heists on this list involve robbing banks or stealing items, which feels more realistic to me. These reasons, combined with very tedious set-up missions, make Prison Break a heist I find little enjoyment in.
How to Do ‘Prison Break’:
1. Four players complete the ‘Plane’, ‘Bus’, ‘Station’, and ‘Wet Work’ setup missions.
2. Two players, disguised as an officer and prisoner, break into the prison and collect Rashkovsky, defending themselves from enemy officers.
3. One player flies the Velum Plane, avoiding enemy jets.
4. One player guards the plane pilot in a demolition helicopter.
5. The plane pilot picks up the officer, prisoner, and Rashkovsky after they escape the prison.
6. All players fly to the beach while the demolition helicopter pilot provides cover.
7. Rashkovsky leaves on the plane while the four players regroup on the beach.
Rewards from ‘Prison Break’:
- $875,000 (hard difficulty), divided among four players.
- ‘Parole Day’ achievement.
- Unlocks ‘Humane Raid’ heist.
- Reduced price for the Velum 5-Seater, Prison Bus, and Casco.
7. Series A Funding (Most Forgettable)
Grand Theft Auto V - ONLINE - Part 19 - SERIES A FUNDING HEIST COMPLETE WALKTHROUGH - 4K 60FPS UHD
This heist is enjoyable if you just enjoy senseless violence and mayhem.
It’s fitting that the iconic GTA V story mode psychopath, Trevor Philips, would return as the leader of this heist.
Many of the setups in ‘Series A Funding’ are tedious and nearly impossible to do without game chat.
The “Trash Truck” set up, however, is exhilarating and tense when done with three friends.
The heist finale suffers from its complete lack of realism.
The finale has a MASSIVE shootout in a very public area, followed by a high-speed highway chase between the players (with a machine gun turret) and multiple street gangs.
All of this somehow happens without the police being involved at all.
While this heist certainly has its moments and fair share of hilarious cut-scenes, it is overall forgettable and not worth replaying.
How to Do ‘Series A Funding’:
1. Four players complete the ‘Coke’, ‘Trash Truck’, ‘Bikers’, ‘Weed’, and ‘Steal Meth’ setup missions.
2. Four players fend off enemies at the ‘warehouse’ while defending the drugs.
3. After all of the enemies are killed, two players drive each of the drug-filled trucks to the meeting point.
4. Two players follow behind in a truck with a mounted turret.
5. All players must defend themselves from enemies on the highway while protecting the drugs.
6. All players reach the meeting point with Trevor to complete the heist.
Rewards from ‘Series A Funding’:
- $883,750 (hard difficulty), divided among four players.
- ‘In the Name of Science’ achievement.
- Unlocks ‘Pacific Standard’ heist.
6. Fleeca Job (Wasted Potential)
The Fleeca Job Heist GTA Online Walkthrough [PS5 4K UHD]
‘Flecca Job’ is the very first heist in GTA Online.
Honestly, I have a tremendous soft spot for this heist for one simple reason: it’s realistic!
Well, apart from the getaway with Eddie Toh’s giant magnet helicopter. Let's ignore that for now.
Up until that point, it has everything you want from an immersive heist experience: bank robbing, hacking, crowd control, vault drilling, and a mastermind like Lester Crest.
Why isn’t this higher? To put it simply, this heist is just way too easy.
‘Flecca Job’ only has two setups, one of which requires no fighting, and the finale can be done in 5 minutes.
The lack of a challenge makes what is an immersive heist have essentially no replay value.
How to Do ‘Flecca Job’:
1. Two players complete the ‘Scope Out’, and ‘Kuruma’ setup missions.
2. One player drives the Kuruma to the Flecca Bank while the other hacks the bank's system in the passenger seat.
3. Players enter the Flecca Bank after hacking Flecca’s system.
4. One player controls the crowd while the other drills into the money vaults.
5. Both players escape in the Kuruma.
6. Eddie Toh picks up the players in the Kuruma with a giant magnet attached to a helicopter.
Rewards from ‘Prison Break’:
- $251,560 (hard difficulty), divided among four players.
- ‘Head for Heights’ achievement.
- Unlocks ‘Prison Break’ heist.
- Unlocks the Armored Kuruma.
