GTA 5 Story Mode Heists: The Complete Guide to All 5 Big Jobs

Heists are the backbone of the GTA 5 story. Five big jobs carry the campaign from a small-time jewelry store hit to a finale worth more than $200 million, and each one asks you to make choices that change how it plays and how much you take home. This guide walks through all five in story order: the Jewel Store Job (the Vangelico robbery), the Merryweather Heist, the Paleto Score, the Bureau Raid and the Big Score.

Rather than a mission-by-mission walkthrough, think of this page as a planning map. For each job you will find what it is, which approach options exist, where the crew decision matters, and the one mistake that costs people the most money. Where you want the full detail on a single heist, we link to a dedicated guide.

How heists work in GTA 5

Every heist follows the same loop. Lester Crest plans the job, you complete prep missions (often called setups) to gather equipment, you pick crew members for the roles the job needs, and then you run the finale. Three ideas explain almost everything:

• Approach. Most heists let you choose between two plans. The choice changes the prep missions, the finale and sometimes the payout. The Paleto Score is the exception, with a single plan.
• Crew. Gunmen, drivers and hackers each have a skill level and a cut. Better crew members survive longer and perform better, but they take a larger percentage. Cheaper crew members are a gamble on the finale. Several crew members also improve as you reuse them on successful jobs.
• Cut. After the job, the crew takes its share, then the remainder is split between your protagonists. A clean run with a strong crew leaves you with more than a messy run with a cheap one, so a few thousand dollars saved on hiring rarely pays off.

Because crew members can be lost for good if they are injured or killed on a job, it pays to think about the whole campaign and not just the heist in front of you. A gunman you burn in the Paleto Score is a gunman you cannot hire for the Big Score.

1. The Jewel Store Job

The first heist is a small, tightly designed warm-up: Michael and Franklin rob the Vangelico jewelry store in Rockford Hills. It teaches the whole system in miniature, with two clear approaches, a short prep phase and a crew to hire.

The two approaches are a smart, quiet entry and a loud, direct one. The quiet plan rewards patience and careful execution, while the loud plan is more chaotic and hands the police a reason to chase you. Both pay out, and neither is a trap, so pick the one that suits how you like to play.

What to remember:

• The hacker is the role people most often overlook. A hacker who gives you enough time makes the job noticeably easier.
• Because it is the first heist, you have limited crew choices. Do not agonize over them, but note who you hire, because some of those faces come back later.
• Gold medal runs have their own requirements. Our full breakdown covers them in The GTA 5 Jewel Store Job Heist, Explained.

2. The Merryweather Heist

The second job escalates sharply. Instead of a storefront, you are going after a shipment tied to the private military contractor Merryweather, and this time the trio of protagonists is working together. It is the first heist where Trevor's brand of chaos really shapes the plan.

The job offers two approaches, commonly described as the freighter plan and the offshore plan. They use very different vehicles and set pieces, so your prep missions change completely depending on which you choose. The offshore route leans on boats and underwater work, while the freighter route is a more direct assault.

What to remember:

• This is the first heist where the crew cut starts to bite. A weak driver or gunman can turn a good plan into a firefight you did not want.
• Prep missions here are longer than in the Jewel Store Job. Finish them carefully, because the equipment you collect is what keeps the finale manageable.
• Merryweather security is aggressive, so keep your health and armor topped up before you start the finale.

3. The Paleto Score

The Paleto Score is the odd one out. There is no approach to choose: Michael, Franklin, Trevor and a hired gunman storm the Blaine County Savings Bank in Paleto Bay in heavy armor and military-grade weapons, then fight their way out through the main street against police and, eventually, the military.

Prep is short, with a scouting setup and a military hardware mission in the desert. The finale is a pure combat setpiece, and that is where the crew decision matters most.

What to remember:

• The payout is modest compared with the other heists. Treat it as a story beat and a combat challenge, not a money-maker.
• Think ahead about which gunman you hire. Some players pick a crew member they do not plan to use again, because a gunman who dies here is lost for the later heists. If you want to keep your best option for the Bureau Raid and the Big Score, choose accordingly.
• Use cover, rotate between protagonists when the game allows it, and keep armor high. The street is long and the enemy waves keep coming.

