GTA 5 Money Making Guide

How to make billions in GTA 5 Story Mode legitimately

Last updated: January 2026

Important: No Money Cheat Exists

There is NO money cheat in GTA 5 Story Mode. Rockstar deliberately excluded money cheats to protect the game's economy. However, using the Lester assassination strategy below, you can legitimately earn over $2 billion across all three characters.

The Ultimate Money Strategy

Lester Assassination + Stock Market = $2+ Billion

This is the most profitable strategy in GTA 5 and can easily make you over $300 million per character. The key is to wait until AFTER completing The Big Score before doing assassination missions.

Step-by-Step Process:

  1. Complete the main story including The Big Score heist
  2. Each character will have approximately $40 million to invest
  3. Before each assassination, invest ALL money from ALL THREE characters
  4. Complete the assassination mission
  5. Wait for stocks to peak (save and sleep to pass time)
  6. Sell all stocks and repeat with next mission

Lester Assassination Stock Guide

1

Hotel Assassination

Target: Bret Lowrey (Bilkinton Research CEO)

Invest In:

Betta Pharmaceuticals (BAWSAQ)

Sell After:

80-90% increase

Tip: Only mandatory assassination. Do this one during story.

2

Multi-Target Assassination

Target: Four Redwood Cigarettes jurors

Invest In:

Debonaire Cigarettes (LCN)

Sell After:

80-100% increase

Tip: After selling, buy Redwood stocks and wait for 300% return.

3

Vice Assassination

Target: Jackson Skinner (Facade VP)

Invest In:

Fruit Computers (BAWSAQ)

Sell After:

50-60% increase

Tip: Wait for maximum return before selling.

4

Bus Assassination

Target: Isaac Penny (Vapid rival)

Invest In:

Vapid (BAWSAQ)

Sell After:

100% increase

Tip: Takes several in-game days for full profit.

5

Construction Assassination

Target: Enzo Bonelli (Construction mogul)

Invest In:

Gold Coast Development (LCN)

Sell After:

80-100% increase

Tip: Last assassination, invest everything for maximum return.

Heist Payouts & Best Approaches

The Jewel Store Job

$4,946,153

Best Approach:

Smart (Option B)

Recommended Crew:

Karim Denz (Driver 8%), Packie McReary (Gunman 12%), Rickie Lukens (Hacker 4%)

Tip: Rickie gives enough time to grab everything. Cheapest effective crew.

The Merryweather Heist

$0 (No profit)

Best Approach:

Either option

Recommended Crew:

No crew selection

Tip: Story mission only, no money earned. Complete it quickly.

The Paleto Score

$8,016,020

Best Approach:

N/A (Only one option)

Recommended Crew:

Chef or Packie McReary (if used before)

Tip: You lose $20k minimum due to mandatory damage. Protect your crew.

The Bureau Raid

Only Franklin profits

Best Approach:

Roof Entry (Option A)

Recommended Crew:

Rickie Lukens (Hacker 4%), Norm Richards (Gunman 7%), Taliana Martinez (Driver 5%)

Tip: Roof entry is more profitable and interesting.

The Big Score

$41,664,000 per character

Best Approach:

Obvious (Option B)

Recommended Crew:

Taliana (Driver 1), Karim (Driver 2), two cheapest gunmen

Tip: Save all assassination missions until AFTER this heist for maximum investment capital.

Other Money-Making Methods

Armored Truck Robberies

Easy

Up to $20,000 each

Armored Stockade trucks appear randomly around Los Santos. Stick a Sticky Bomb on the back doors to pop them open and grab the cash.

Rob Convenience Stores

Easy

$1,000 - $2,000 each

Point a gun at the cashier and wait for them to empty the register. Shoot near them (not at them) to speed up the process.

Property Income

High Investment

$250,000+ per week

Buy properties like the Downtown Cab Co, Tequi-La-La, or Golf Course. They generate passive weekly income after initial investment.

Steal & Sell Cars

Easy

Up to $30,000 per car

High-end cars can be sold at Los Santos Customs. Limit of one car per 48 real-time minutes. Best cars: Gallivanter Baller, Lampadati Felon.

Street Races (Franklin)

Medium

Bronze/Silver/Gold rewards

Hao's street races are available for Franklin. Complete them for cash prizes and to unlock vehicle upgrades.

Random Encounters

Luck-based

Varies (up to $100,000 in stocks)

Find the kid whose bike was stolen near Franklin's house. Return it for $100,000 in Animal Ark stocks.

Pro Money-Making Tips

  • •Do not buy vehicles early - steal cars instead. Save all money for weapon upgrades and stock investments.
  • •Sleep to pass time - Michael sleeps 6 hours, Franklin 8 hours, Trevor 12 hours. Use this to wait for stocks to change.
  • •Manual save before investing - if stocks go wrong, you can reload and try again.
  • •Unlock Taliana Martinez - random encounter on the Great Ocean Highway. She is a 5% driver who performs like 12%.
  • •Buy properties early - they generate passive income that compounds over time. Taxi company and cinema are good first purchases.

Sources

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