The Doomsday Heist in GTA Online in 2026: Facility and prices, preps and setups of all three acts, Normal, Hard and first-of-the-week payouts after 1.73, Elite and awards.
The Doomsday Heist: what it is
Checked on November 7, 2026, after update 1.73.
The Doomsday Heist launched on December 12, 2017. It is three connected heists (acts) with Lester and Agent 14: breach IAA servers, rescue an agent from Bogdan's submarine and stop an artificial intelligence that threatens the world. Each act has preps (gathering equipment), setups and a finale.
It can only be played as a crew of 2-4. The host must be registered as VIP, CEO or MC President and own a Facility. The rest of the crew does not need to buy anything.
Rockstar does not publish payout tables. The figures below come from GTA Boss, GTABase and RockstarINTEL, which agree.
Facility: what to buy
The Facility is an underground base sold on Maze Bank Foreclosures. There are nine locations:
| Facility | Price, GTA$ |
|---|---|
| Paleto Bay | 1,250,000 |
| Mount Gordo | 1,465,000 |
| Lago Zancudo | 1,670,000 |
| RON Alternates Wind Farm | 1,855,000 |
| Zancudo River | 2,100,000 |
| Route 68 | 2,312,500 |
| Grand Senora Desert | 2,525,000 |
| Sandy Shores | 2,740,000 |
| Land Act Reservoir | 2,950,000 |
Individual prices are per GTA Wiki; the 1.25-2.95 million range is confirmed by GTA Boss and GTABase too. The location does not affect the heist, so the cheapest Paleto Bay is fine. Extras like the Orbital Cannon (900,000) or the Security Room (775,000) are not needed for Doomsday.
From November 5 to 11, 2026, the Facility and its upgrades are 40% off (per the Rockstar Newswire). Discounts change every Thursday - see the weekly update.
Three acts: preps, setups and finales
Preps are done in Freemode: the host can run them alone or with the crew. Setups and finales need at least 2 players.
| Act | Preps → setups | Finale |
|---|---|---|
| I | Paramedic Equipment → Dead Courier; Deluxos → Signal Intercepts; Akula → Server Farm | The Data Breaches |
| II | Keycards → Avenger; ULP Intel → Rescue ULP; Riot Control Van → Salvage Hard Drives; Strombergs + Torpedo ECU → Submarine Recon | The Bogdan Problem |
| III | Marked Cash + Recon → Rescue Agent 14; Chernobog → Escort ULP; Flight Path → Barrage; Test Site Intel → Khanjali; Onboard Computer → Air Defenses | The Doomsday Scenario |
Instead of a prep you can buy the equipment: the first buyout costs 94,500 and each next one costs more (per GTA Boss, all Act III preps together come to 857,250). But per GTA Boss buying out locks the host out of the challenge awards, so for Criminal Mastermind the preps have to be played.
In the Act III finale the crew picks the Barrage or the Khanjali. The Barrage gives the host a 100,000 bonus, the Khanjali 50,000 but it is tougher (GTA Boss, GTABase). Then come four server hacks within 20 minutes, the Orbital Cannon and a chase on Thrusters.
Payouts after update 1.73
Setup costs 25,000 per act (since The Criminal Enterprises, 2022). Amounts are for the whole crew before cuts:
| Act (finale) | Normal | Hard | First of the week, Normal | First of the week, Hard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I: The Data Breaches | 877,500 | 1,096,875 | 1,072,305 | 1,340,381 |
| II: The Bogdan Problem | 1,282,500 | 1,603,125 | 1,567,215 | 1,959,019 |
| III: The Doomsday Scenario | 1,620,000 | 2,025,000 | 1,979,640 | 2,474,550 |
What changed in July 2026. Before the update, Normal finales paid 975,000, 1,425,000 and 1,800,000. On July 14, together with The Kortz Center Heist, payouts were cut to 585,000, 855,000 and 1,080,000. On July 16 Rockstar quietly raised them to the current 90% of the old values (per RockstarINTEL and GTA Boss). As a result, a regular run pays less than before, while the first run of the week pays more.
Patch 1.73 officially put all three finales on the list of activities with a higher payout for the first completion of the week (reset every Thursday) and increased Doomsday setup mission rewards; Rockstar did not say by how much. Some sites, including GTA Wiki, still show the old figures.
Cuts. Each crew member gets at least 15%, so in a crew of two the host keeps no more than 85%.
Elite Challenge and awards
The Elite Challenge adds 50,000 per act if you meet every condition in one run:
| Act | Elite conditions |
|---|---|
| I | under 5:30, 78 kills, nobody dies |
| II | under 15:00, vehicle damage 5% or less, nobody dies |
| III | under 30:00, 150 headshots, nobody dies; per GTABase also no failed hacks |
Act I and II conditions are per GTA Boss and GTA Boom, Act III per GTABase and GTA Boss.
Per GTA Wiki, there are also one-time awards for the whole Doomsday (29 setups and finales):
| Award | Condition | GTA$ |
|---|---|---|
| All in Order II | everything in order | 500,000 |
| Loyalty II / III / IV | same crew of 2 / 3 / 4 | 75,000 / 175,000 / 375,000 |
| Criminal Mastermind II / III / IV | in order, same crew of 2 / 3 / 4, Hard, no deaths at all | 750,000 / 1,750,000 / 3,750,000 |
Tips
- Build a regular crew. The biggest money is in the Loyalty and Criminal Mastermind awards, and they need the same players across all 29 stages.
- Do the first run of the week. After the Thursday reset every finale pays about 22% more.
- Act I: pick a quiet public session for the Deluxos prep, and for the Akula leave your aircraft by the Fort Zancudo tower (GTA Boss tips).
- Act II: in the finale protect the Avenger and the prisoner - losing either fails the mission.
- Act III: bring full armor and snacks - there is no resupply underground; let your most experienced player do the server hacks while the rest cover.
- Hard pays 25% more - switch it on once the crew knows the route.
All heists are compared on the GTA Online heists page. For a solo player Cayo Perico and The Kortz Center Heist fit better; for a crew there is also The Diamond Casino Heist. Lester's first five heists from 2015 are covered in our GTA Online original heists guide.
The Doomsday Heist FAQ
How much does The Doomsday Heist pay after 1.73?
On Normal 877,500, 1,282,500 and 1,620,000 for Acts I-III per crew, 25% more on Hard. The first run of the week pays 1,072,305, 1,567,215 and 1,979,640 (Normal).
Can you do the Doomsday Heist solo?
No. The host can do the preps alone, but setups and finales require 2 to 4 players.
What do you need to start Doomsday?
A Facility (from 1,250,000) and VIP, CEO or MC President registration. Setup for each act costs 25,000.
Which Facility should I buy for Doomsday?
The cheapest is Paleto Bay (1,250,000). The location does not affect the heist.
What does the Doomsday Elite Challenge give?
+50,000 per act if you meet every condition in one run: for example, in Act I - under 5:30, 78 kills and no deaths.
Why does Doomsday pay less than before?
Payouts were cut on July 14, 2026 and partly restored on July 16 - to 90% of the old values. In exchange, the first run of the week now pays more than before.
Read next
All guides →
Sources
- Official: Rockstar Games, Rockstar Newswire, Rockstar Support, Take-Two Interactive
- Databases and guides: GTABase, GTA Wiki, GTA BOOM, PowerPyx
- Press: GamesRadar, PC Gamer, IGN, VGC, Game Informer
Every fact is checked against official sources or at least two independent ones; player-sourced data is labelled in the text. Images are official Rockstar Games material. GTA Top is not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.