Everyone wants the golf course. You know the one—the GWC and Golfing Society property that costs a cool $150,000,000. If you just play through the Grand Theft Auto V story normally, you aren't getting it. Even after the final heist, your take-home pay is usually around $25 million to $40 million per character. That is pocket change in Los Santos.
To actually hit the $2.1 billion cap, you have to play the market. Specifically, you need to exploit the GTA V stocks Lester missions.
These missions are basically legal insider trading. Lester Crest gives Franklin a target to "remove" from the board of directors, and in return, a rival company's stock sky-rockets. If you do these missions at the wrong time, you're leaving billions on the table. Honestly, it’s the difference between being "rich" and being "I-can-buy-the-entire-map" wealthy.
The One Rule You Cannot Break
Stop. Don't touch those "L" icons on your map.
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Aside from the very first one—The Hotel Assassination—which is required to move the story forward, you should ignore Lester until the credits roll. Why? Because you need capital. If you invest $10,000 and get an 80% return, you made $8,000. Big deal. But if you finish "The Big Score" first and invest $30,000,000? Now you’re talking about an extra $24,000,000 in pure profit.
You’ve gotta be patient. It’s hard to ignore the missions when you’re broke mid-game, but the payoff at the end is what makes this the definitive way to play.
Quick Setup Tips
- Invest with everyone: Don't just use Franklin. Switch to Michael and Trevor and put every cent they own into the same stocks.
- The Sleep Trick: Time moves faster when you sleep. You don't actually have to save the game; just walk to the bed, enter the save menu, and then back out. Trevor sleeps for 12 hours, Michael for 6, and Franklin for 8.
- Save Manually: Always keep a "clean" save before you start a mission. Sometimes the market is finicky, or you miss the peak.
Mastering the GTA V Stocks Lester Missions
1. The Hotel Assassination
This is the only mission you have to do early. Since you won't have much money, the gains are small, but it’s good practice.
The Strategy: Before you start, put all your cash into Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) on the BAWSAQ exchange. After the hit, wait about 24 in-game hours. The stock usually peaks at around 50% return (though on older consoles it used to hit 80%).
Wait, there's a second part. After you sell BET, the rival company Bilkington (BIL) on the LCN will have crashed. Wait about 48 to 72 in-game hours, buy Bilkington at its lowest, and wait for it to rebound. You can sometimes squeeze another 80% out of this if you're patient.
2. The Multi-Target Assassination
This is where the real money starts because you’ll (hopefully) be doing this after the final heist. You are targeting four jurors who are in the pocket of a cigarette company.
Pre-Mission: Invest everything into Debonaire (DEB) on the LCN.
Post-Mission: Sell when it hits roughly 80% profit.
Now, immediately take all that money and dump it into Redwood (RWC) on the LCN. Their stock just tanked because of you. It takes a while to recover—usually 48 to 96 in-game hours—but when it does, it’s a gold mine. We're talking a 300% return. This single move is how most players jump from $100 million to $400 million.
3. The Vice Assassination
This one is about "Fruit" (the game's version of Apple) and "Facade" (Microsoft).
Pre-Mission: Buy Fruit (FRT) on BAWSAQ.
Post-Mission: It usually peaks at 50%. Sell it.
The Rebound: Just like the cigarette companies, buy Facade (FAC) after it crashes. It doesn't grow as much as Redwood, but a 30% gain on hundreds of millions of dollars is still a massive payday.
4. The Bus Assassination
This one is weird. Most guides tell you to buy before, but for the Bus Assassination, you actually wait.
Do the mission. Kill the billionaire on the bus. Then look at the stock market. Vapid (VAP) on BAWSAQ will have cratered. Buy it at the bottom. Wait about two in-game days, and it will rebound for a 100% profit. You basically double your entire net worth in a weekend.
5. The Construction Assassination
The final job. No rebounds here, just a straight-up spike.
Pre-Mission: Put everything into GoldCoast (GCD) on the LCN.
Post-Mission: Sleep a few times and sell when it hits roughly 80%.
Why Timing is Everything
The LCN and BAWSAQ markets don't work the same way. LCN is "local" and usually follows the in-game clock strictly. BAWSAQ is supposed to be "online," though in 2026, it mostly functions as a scripted market in single-player.
One thing that trips people up is the "weekend." The stock market in Los Santos doesn't move on Saturdays or Sundays. If you finish a mission on a Friday night and sleep until Saturday morning, the price won't have changed. You’ll think you messed up. You didn't. Just keep sleeping until Monday morning at 8:00 AM.
| Mission | Stock to Buy BEFORE | Stock to Buy AFTER (Rebound) |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel | Betta Pharmaceuticals | Bilkington |
| Multi-Target | Debonaire | Redwood |
| Vice | Fruit | Facade |
| Bus | None | Vapid |
| Construction | GoldCoast | None |
Nuance and Reality Checks
Look, some versions of the game (PS5 vs PC vs older consoles) have slightly different peak percentages. I’ve seen Debonaire hit 90% and I’ve seen it stall at 75%.
The trick is to watch the "Return" percentage in your portfolio. If it’s going up, keep sleeping. The moment you see that number drop—even by 0.1%—sell everything immediately. The peak has passed, and it won't go back up.
Also, don't forget the Taliana Martinez and Packie McReary factor. If you used high-cut crew members in your heists, you'll have less money to invest here. If you found the "cheap" but talented crew members (like Taliana from the highway random event), your starting capital for these Lester missions will be much higher.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your map: If you have more than one "L" icon and you haven't finished the main story yet, stop doing those missions.
- Finish "The Big Score": Choose the "Obvious" approach and use the best/cheapest crew to ensure each character gets roughly $40 million.
- Create a Save Point: Before starting the Multi-Target Assassination, create a manual save in a new slot.
- Execute the "Redwood Rebound": This is the most important step for hitting the $2 billion cap. Don't rush the sell; wait for that 300% return.
Once you have the cash, buy the Los Santos Golf Club. It brings in $600,000 a week in passive income, which is nice, but mostly, it’s just about the bragging rights of having a billion dollars in your bank account.