You've probably seen those screenshots. A player with GTA$2.1 billion on every single character, basically making money a total non-issue for the rest of their digital life. It looks like a cheat code. Honestly, it kind of is. But it’s not a mod or a glitch; it’s just the weirdly predictable way the Los Santos economy reacts to a little high-stakes murder.
If you just play through the Lester assassination missions as they pop up, you’re leaving hundreds of millions on the table. It’s the classic rookie mistake. You see an "L" on the map, you think "Oh, story progress," and you go kill a guy. Stop doing that.
The real secret to the Lester missions and stock market combo is all about the "The Big Score." If you want to actually break the game’s bank, you have to wait. You need to finish the main campaign first. Why? Because the amount you make in the stock market is a percentage of what you put in. Investing $10,000 from your early-game pocket change is pointless. But investing $30 million from a final heist? That’s how you retire.
The One Mission You Can't Skip
Rockstar forces your hand early on with the Hotel Assassination. You have to do this one to move the story forward.
Since you don't have the big endgame heist money yet, don't sweat the "billions" part here. Just put whatever you have into Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) on the BAWSAQ exchange before you start. Once the target is down, wait for a peak of about 50% and sell. Some people try to "double dip" with Bilkington afterwards, but the return is often glitchy or takes too long to rebound. Just take your 50% and move on.
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The Multi Target Assassination: The Real Money Maker
This is where things get interesting. Once the story is wrapped and Michael, Franklin, and Trevor are sitting on their heist cuts, go find Lester again.
Before you start the Multi Target Assassination, dump every cent from all three characters into Debonaire (DEB) on the LCN. This is a scripted win. After you've taken out the four jurors, the stock is going to climb.
Timing the Sell and the Rebound
- The Peak: Look for an 80% return. It usually hits this within 24 in-game hours.
- The Pivot: Immediately after selling Debonaire, put everything into Redwood (RWC).
- The Wait: Redwood is going to be in the gutter. It’s been "smeared." You need to sleep (save the game) for about 48 to 72 in-game hours.
- The Payday: Redwood eventually rebounds for a massive 300% return. This single move is usually what catapults players into the "hundred-millionaire" bracket.
Why BAWSAQ and LCN Act Differently
Understanding the two exchanges is basically the difference between a successful trade and staring at a stagnant portfolio for three hours.
LCN is the offline market. It’s strictly tied to your game world. It updates when you sleep. It’s predictable. BAWSAQ, however, was originally designed to be influenced by the global GTA community. Even in 2026, it can be a bit finicky depending on whether you're connected to the Rockstar Games Services. For the Vice Assassination, you’re looking at Fruit (FRT) on BAWSAQ. Invest before the mission, wait for a 50% spike, and sell. If you’re feeling greedy, you can try to buy the Facade (FAC) dip afterward for a 30% rebound, but it’s often slower than the Redwood play.
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The Bus Assassination (The "Inverse" Strategy)
Most people get this one wrong because they try to buy before the mission. Don’t do that.
In the Bus Assassination, you’re taking out a billionaire who’s trying to buy Vapid. The stock doesn't go up after the hit; it craters. You want to complete the mission, wait for Vapid (VAP) to hit its absolute floor (check the "Low" price on the graph), and then buy in.
Wait a few days. Vapid will bounce back 100%. You’ve doubled your money just by being patient while the company "recovers" from the bad press.
The Construction Assassination: The Grand Finale
By the time you hit this mission, you should already have more money than you know what to do with. But we’re going for the cap here.
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Before the mission, put everything into GoldCoast (GCD) on the LCN. Complete the hit on the construction mogul, and watch the stock climb about 80%. This is usually the point where your bank account hits the integer limit of $2,147,483,647.
Pro Tip: If you hit the $2.1 billion cap, the game won't let you earn more. If you sell and the math says you should have $2.5 billion, you’ll just be reset to the cap. If you're at that level, you’ve officially "beaten" the stock market.
Handling the "Wait Time"
The most boring part of this is waiting for the numbers to go up. Standing around in Los Santos doesn't work well because the market moves slow.
Go to a safehouse. Sleep. You don't actually have to save the game; just entering the sleep menu advances time. Michael sleeps for 6 hours, Franklin for 8, and Trevor—being the absolute disaster he is—sleeps for 12. Using Trevor to fast-forward is the most efficient way to trigger the stock updates.
Critical Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting all characters: Each character has their own bank account. If you only invest with Franklin, Michael and Trevor stay "poor." Switch between all three and buy the same stock before every mission.
- Relying on Auto-Save: The market can be weird. Sometimes it peaks and then crashes while you're in a loading screen. Make a manual save before you buy and another before you sell.
- Missing the Window: BAWSAQ stocks can sometimes move in real-time. If you see a 50% gain, take it. Don't wait for 51% and risk it dropping to 10% ten minutes later.
Actionable Next Steps
To get started on your path to billions, check your map for the "L" icon. If you’ve already finished the "The Big Score" heist:
- Check your total cash: Make sure all three characters have their heist payouts ready.
- Make a Master Save: Create a fresh save slot so you can restart the entire process if the market doesn't behave.
- Start with the Multi Target Assassination: This is the most reliable high-yield mission.
- Monitor the LCN: Open your phone, go to Money and Services, and keep the "My Portfolio" page open to track the "Return %" in real-time.
Once you’ve hit the cap, go buy the Golf Club. It’s $150 million and serves absolutely no purpose other than proving you’re the richest person in San Andreas.