You’ve probably heard the rumors. People claim they’ve walked away from Los Santos with $2.1 billion in their pockets. That isn't a glitch, and it isn't a lie. It’s just math, though most players mess it up because they’re too impatient to wait for the actual peak.
Lester Crest is basically a crooked hedge fund manager with a sniper rifle. If you play your cards right, his missions are the only way to effectively "break" the game's economy. But if you do them as soon as they pop up on your map? You’re leaving hundreds of millions on the table. Honestly, you're better off ignoring him for 90% of the game.
The Strategy Nobody Tells You
The biggest mistake is starting these missions too early.
You need capital. Specifically, you need the payout from The Big Score. If you finish the main story first, each of your three characters—Michael, Franklin, and Trevor—will have roughly $25 million to $40 million. When you multiply a 300% return on $30 million, you’re looking at a different universe of wealth compared to doing it with the pocket change you have in the beginning of the game.
Only one mission is mandatory: The Hotel Assassination. You have to do that one to move the story along. For everything else? Leave Lester hanging. Let him sit at those park benches and garment factories until the credits have rolled.
🔗 Read more: Animal Crossing New Horizons Fish Guide: What Most Players Get Wrong About Timing and Shadows
Understanding the Two Markets
There are two exchanges in the game: the LCN and the BAWSAQ.
The LCN is local. It reacts to your story choices and the specific assassinations you carry out. It’s predictable. The BAWSAQ is technically tied to the Rockstar Social Club (or at least it was intended to be), which means it can be a bit more finicky. If you’re playing offline, BAWSAQ stocks can sometimes feel like they’ve frozen. Always make sure you're connected to the internet to ensure these prices move the way they're supposed to.
A Play-By-Play for the GTA 5 Stock Market Assassinations
Let's get into the weeds. You need to invest with all three characters before every hit. Don't just do it with Franklin. Switch to Michael, dump his life savings into the stock, then switch to Trevor and do the same.
1. The Hotel Assassination
This is the one you have to do early. Before you start, put everything into Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) on the BAWSAQ.
Wait about 24 in-game hours after the hit. You’re looking for a return of about 21% to 50% depending on your platform. Sell it. But here’s the kicker: the rival company, Bilkington (BIL) on the LCN, will have tanked. Wait a few days for it to hit rock bottom, buy in, and wait for it to rebound. It can take a full in-game week, but you might see a massive 80% to 100% gain here if you’re patient.
📖 Related: Ps2 trucos gta san andreas: Why we still remember these button combos twenty years later
2. The Multi-Target Assassination
This is where the real money starts. You’re hitting the jurors who are in the pocket of Redwood Cigarettes.
- Pre-invest: Put all money into Debonaire (DEB) on the LCN.
- The Peak: It usually hits around 80%. Sell everything.
- The Flip: Immediately buy Redwood (RWC) on the LCN. It will be at its lowest point.
- The Wait: This takes time. Sleep in your safehouse for several days. Trevor sleeps for 12 hours, making him the best "time machine" in the game. Sell when Redwood rebounds for a massive 300% return.
3. The Vice Assassination
Lester wants you to take out a guy who’s into some shady stuff involving Facade.
Invest in Fruit (FRT) on the BAWSAQ before the mission. It’ll spike quickly, usually around 50%. Sell it. Just like before, there's a rebound play here. Buy Facade (FAC) after it crashes and wait for it to climb back up about 30%. It’s not as huge as the cigarette play, but at this stage, 30% of your total net worth is still millions of dollars.
4. The Bus Assassination
This one is unique. Do not buy anything before the mission. The goal is to tank Vapid (VAP) stock on the BAWSAQ. Complete the mission, then watch the Vapid stock price. Once it bottoms out—usually dropping by exactly 50%—buy in with everyone. Wait a few days, and it will bounce back to its original price. That’s a clean 100% profit. Doubling your money is a good day in Los Santos.
5. The Construction Assassination
The final hit involves a real estate developer. Put your cash into GoldCoast (GCD) on the LCN before you head to the construction site. After the job is done, the stock should climb by roughly 80%. Sell it and breathe a sigh of relief.
You’re now officially the richest person in San Andreas.
Why Most People Fail (And How to Fix It)
"I waited and the price never went up." I see this all the time.
The market is sensitive. If you do another mission while waiting for a stock to peak, you might mess up the internal clock. The best way to manage this is the "Sleep Save" method. Go to your bed, enter the save screen, but don't actually save. Just back out. Time will still advance.
Pro Tip: Always create a hard save before you start the mission. If the stock market acts weird or you miss the peak, you can just reload and try again. Sometimes the LCN takes 24 hours to peak, and sometimes it takes 48. There is no "exact" second, so you have to keep checking your phone's browser.
🔗 Read more: New Xbox handheld release date: What most people get wrong
Actionable Steps for Maximum Profit
- Finish "The Big Score" first. Seriously. Don't touch the assassinations until you have that heist money.
- Use all three characters. If Michael has $30 million and you forget to invest with him, you're throwing away a $90 million profit on a 300% return.
- Check the "Return %" in your portfolio. Don't look at the generic market graphs; they are often lagging or misleading. The only number that matters is the one in your personal portfolio tab.
- Connect to the internet. BAWSAQ requires a connection to the Rockstar servers to update correctly in many versions of the game.
By following this sequence, you can easily end up with enough money to buy every property in the game, from the Golf Club to the McKenzie Field Hangar, with billions left over to spend on gold-plated jets you'll probably crash anyway. It's about being a shark, not just a hitman.
For more gaming insights and mechanics, keep an eye on how in-game economies are shifting in the latest patches—Grand Theft Auto 5 is over a decade old, but the math behind its markets is still the most reliable way to get rich.