5. The Doomsday Heist (Most Unrealistic)
Grand Theft Auto Online - The Doomsday Heist [FULL GAMEPLAY]
I am fully aware that this may be a controversial take. Bring on the pitchforks and torches!
Don’t get me wrong: ‘The Doomsday Heist’ has a very interesting story, fun and memorable moments, and a cool plot twist.
My issue lies in not only the fact that the heist finale is incredibly difficult, but the heist as a whole is so insanely far-fetched that I fend myself having no interest in replaying it.
This heist has the player reunite with Lester Crest and a new character, billionaire Avon Hertz.
The player, Lester, and Avon unite with government agents, including Agent 14 and Phoenicia Rackman. Avon believes that an unknown foreign entity is trying to start a war and would put San Andreas and the United States under a "doomsday scenario".
‘The Doomsday Heist’ itself is really three separate heists built into one story. The three-act sequence of missions involves heist Prep (skippable via payment of GTA$) and Setup missions before undertaking heist Finales in each act.
While the premise of the heist is fun and interesting, it hardly feels like a heist. Rather, the player and heist crew feels more like heroes than criminals.
This heist also features jetpacks, breaking into a IAA base (GTA’s version of the CIA), and world-ending A.I. that feels like a far cry from the typical banking robbings and drug smuggling we once knew.
While I certainly understand the hype for this heist, especially it’s third act, I am not a fan.
How to Do ‘The Doomsday Heist’:
1. 1-4 players complete the ‘Doomsday: Act I’ preps and setups.
2. 2-4 players complete the ‘Doomday: Act I’ heist by breaching the IAA’s data.
3. 1-4 players complete the ‘Doomsday: Act II’ preps and setups.
4. 2-4 players complete the ‘Doomday: Act II’ heist by attempting to assassinate Bogdan.
5. 1-4 players complete the ‘Doomsday: Act III’ preps and setups.
6. 2-4 players complete the ‘Doomday: Act III’ heist by saving the world from Avon and his A.I., Clifford.
Rewards from ‘The Doomsday Heist’:
- Act 1: The Data Breaches Completion Reward: $812,500 (Hard) divided among 2-4 players
- Act 2: The Bogdan Problem Completion Reward: $1,187,500 (Hard) divided among 2-4 players
- Act 3: The Doomsday Scenario Completion Reward: $1,500,000 (Hard) divided among 2-4 players
4. Humane Raid (Middle of the Road)
The Humane Labs Raid - Setups, cutscenes and finale - GTA Online
I would say that the ‘Humane Raid’ heist has an equal amount of pros and cons when it comes to enjoyability.
While, sure, this heist suffers from being far fetched in the same way ‘The Doomsday Heist’ does with its objective of breaking into a government facility, it is at least a bit more realistic in its approach.
My favorite aspect about this heist is how the four players split off into groups of two, with the groups reuniting in the second half of the heist.
Not to mention, this heist has an awesome final cutscene with the players walking towards the camera with their Valkyrie helicopter exploding in the background.
This heist also has a pretty decent setup mission, with my favorite being ‘Deliver EMP’, where players sneakily take out Humane Labs guards in the middle of the night.
How to Do ‘Humane Raid’:
1. Four players complete the ‘Key Codes’, ‘Insurgent’, ‘EMP’, ‘Valkyrie’, and ‘Deliver EMP’ setup missions.
2. Four players fly to the Humane Laboratory in a Valkyrie.
3. Two players parachute into the lab while the other two fight off enemies in the Valkyrie.
4. The two players in the lab make their way to the lab, steal the data, then leave.
5. The Valkyrie picks up the two players at a nearby beach.
6. All four players fend off enemy helicopters in a Valkyrie.
7. Data is delivered at the meeting point.
Rewards from ‘Humane Raid’:
- $251,560 (hard difficulty), divided among four players.
3. The Cayo Perico Heist (Most Freedom)
GTA Online: The Cayo Perico Heist Finale in Hard Mode - Elite Challenge [Solo]
‘The Cayo Perico Heist’ is best known for being the first and only heist to allow a solo player to complete the heist finale.
It is also known for taking place on a remote island outside of Los Santos.
This heist has a groundbreaking player experience when it comes to executing the heist.
After a scope-out mission supported by new character Pavel, players can freely determine the entry point/vehicle, strategy, and extraction point/vehicle for the heist.
