You're standing on the balcony of a Vinewood Hills mansion, looking down at the lights of Los Santos. You have about $200 in your pocket. It’s depressing. You’ve probably seen those "get rich quick" videos where people have billions, and you're wondering if you missed the boat. You didn't. Most people mess this up because they rush.
Honestly, the biggest mistake in the game is doing Lester’s missions too early. If you want to hit that $2.1 billion cap on all three characters, you have to treat this like a real-world hedge fund manager would—with a lot of patience and some very specific timing. This gta v assassination stock guide is basically your roadmap to never having to worry about money in story mode again.
Why You Should Wait Until the Very End
Look, the math is simple. If you invest $10,000 and get a 50% return, you made five grand. Big deal. But if you finish the "Big Score" heist first, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor will each have roughly $35 million to $40 million sitting in their accounts. Now, that same 50% return turns into $20 million.
See the difference?
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You have to do the first one, The Hotel Assassination, to move the story forward. That's fine. Use it to get a little seed money. But after that, leave Lester alone. Don't answer his calls. Don't go to the "L" on the map. Just finish the main story. Once the credits roll and you have that massive heist payout, that is when the real work begins.
The Golden Rule: Save Scumming
Before you even touch a mission, make a manual save. Put it in a new slot. The stock market in Los Santos is a finicky beast. Sometimes a stock peaks at 80%, sometimes it decides to stall at 70%. If you miss the peak, you want to be able to go back.
To speed things up, go to your safehouse and sleep. You don't even have to actually save the game—just entering the "sleep" screen and backing out advances time. Trevor sleeps the longest (12 hours), so he’s the best "time machine" for the market.
Mission 1: The Hotel Assassination
This is the mandatory one. You can't skip it, so don't sweat the timing too much.
- Before the mission: Throw every cent from Michael, Franklin, and Trevor into Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) on the BAWSAQ exchange.
- After the hit: Wait about 24 in-game hours.
- The Exit: Sell when it hits around a 50% return.
There’s a secondary play here too. After selling BET, you can buy Bilkinton (BIL) on the LCN while it's at its lowest. Wait about a week in-game, and it usually rebounds for another 80% to 100% profit. It’s a slow burn, but it adds up.
Mission 2: The Multi Target Assassination
This is where things start getting ridiculous. This mission is the "double dip" king.
First, buy Debonaire (DEB) on the LCN with everyone. Do the mission. You're looking for an 80% return here. It usually takes about two in-game days to hit that peak. Sell it all.
Immediately after selling, take all that cash and dump it into Redwood (RWC) on the LCN. Redwood just got crushed by your actions, so the stock is dirt cheap. You’ll need to sleep a lot for this one. It takes about 4 to 6 in-game days for the rebound, but when it hits, it hits hard—usually a 300% return.
If you started with $40 million, you’re now sitting on nearly $200 million. Per character.
A Quick Reality Check on Markets
- LCN: This is the "offline" market. It reacts strictly to what you do in the game.
- BAWSAQ: This used to be influenced by the Rockstar Social Club community, but for the assassination missions, it functions like a predictable script. Don't let the "online" tag scare you off.
Mission 3: The Vice Assassination
Lester wants you to take out a guy who’s basically a tech puppet.
- Investment: Fruit (FRT) on the BAWSAQ.
- Timing: Buy before the mission.
- The Peak: It usually jumps about 50% fairly quickly after the hit.
- Bonus: Some players swear by a Facade (FAC) rebound on the BAWSAQ after selling Fruit. It's usually a smaller gain, maybe 30%, but if you want every last dollar, it's worth the sleep cycles.
Mission 4: The Bus Assassination
This one is weird. Most missions require you to buy before the hit. This is the opposite. Do not buy anything before you start.
You’re going to take out a billionaire on a bus. Once he’s gone, Vapid (VAP) stock on the BAWSAQ will absolutely crater. Wait for it to bottom out (usually about 24 to 48 hours after the mission).
Once it hits the floor, buy it with every character. It will rebound to its original price, giving you a clean 100% profit. You essentially doubled your money just because someone couldn't take a taxi.
Mission 5: The Construction Assassination
The grand finale. This is your last chance to manipulate the market on this scale.
Before you go to the construction site, buy GoldCoast (GCD) on the LCN. After you deal with the target, wait about 24 to 72 hours. The stock should climb to an 80% return.
Sell it, and you're done. If you did this after the final heist and followed the steps, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor should each have over $2 billion. That is the hard cap. The game literally won't let you have more money than that because of the way the code is written.
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Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you’re currently midway through the story, here is exactly what you should do right now:
- Stop doing Lester missions. If you’ve already done the Hotel Assassination, that's fine. Just stop there.
- Focus on the heists. Hire the best crew for the "Big Score" to ensure the biggest possible take. Taliana Martinez and Packie McReary are your best friends here.
- The Tinkle Random Event: If you haven't done it yet, look for a guy whose car broke down near the Chumash area. He’ll ask for a ride to the airport. If you get him there in time, he gives you a tip on Tinkle (TNK). Invest before you drop him off for a quick 30% gain.
- Check the "Portfolio" tab. Don't just look at the stock list. The "My Portfolio" page on the in-game phone is the only place that shows your actual percentage return. Sell when that number matches the targets above.
Once you have the billions, you can buy every property in the game—the golf course, the cinemas, the hangars—and still have enough money to buy enough Adder supercars to fill every garage in Los Santos twice over. It changes the game from a struggle for cash into a sandbox where you own the city.
The biggest hurdle isn't the missions; it's the discipline to not spend your heist money on clothes and car mods until after you've played the market. Be patient, sleep through the market dips, and watch your bank account hit the billions.