You're probably broke. Well, your characters in Los Santos are, anyway. It’s a common frustration: you finish the main story of Grand Theft Auto V, look at that shiny $150,000,000 golf course, and realize you only have a few million bucks in the bank. You messed up. Most people do. They play the stock market GTA 5 assassination missions as soon as they pop up on the map because, hey, Lester has a "L" icon and you want to see the story progress.
Stop doing that.
If you want to hit the $2.1 billion cap—the literal maximum amount of money the game engine can handle—you have to treat Lester Crest like a financial advisor, not a quest giver. These missions are the only way to manipulate the BAWSAQ and LCN exchanges with 100% certainty. It’s basically insider trading, and in the world of Rockstar Games, it's the only path to becoming a billionaire.
The One Rule: Save the Hits for Later
Here is the thing. You have to do the first assassination, "The Hotel Assassination," to move the main story forward. There is no way around it. But the other four? Leave them alone. Do not touch them until the "Big Score" heist is finished.
Why? Because your ROI (Return on Investment) depends entirely on your starting capital. If you invest $100,000, a 50% return gets you $50,000. If you invest $30,000,000 from the final heist, that same 50% return gets you $15,000,000. Do that across all three characters, and the numbers get stupidly high, very fast. It’s the difference between buying a new car and buying every property in the state of San Andreas.
Working the LCN and BAWSAQ
You’ve got two markets. The LCN is affected by in-game events and is generally "offline." The BAWSAQ requires an internet connection (Rockstar Games Social Club) and reacts to the global player base, though for these missions, the price swings are scripted.
Before you start any hit, make a manual save. Seriously. Sometimes the market takes a bit longer to "tick" up, and if you sleep too many times in a row, you might miss the peak and lose millions. Use your phone, go to the money tab, and get ready to buy.
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The Hotel Assassination (The Mandatory One)
Since you have to do this to progress, you won't have the big heist money yet. Still, put everything you have from all three characters into Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) on the BAWSAQ before the mission.
Lester wants you to take out a guy who’s been propping up Bilkington's stock. Once he’s dead, Betta Pharma is going to skyrocket. You’re looking for roughly a 50% return. It’s tempting to sell immediately, but wait about 20 game-minutes or sleep once. Once it peaks, sell.
Wait. Don't just walk away.
Now you look at Bilkington (BIL) on the LCN. It just crashed. Hard. It usually takes about 72 in-game hours (keep sleeping to pass time), but eventually, it will rebound by about 100%. If you have the patience to wait it out this early in the game, you can double your meager starting cash.
The Multi Target Assassination
This is where the real stock market GTA 5 assassination missions strategy kicks in after the final heist. You’re taking out four corrupt jurors.
Before you start: Buy Debonaire (DEB) on the LCN.
After the hit: Debonaire will climb. You're looking for an 80% return on average. Sell it all.
The Rebound: Immediately put all that cash into Redwood (REDW). It’ll be at rock bottom. You’ll have to wait a few days—sleep about 8 to 10 times—but Redwood will eventually jump back up by nearly 300%. This is often the biggest single gain in the entire game.
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Understanding the "Tick" System
The game doesn't update stock prices every second. It uses "ticks." If you're looking at the screen and the price isn't moving, go to your safehouse and sleep. You don't actually have to save the game; just entering the sleep menu and backing out advances time by 6 to 8 hours.
Check your portfolio. Is it up? No? Sleep again.
Honestly, the most boring part of becoming a billionaire is watching Michael or Franklin sleep for three days straight. But it's necessary. If you sell too early because you're bored, you're leaving hundreds of millions on the table.
The Vice Assassination
Lester targets a guy heading a corporation called Fruit—basically the game’s version of Apple.
Before the mission: Invest in Fruit (FRT) on the BAWSAQ.
The Peak: You’ll see about a 50-60% rise. Sell.
The Rebound: Put the money into Facade (FAC). It’s the company that just got wrecked. It’ll bounce back by about 30%. It’s not as massive as the Redwood jump, but when you're dealing with $500 million, a 30% gain is an extra $150 million. That buys a lot of Pegasus vehicles.
The Bus Assassination
This one is weird. It’s the only mission where you do not invest before the hit.
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The target is a billionaire who travels by bus. After you finish the mission, the company Vapid (VAP) will tank. That is when you buy. Wait for the stock to drop by exactly 50%. Buy it up with everyone. A few days later, it’ll return to its original price, giving you a 100% profit. It’s a clean double-your-money play.
The Final Payday: The Construction Assassination
This is the last one. It involves a developer and some high-rise construction.
Before the mission: Buy Gold Coast (GCD) on the LCN.
The Result: It’s a straightforward 80% gain.
If you have done everything right—if you waited until after the Big Score, if you reinvested every cent including the rebounds—you will now be sitting on roughly $2.1 billion per character. You are officially richer than the game's villains.
Why My Numbers Might Differ From Yours
GTA 5 is an old game, but its code can be finicky. Sometimes, if you're playing the "Enhanced" version on PS5 or Xbox Series X, the percentages might fluctuate by 1 or 2 percent. Don't panic. The logic remains the same.
The biggest mistake players make is forgetting to invest with all three characters. Switch to Trevor, buy the stock. Switch to Michael, buy the stock. Switch to Franklin, start the mission. If you only do it with one, the others stay broke, and that's just a waste of a good heist.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
To make sure this works, follow this specific order once you've finished the main story:
- Confirm your starting cash: You should have around $25-$35 million per character after the Big Score (depending on which crew you picked).
- Hard Save: Use a new save slot before every mission. If the stock market glitches, you need a way back.
- Check the Tickers: Always double-check that you are buying the right company. Vapid is on the BAWSAQ; Gold Coast is on the LCN. Mixing them up is a fatal error.
- The Sleep Method: If the stock hasn't reached the predicted peak, keep sleeping. Some rebounds (like Redwood) take a surprisingly long time to trigger.
- Go Shopping: Once you hit the $2.1 billion cap, buy the Los Santos Golf Club ($150M), the cinemas, and the hangars. There is literally nothing left to buy at that point.
The stock market GTA 5 assassination missions aren't just side content; they are the actual endgame. Treat them with the same precision you’d use for a heist, and you’ll never have to worry about the cost of a Rocket Voltic ever again.