Heists take the top two spots of best ways to make money in GTA Online, followed by businesses.
You can make money in GTA Online in dozens of different ways, but knowing the best way to do it will optimize your earning potential and transform the game for you.
In this article, we've ranked the top five best ways to make money in GTA Online and link directly to our own guides that further detail exactly how you should do them.
The ranking below goes from best to worst. However, the "worst" in this case doesn't mean it won't make you good money, it just means that it might be a little more complex, difficult or inefficient when compared to the higher ranked methods.
The Cayo Perico Heist is the best way to make money in GTA Online, period.
The Cayo Perico Heist has been GTA Online's most profitable yet solo-friendly heist since it was released in December 2020. What makes this heist the best is the ease and quickness of its setup missions, as well as the finale.
Following our fixed route, you can complete the heist in under 7 minutes! Not only can you complete it very quickly though, but you can also earn the Elite Challenge completion within that same time to earn extra rewards.
You can earn up to $4 million with four players or $2.6 million as a solo player. Those numbers are in the upper spectrum of the possible payout, assuming you get the Panther Statue as your primary target.
Realistically, you can earn up to $1.5-$1.6 million as a solo player every run, which is incredible considering the short amount of time that it takes to complete the heist.
Guide: Cayo Perico Heist Guides
It has been several years since the release of the Diamond Casino Heist, yet it still stands strong in terms of payout and ease of completion. The only downside to the Diamond Casino Heist is that the setup and prep missions that can take a while to do, depending on how skilled you are. But, you can complete them fairly quickly once you get the hang of it, especially if you own a fast vehicle like an Oppressor Mark II.
Completing the Diamond Casino Heist can be very profitable as you have the potential to earn up to $10 million minimum, and that is on Normal mode. You can earn up to $11 million on Hard mode. When you take that into consideration, the setup and the prep missions don't seem too bad!
Guide: Diamond Casino Heist Guides
The inclusion of Hangar businesses in this list may surprise many players, as the Smuggling business wasn't even considered in the top ten best money-making methods for a very long time. However, the Hangar business received a complete overhaul with the release of the San Andreas Mercenaries DLC, making it one of the most profitable businesses, thanks to all the payout buffs it has received.
The best part is that it can be completed solo as part of the San Andreas Mercenaries DLC, and that you can sell your product using a single vehicle.
It is also a good idea to purchase the Hangar in general, as purchasing it allows you to store your air vehicles and assign your warehouse technician to the business through your Nightclub, in order to accrue goods passively for the Nightclub business (not for the hangar warehouse).
Guide: Hangar Business Guide
The Agency is a new property added with the release of the Contracts DLC. It unlocks many doors for new and veteran players to make money. However, it is especially good for newer players, who can quickly access the Agency property. You'll need to purchase the Agency to start doing the Dr. Dre missions and VIP contracts, which is what we will be focusing on.
You can earn over $1 million for completing all the VIP contract missions. The Contract DLC also features Payphone hits, which is another great way of making money while you wait for your passive businesses to make money or cooldowns.
Payphone hits don't take much time and can be completed within 8-10 minutes. If you complete the bonus requirement of the mission, you can earn $70k extra on top of the base $15k. So in total, you can earn $85k per Payphone hit completion.
Guide: Contract DLC & Payphone Hits Guide
At number five is the Nightclub business. The Nightclub business is one of the most complex businesses to set up, but we still think it is worth the effort: it is the best passive money-making businesses in GTA Online.
The reason it is number five on this list is that it is not beginner friendly and requires a massive initial investment to set up properly. But, you can earn millions passively while you work on other businesses in-game.
This is great if you have other, non-passive sources of income that require you to actively play them, such as the Cayo Perico heist or the Agency missions. You can complete those missions while the Nightclub accrues the materials for you passively, which is worth millions of dollars once ready for you to sell.
Guide: Nightclub Business Guide
If you're starting out in GTA Online, check out our other money guides to save money and prioritize purchasing the Kosatka submarine. You cannot perform the Cayo Perico heist unless you purchase the Kosatka submarine. Once you've purchased the Kosatka, you can work your way towards earning millions and starting some of the other other businesses on this list.
That wraps up our top five best money-making methods for GTA Online in 2023.