The Cayo Perico island belongs to billionaire Juan Strickler (‘El Rubio’), and the player(s) are hired by Miguel Madrazo to steal from Strickler’s compound.
The only issue I have with this heist is its tendency to have guards spawn in places where other guards were previously killed without being alerted, breaking some immersion.
Overall, this heist was groundbreaking upon its release and has remained one of the most fun and repeatable heists ever.
How to Do ‘The Cayo Perico Heist’:
1. The heist leader must scope out the island.
2. 1-4 players must complete mandatory setups, with optional setups available.
3. 1-4 players infiltrate the island through the method of choice.
4. 1-4 players enter the compound and steal from the vault.
5. 1-4 players may steal from additional buildings on the island.
6. 1-4 players exit the island through the method of choice.
Rewards from ‘The Cayo Perico Heist’:
- Maximum of $4,188,152, depending on what is in the vault and on the island, split among player(s).
2. The Pacific Standard Job (Instant Classic)
Pacific Standard Heist actually using the bikes! GTA Online
This iconic heist has four players steal from the large Los Santos bank, Pacific Standard.
This heist is essentially a bigger and more difficult ‘Fecca Job’ with a more realistic escape.
The heist has almost everything you want in a heist, from (mostly) fun setups, to a realistic mission, good payout, and thrilling escape.
This heist was the most difficult heist until ‘The Doomsday Heist’ was released, but it was not nearly as hard as Doomsday.
With incredible narration by Lester Crest, this heist is one that I find myself wanting to replay over and over.
How to Do ‘The Pacific Standard Job’:
1. Four players complete the ‘Vans’, ‘Signal’, ‘Hack’, ‘Convoy’, and ‘Bikes’ setup missions.
2. Four players infiltrate the Pacific Standard bank.
3. Two players make their way to the vault while two other players control the crowd and kill security.
4. All four players battle their way through waves of cops as they make their way through the back alleys of Los Santos.
5. The players arrive to their four getaway bikes.
6. All four players escape the cops as they drive into the wilderness of San Andreas.
7. Each player parachutes off a cliff onto the getaway boat.
Rewards from ‘The Pacific Standard Job’:
- $1,875,000 (hard difficulty), divided among four players.
1. The Diamond Casino Heist (Most Fun)
Gta 5 Online - Diamond Casino Heist: The Big Con (No Commentary) Ps5 Gameplay
I debated long and hard between ‘Pacific Standard’ and ‘The Diamond Casino Heist’. Ultimately, my decision to rank ‘The Diamond Casino Heist’ as the most fun came down to one thing: options.
After purchasing an arcade as a base of operations, Lester and 2-4 players devise a scheme to rob the new Diamond Casino in Los Santos.
Lester presents the players with three options: an aggressive approach, a sneaky and silent approach, or a “Big Con” approach where players are disguised.
Within these options, there are mandatory and optional setup missions that determine the specific strategy players will execute in the heist. The heist leader also has the option to hire certain support crews at different prices, which will also affect the heist.
If you’re a fan of realism, the “Big Con” is the approach for you, as players can choose to disguise themselves as exterminators, maintenance workers, and more.
If you want a more fun approach that is still grounded in realism, the “Sneaky & Silent” approach is for you, where players do their best ninja impression by taking out casino guards without alerting security.
If you are a fan of a fun, blood-and-guts approach that is similar to the final scene of Scarface, then the “Aggressive” approach is the one for you.
All told, ‘The Diamond Casino Heist’ stands out as perhaps the perfect GTA heist, thanks to its realistic storyline, manageable difficulty, and numerous setup options and outcomes.
How to Do ‘The Diamond Casino Heist’:
1. The heist leader must choose between Aggressive, Sneaky & Silent, or The Big Con.
2. 1-4 players must complete mandatory setups, with optional setups available.
3. 2-4 players infiltrate the Diamond Casino’s vault through the method selected by the heist leader.
4. Players steal money in the form of cash, gold, expensive paintings, or diamonds.
5. Players must escape the Diamond Casino safely and deliver the stolen goods to the “Buyers”.
Rewards from ‘The Diamond Casino Heist’:
- Up to $3.6 million, depending on what is in the vault, split among players.
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