4. The Bureau Raid

The Bureau Raid sends the crew into a federal building. It brings back the two-approach structure with plans that are usually described as the fire crew entry and the roof entry. One is a more deceptive, ground-based infiltration, and the other is a more aerial, forceful one.

This is the heist where preparation and crew quality are most visible. The building is large, the guards are many and the objective sits deep inside. A weak hacker or a rushed prep leaves you exposed.

What to remember:

• Pick the approach whose set pieces you enjoy. Both are viable, and both can reach a gold medal with clean execution.
• The longer you spend in the building, the more attention you attract. Stay on route and avoid unnecessary fights.
• If you still have your preferred crew from earlier jobs, this is a good time to use them, because a lost crew member cannot be brought back for the finale.

5. The Big Score

The finale is the biggest job in the game, and it fills the screen with money. The take is roughly $201 million, depending on the approach, which makes it dwarf every other job. You choose between the Subtle approach and the Obvious approach.

• Subtle. A longer, more methodical plan with more prep missions. It is the stealthier option and takes more setup, but it feels like the kind of heist the whole campaign was building toward.
• Obvious. A direct, high-risk plan with fewer prep missions. It is faster to set up, and the finale is loud.

Both approaches pay almost the same, so choose by playstyle and not by profit.

What to remember:

• Crew quality matters more here than anywhere else. A cheap crew can lose you millions, while a strong crew keeps your cut high. At this scale the gap between a 5% and a 15% cut is worth far more than anything you saved on earlier jobs.
• The final take is split between your protagonists after the crew cut, so a clean run is worth more than any other single upgrade.
• Money matters after the credits, too. The windfall funds your property purchases and the stock market, so plan the pay day before you start.

Common mistakes that cost you money

1. Burning your best crew early. Gunmen, drivers and hackers who die on a job are gone. Spread your risk and keep your best for the Bureau Raid and the Big Score.
2. Ignoring prep missions. The equipment from setups directly affects how hard the finale is. Rushing them is the surest way to a messy finale.
3. Hiring on price alone. A cheaper crew member takes a smaller cut but fails more often, and every failure costs more than the savings.
4. Chasing every gold medal on the first run. Medals are optional unless you want 100% completion. Play the first time for the story, then replay with a plan. Our Heists gold medal guide covers every objective.

Choosing endings and finishing the game

Heists lead directly into the game's ending, and the choices you make near the finale have consequences for the story. Before you commit, it is worth reading GTA 5's Three Endings: Which One Should You Pick?. If you are aiming for a full playthrough, the GTA 5 100% Completion Checklist lists every requirement, including the heist objectives. And if you want to understand why the Merryweather and Paleto jobs feel the way they do, Trevor Philips: GTA 5's Most Unhinged Character, Explained is the best companion read.

What this means for GTA 6

Heists are a staple of the series, and many fans expect Rockstar to carry the idea forward. Nothing about GTA 6 heists is confirmed, and everything here is a reasonable guess based on GTA 5, not an official claim. For a speculative look at how such missions might work, see GTA 6 Heists: How They Could Work. Until Rockstar says otherwise, treat any detail you read about a GTA 6 heist as expectation, not fact.

Quick reference

Heist	Approaches	Protagonists	Key decision
Jewel Store Job	Smart or loud	Michael, Franklin	Hacker for timing
Merryweather Heist	Freighter or offshore	Michael, Franklin, Trevor	Driver and gunman quality
Paleto Score	One plan	Michael, Franklin, Trevor	Which gunman to risk
Bureau Raid	Fire crew or roof entry	Michael, Franklin, Trevor	Prep and crew quality
Big Score	Subtle or obvious	Michael, Franklin, Trevor	Crew cut and payout

Approach names are community shorthand and can vary slightly between guides, so check the in-game planning board if a label looks different from what you see.

Final word

GTA 5's heists are the best-designed stretch of the campaign because they reward planning and not just shooting. Pick the approach that fits your style, protect your best crew for the biggest jobs, and take the prep missions seriously. Do that, and the Big Score pays out like the finale it is.