How do you get money on GTA 5 story mode: Why most players are still broke

Let’s be real for a second. Walking around Los Santos with a couple of thousand dollars in your pocket feels like a slap in the face. You’re playing as world-class criminals, yet somehow you can barely afford a new spoiler for your Zentorno, let alone that $150,000,000 golf course in Rockford Hills.

If you're wondering how do you get money on GTA 5 story mode, you've probably realized that robbing convenience stores for $400 isn't going to cut it. Most players make the same mistake: they play through the story, spend their heist cuts on shiny toys, and then realize they’re stuck with no way to generate the "big" money.

The truth is, becoming a billionaire in GTA 5 isn't about the grind. It's about patience. Specifically, it's about not touching Lester’s assassination missions until you’ve already seen the credits roll.

The Lester Assassination Strategy: The Only Way to Billions

This is the big one. If you want to see a billion dollars in your bank account, you have to treat the stock market like your personal ATM. Throughout the game, Lester Crest gives Franklin a series of assassination missions. Most players do these as soon as they pop up.

Don't do that.

Except for the "Hotel Assassination," which you have to do to move the story forward, you should leave every other hit until after the final heist, "The Big Score." Why? Because you need a massive pile of capital to see massive returns. If you invest $10,000, a 50% return is just $5,000. If you invest the $30 million you get from the final heist, that same return is $15 million. Do that across all three characters, and you're looking at insane wealth.

The Mission Order and Where to Put Your Cash

When you finally sit down to finish these missions post-game, you need a specific plan. If you mess up the timing, the stock won't peak. Use the sleep mechanic (saving the game without actually saving) to advance time by 6–8 hours.

💡 You might also like: Stalker Survival: How to Handle the Vampire Survivors Green Reaper Without Losing Your Mind

1. The Multi-Target Assassination: Before starting, put every cent from Michael, Franklin, and Trevor into Debonaire (LCN). After the hit, wait for it to peak (around 80% profit) and sell. Then, immediately put that money into Redwood (LCN). It will be at an all-time low. Wait a few in-game days for the rebound, and you can see a 300% return. This single move turns millions into hundreds of millions.
2. The Vice Assassination: Before this one, invest everything in Fruit (BAWSAQ). Once the mission is over, wait for a peak of about 50% and sell it all.
3. The Bus Assassination: This one is different. Do not invest before the mission. Kill the target, then wait for the Vapid (BAWSAQ) stock to bottom out. Once it hits its low point, buy in with everyone. Wait a few days for the 100% rebound and cash out.
4. The Construction Assassination: This is the final big payday. Invest everything in GoldCoast (LCN) before the mission. Complete it, wait for an 80% rise, and sell.

Getting Cash Early: The "I’m Broke Right Now" Methods

Maybe you haven't finished the game yet. Maybe you just need $50k to buy some body armor and a decent gun. If you’re at the start of the game, the stock market is too slow.

Go for the Hidden Packages.

There are 12 briefcases scattered across the ocean floor. Most of them contain between $7,000 and $25,000. The best one is located off the coast of Pacific Bluffs on a sunken submarine—it’s worth $25,000.

Honestly, the easiest way to get these is to find a Dinghy or the Kraken sub. But if you're feeling brave, you can just swim down. The best part? These packages used to be "glitchable" where you could swap characters to respawn them. While Rockstar patched the instant respawn, they still show up if you leave the area and come back later.

Armored Trucks and Random Encounters

Keep your ears open for a "ping" on the mini-map. Often, this is a Gruppe Sechs armored van. Don't just shoot the drivers; that’s amateur.

Shoot the back doors where the handles meet, or use a sticky bomb. Usually, you'll walk away with $3,000 to $7,000. It’s not "buy a tank" money, but it’s "pay for my hospital bills" money.

📖 Related: Blue Protocol Star Resonance Shield Knight Skill Tree: What Most People Get Wrong

Also, look out for the Tinkle Random Encounter. Near the tunnel entrance on the west highway (Great Ocean Highway), a guy will ask for a ride to the airport. If you get him there in under two minutes, he gives you a stock tip for Tinkle (TNK). If you invest right away, you can net a quick 30% profit. It’s a nice little boost if you’re still in the mid-game.

Heist Crews: Don’t Cheap Out (Usually)

When you’re planning the big jobs, like the Jewel Store Job or the Paleto Score, you’ll be tempted to pick the crew members who take the smallest cut.

This is a trap. Sometimes.

If you pick a low-skilled driver for the Jewel Store Job, they’ll crash their bike and you’ll lose a massive chunk of the take. However, if you use a low-skilled gunman for certain roles, they might just die. If they die, you can actually pick up their bag of money and keep their cut for yourself (the protagonists).

The Golden Rule for Heists:

• Taliana Martinez: Find her in a random encounter on the highway (she’s in a crashed car). She is a top-tier driver but takes a tiny cut. She is essential for maximizing your take in the final heist.
• Packie McReary: Another random encounter (the pharmacy robbery). He’s a great gunman with a lower cut than the "expert" options.

Properties: Are They Worth the Investment?

Most properties in GTA 5 are honestly pretty bad investments if you’re looking for quick cash. The Los Santos Golf Club costs $150 million and only pays out $264,500 a week. Do the math—it takes over 500 in-game weeks to break even.

👉 See also: Daily Jumble in Color: Why This Retro Puzzle Still Hits Different

However, some are "utility" buys.

• Los Santos Customs (Franklin): Buying the one in Grand Senora Desert makes all vehicle upgrades free for Franklin. This saves you hundreds of thousands if you like customizing cars.
• Smoke on the Water: This pays for itself relatively quickly (about 22 weeks) and provides a steady $9,300 weekly income.

If you have the money, buy the cinemas. Michael can pull in over $500,000 a week if he owns all the theaters. It’s the closest thing to "passive income" the game offers outside of the stock market.

Practical Steps to Maximize Your Wealth

If you are currently sitting at your console and want to fix your bank account, here is exactly what you should do:

• Finish the main storyline first. Stop doing Lester’s missions immediately.
• Pick the "Obvious" approach for The Big Score. It generally results in a higher total take if you have a skilled crew.
• Keep multiple save files. The stock market in GTA 5 is finicky. Sometimes the "peak" happens 12 hours after a mission, sometimes it takes 48 hours. If you miss the window, you want to be able to reload.
• Use the Altruist Camp. As Trevor, deliver four hitchhikers to the cult in the mountains. Once you clear the camp in the ensuing shootout, there are four briefcases containing $25,000 each. That's a quick $100k for five minutes of work.

Becoming a billionaire in story mode is less about being a good criminal and more about being a patient investor. Stick to the plan, wait for the final heist, and then let Lester’s hits turn your millions into more money than you could ever possibly spend.

Next Steps:

1. Check your map for the "L" icon. If it's anything other than the Hotel Assassination, ignore it for now.
2. Complete the Union Depository heist to get your base capital of $25M+ per character.
3. Follow the stock investment order listed above to turn that $25M into $1.5B+.