If there’s one thing that defines the GTA Online experience, it’s money. This is, after all, a game – and, indeed, a franchise – that’s all about ill-gotten wealth and the many wonderful ways to spend it. With that in mind, amassing as much money as you can within GTA Online is incredibly important, if only so that you can flash your cash as a status symbol around other players. That’s why we’ve put together a guide so you can learn how to make money online GTA 5-style.
There are many different ways to make money in GTA Online. You can buy it with real cash (but you won’t, because you’re a savvy criminal), and you can earn it in-game from a variety of different activities including heists, gunrunning, and more. If you want to break into the big leagues and get out of small-time crime, then read on for the best ways to make money in GTA Online.
Take part in Heists
Heists are the main criminal activity in GTA Online, and if you want to be well-versed in the methods for how to make money online GTA 5 has to offer, then you’re best off starting with Heists. The Cayo Perico heist is the most lucrative in the game right now; it offers a chance to earn a staggering $1.5 million each hour, although you will need to own the Kosatka submarine so that you can initiate the heist.
Other options for lucrative heists include Doomsday, the Diamond Casino heist, and more, so you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding exactly which venue you want to rob for the chance to bring in some cash.
Passive business income
You don’t have to be out there and actively pounding the streets if you’re looking for how to make money online GTA 5-style. Instead, you can take part in gunrunning or Motorcycle Club activities so that you can generate income without actually having to participate in dangerous missions. After all, what kind of criminal overlord doesn’t delegate tasks to their underlings?
The best way to do this is via the Gunrunning Bunker, which accumulates money for you. Just buy a Bunker and set it up so that it’s generating income. Eventually, you’ll be able to pick up that income, and while it won’t seem like a lot, the fact that you haven’t had to do anything for it should make up for that.
Cargo exporting
In GTA Online, you can export vehicle cargo and special cargo if you have access to an Office and some warehouses to store stuff. From here, you can sell vehicles and other cargo for money, and the potential profits in doing so are pretty impressive. This is one of the best ways to make money in GTA Online because it requires relatively little effort, but can net you a lot of cash in exchange.
As GamesRadar points out, you must fill warehouses with unique standard-range and mid-range cars so that you’ll get top-range cars for missions afterwards. Then, just sell those cars and source more, and you’ll have a cyclical business that will get you more cash than you know what to do with.
Time trial races
GTA Online comes with time trial races that you can complete for money. Again, the potential profits here are actually quite low; you won’t be able to earn more than about $50,000 each hour for doing them. However, they become available every week, and they require relatively little effort, only taking a few minutes to complete. The profit-to-time ratio of these missions is pretty solid.
It is worth noting here that if you’re not particularly good at the driving element of GTA Online, you might struggle with time trial races, so it might be a good idea to look into a different source of income in that case. However, if you’re skilled behind the wheel, this can be a quick, easy way to grab a bit of cash.
VIP Work missions
If you’re a CEO and you have your own company, then you can engage in VIP missions, which are basically smaller-scale missions you can complete in exchange for cash. These can be great fun, and they’re also lucrative, so it’s worth seeking them out if you’re looking for the best possible ways to make money in GTA Online. If you’re not a CEO yet, you can register yourself as an organisation in the SecuroServ menu, and it shouldn’t take too long.
They can include stealing vehicles and delivering them to specific points on the map, killing other executives, stealing documents from certain areas, and more. The missions themselves aren’t usually too challenging, but they do have the potential to net you quite a lot of money. GTA Online is full of ways to make some cash (as you’d expect), but this is one of the most effective.
Miscellaneous missions
Pretty much everything you do in GTA Online will earn you money in some shape or form, so no matter what you love doing in the game, you should start getting an income from it sooner or later. Bear in mind that the core objective of GTA Online is to have fun; if you’re focusing too much on making bank, then you’ll forget to enjoy the ride along the way. Make sure you remember that GTA Online is a game first and a business venture second!
