The GTA Online best paying missions for making lots of money

GTA Online best paying missions

Completing the GTA Online best paying missions is a worthwhile use of your time on several fronts, as they not only give you a repeatable way to earn some extra cash but they're also fun to play. There are many different missions you can take on in GTA Online, either solo or cooperatively with others, though the exact options you have available will be determined by your online rank. Each of these assignments has a specific reward payout once cleared, so knowing which ones have the greatest compensation is very useful. As this is one of the methods for how to make money fast in GTA Online, here's an explanation of how things work so you can start racking up those virtual dollars.

Thanks to research on Reddit, the main thing you need to know when determining what are the best paying missions in GTA Online is that each mission has a fixed base payout amount, which is then modified by various factors including difficulty level, number of players, and time spent. The main influence on your final payout is the amount of time taken to complete the mission, which affects the base payout as follows:

  • <1 minute - 10% of base payout
  • 1-2 minutes - 25% of base payout
  • 2-3 minutes - 50% of base payout
  • 3-4 minutes - 75% of base payout
  • 4-6 minutes - 100% of base payout
  • 6-8 minutes - 120% of base payout
  • 8-10 minutes - 140% of base payout
  • 10-12 minutes - 160% of base payout
  • 12-15 minutes - 180% of base payout
  • >15 minutes - 200% of base payout

As you can see, the longer you take to complete a mission the better it pays, however if you're spending more time on a mission then it limits how often you can replay it and receive multiple payouts. Bearing that in mind, you want to aim for the sweet spot of between four and six minutes to complete a mission for the best payment, though if your timer is about to tick over to the next segment then it's worth waiting a little longer for it to do so and increase the percentage of the base payout you'll receive.

Best paying missions in GTA Online

We've picked out our selection for five of the best paying missions in GTA Online:

Below you'll find some details on each one, including the rank you need to reach before they unlock and a brief summary of the mission requirements.

Trash Talk

GTA Online best paying missions

You, and a team of up to six, are ordered to destroy four garbage trucks owned by a rival gang. Each is guarded by several heavily armed NPCs, and once destroyed you’ll have to hunt down the other members of the gang and their crew boss. Trash Talk, after unlocking at rank 81, is one of the best paying and most efficient money-earning missions in GTA Online. It can net you $15,000 or more in four minutes, if you have a talented enough team.

Pier Pressure

GTA Online best paying missions

It’s always fun to spend a day at the pier. Pier Pressure, which unlocks at rank 6, requires you to crash a meeting under the pier in Del Perro, take out all involved, and return a package of meth to the person who assigned the mission to you. It’s an easy mission to tackle for any of number of players (up to four), and can earn you a quick $15,000 or more. If anything, it’s a nice change of pace from the concrete city.

Rooftop Rumble

GTA Online best paying missions

If you’re looking for a solo challenge then Rooftop Rumble, which unlocks at rank 75, might be more your speed. It's a difficult mission that can net you over $15,000 if you take your time completing it, as simply running up the clock nets you more cash for missions. All you have to do is blow up a meeting between the FIB and the Professionals, steal the documents they were exchanging, and deliver them to the the person that assigned you the mission.

Judging the Jury

GTA Online best paying missions

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

For a more involved mission, Judging the Jury is available from rank 65 and features a large number of targets to take out, which is why up to eight players can take part. Following a failed bribery attempt to influence the outcome of a case, Martin Madrazo sends you to eliminate all 12 members of the jury for keeping his money without delivering the goods. After taking out the first eight jurors, the LCPD will move in to protect the remaining four, at which point a four minute time limit kicks in to finish the job. Take care of the targets, lose the cops, then return to Madrazo for your reward.

Blow Up

GTA Online best paying missions

Unlocking at rank 12, Blow Up is another early mission that can get you thousands of dollars by completing it on your own. All you have to do is destroy a bunch of vehicles at a dealership, lose the cops, and then return to the dealership. A smart way to go about the carnage is to move all the vehicles closer together before using explosives, as this will make it easier to blow them up and lessen the likelihood of the cops showing up.

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Aron writes for Upcomer covering the video games and eSports industries in-depth. He was previously a freelancer whose work appeared in Wired, Rolling Stone, Washington Post, and GamesRadar, among others. 

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