GTA 5 heists: how to pick the approach and crew for the five story jobs

Heists are the core of the GTA 5 story. Each follows the same pattern: scoping the target, picking an approach on the planning board, choosing the crew, the setup missions and then the job itself. Lester Crest plans everything, and Michael, Franklin and Trevor carry it out in different combinations.

Your choices on the board decide how the job plays out, and your crew decides how much money the leads keep. The take is split between participants by percentage, and a weak crew member can lose part of the haul or get killed.

Between the heists there are smaller story raids, such as Blitz Play, but the game does not count them among the five major jobs. The full list is on the GTA 5 missions page.

There is no single "right" answer, but players usually advise the following:

• Jewelry store. The quiet Smart option (with BZ knockout gas) is recommended by, among others, the GTABoom guide. Loud means an open gunfight with the police.
• Merryweather. Both options, with a mini-sub underwater or with the cargo ship, lead to a similar result. This job pays nothing, so pick whichever looks more fun.
• Paleto Bay. There is no choice of approach. The main tip is to keep your character from getting shot in the back: according to players, that reduces the take.
• FIB. Players consider Roof Entry the more reliable option. Fire Crew pays about the same, but according to guides it can cost one of your crew members his life.
• The final job. Subtle is the more careful path, Obvious the louder one. Sources disagree on which pays better: the amounts differ by a few percent, and crew costs decide it in the end.

The crew has three roles: gunman, driver and hacker. Experienced pros take a bigger cut of the take, newcomers a smaller one. The main tips from player guides (GTABase, GTABoom):

• Unlock strong newcomers in advance. The best "cheap" hires turn up in random events on the streets: you can meet gunman Packie McReary during a store robbery, and driver Taliana Martinez on a highway in the northeast of the map. You need to rescue or help them, and then they become available.
• Crew members improve. Anyone who survives gains experience and does better on the next job, so a cheap newcomer gradually pays off.
• The hacker affects time. The hacker decides how much time the crew has inside. GTABoom recommends Rickie Lukens, who is also unlocked through a random event.
• A weak driver or gunman may not make it to the end and can take part of the haul with him. For example, Norm Richards gets lost during the getaway in the jewel store job.

A tip for the whole game: do not skimp on the last job, and on the first one, give newcomers a chance so they have time to level up.

Rockstar does not publish exact amounts, and the take depends on the approach, the crew and how the job went. Ballpark figures from the GTABoom guide (based on player data):

Figures differ between guides, so treat them as an order of magnitude. What to do with the big money after the finale is covered on the GTA 5 missions page, which has a section on Lester's contracts and the stock market.

Searches like "casino heist" are about GTA Online: there, heists are co-op missions for several players, with their own approaches and rewards. They are not in Story Mode, and neither is the Diamond Casino heist. You play the story jobs on your own, with a crew of AI characters.

The leads who take part in the jobs are covered on the GTA 5 characters page. The next game in the series also revolves around heists; details are on the GTA 6 story page.