How to maximize the loot and earnings from your Cayo Perico heist payout.
Despite several nerfs since its launch, The Cayo Perico heist remains the most profitable money-earning option for solo players in GTA Online. However, for teams, the Diamond Casino heist is a more lucrative option, especially after the Cayo Perico payout reductions of September 2023.
Below, you will find everything you need to know about the Cayo Perico Heist payout, including primary targets value, secondary targets value, and the associated fees.
In the Cayo Perico heist, you'll encounter two types of targets: primary and secondary. Primary targets contribute significantly to your heist earnings and loot, while Cayo Perico secondary targets are optional items scattered throughout the compound. Collecting secondary targets involves some risk, as they spawn randomly, but the potential reward is worth exploring different areas of the compound for maximum loot.
Payouts also change with the chosen difficulty level. Opting for hard mode increases the value of Cayo Perico's primary targets by 10%. You can get the heist's hard mode if you set up the heist within 48 minutes (real-time) of Pavel sending you a message to start the heist again.
The setup cost of the Cayo Perico heist is a whopping $100,000 which you must pay to start the prep missions from the Kosatka.
As mentioned earlier, prioritizing primary targets is crucial since they constitute the bulk of your heist loot. However, with practice, you can collect secondary targets while making your way towards the primary one.
There are five primary target types: Sinsimito Tequila, Ruby Necklace, Bearer Bonds, Pink Diamond, and Panther Statue. Each has a different value, with the Panther Statue being the most valuable ($1,900,000) and the Tequila the least ($630,000).
The table below displays the value of each target in both normal and hard modes.
| Primary Targets | Value (Normal) | Value (Hard Mode) |
|---|---|---|
| Sinsimito Tequila | $630,000 | GTA$693,000 |
| Ruby Necklace | $700,000 | GTA$770,000 |
| Bearer Bonds | $770,000 | GTA$847,000 |
| Pink Diamond | $1,300,000 | GTA$1,430,000 |
| Panther Statue | $1,900,000 | GTA$2,090,000 |
The panther statue periodically appears in the list of primary targets. It's not a permanent option. Even when it's part of the potential Cayo Perico loot, there's no guarantee you'll get it, and players must rely on luck to find it as a primary target during the scope-out phase.
One more primary target, the Madrazo Files, is exclusively available on your first-ever playthrough of the heist.
Five Cayo Perico secondary target types can appear across the map at specific locations. The value of these secondary targets is entirely random, including both the type of targets you receive and their respective values. These values fall within a specific range, which is as follows.
| Secondary Targets | Loot Value |
|---|---|
| Cash | $78,750 — $83,250 |
| Artwork | $157,500 — $180,000 |
| Weed | $130,500 — $135,000 |
| Cocaine | $198,000 — $202,500 |
| Gold | $328,333 — $333,333 |
To secure gold, you'll need to cooperate with a friend or play in co-op mode. This is because accessing the rooms containing gold requires two cards to be swiped simultaneously. Or you can just glitch your way in.
You can locate secondary targets like weed, cocaine, and cash outside the compound, with the docks being a particularly convenient area to find them. If Artwork spawns, the most convenient location for it is El Rubio's office, which lies on your path to the primary target.
The secondary targets contribute to filling your loot bag, and each of them has a fixed percentage by which they fill it. Consequently, your best strategy is to prioritize the most valuable secondary targets like Gold, Cocaine, and Weed.
Here is the breakdown of how much space each secondary target type occupies in your loot bag (per stack):
| Secondary Targets | Weight (Per Stack) | Max Number To Fill The Loot Bag |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | 25% | 4 |
| Artwork | 50% | 2 |
| Weed | 37.5% | 2.7 |
| Cocaine | 50% | 2 |
| Gold | 66.7% | 1.5 |
When it comes to El Rubio's office, there's an opportunity to secure some extra cash from his safe, positioned on the wall just to the right side of his desk. When you open it, you can find an amount ranging from $20,000 to $99,000, with the exact sum varying each time you undertake this heist. The amount obtained from the safe does not add on to the the loot bag's space.
Additionally, players have the opportunity to earn bonuses by earning awards. Here are all of the one-time bonus payouts:
| Award | Unlock Criteria | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| The Cayo Perico Heist | Complete the Cayo Perico Heist for the first time | $200,000 |
| Going Alone | Complete the Cayo Perico Heist with one player | $100,000 |
| Teamwork | Complete the Cayo Perico Heist with four players | $100,000 |
| Elitist | Complete the Elite Challenge | $200,000 |
| Blow Hard | Complete the Cayo perico Heist on Hard mode without losing a life | $200,000 |
| Travel Plans | Approach the island using all the available vehicle options | $250,000 |
| Professional Thief | Steal all variations of the Primary Target | $150,000 |
To successfully complete the elite challenge, you must meet specific criteria, including:
You can repeatedly complete the Elite challenge and receive additional monetary rewards, provided the heist is set to hard mode and you meet the criteria each time.
Before we get into the max payouts, the Cayo Perico heist also has a 72-hour cooldown (real time) that determines what you will get as a primary target. Repeating the heist within the 72-hour cooldown window increases the likelihood of lower-valued primary targets, like the Sinsimito Tequila. However, secondary targets receive a fixed percentage boost in their values based on the primary target obtained, balancing the potential earnings.
Repeating the heist after 72 hours increases the likelihood of obtaining primary targets that has a higher value. For instance, if you had Tequila as your primary target within the 72-hour cooldown, you won't get it again. Instead, you have a higher chance of getting any of the remaining primary targets, such as Bearer Bonds, Ruby Necklace, or the Pink Diamond.
The table below shows the probability of primary targets spawning during and after the 72-hour cooldown period. The 72 hour cooldown begins as soon as you end your last playthrough of the heist.
| Primary Target | Within 72 Hours Cooldown | After 72 Hours Cooldown |
|---|---|---|
| Sinsimito Tequila | 60% | 0% |
| Ruby Necklace | 15% | 40% |
| Bearer Bonds | 15% | 40% |
| Pink Diamond | 10% | 20% |
As mentioned earlier, secondary targets receive a value boost when you go for a new run within the 72-hour window from the last playthrough. The percentage increase in the value of secondary targets depends on the primary target you obtain within this timeframe, as outlined below:
| Primary Target | Increase (%) |
|---|---|
| Sinsimito Tequila | 20% |
| Ruby Necklace | 10% |
| Bearer Bonds | 5% |
| Pink Diamond | 0% |
This section contains our Cayo Perico Heist Payout lists. We've calculated the maximum payouts for solo players, duos, trios, and full squads of four players. For solo players, we assume Cocaine as the secondary target since it's the most valuable after Gold, which requires at least one additional player.
For duos, trios, and full squads of four, we assume Gold as the secondary target. In both scenarios, we assume the maximum secondary values. The loot bag is assumed to be completely filled with either of these, depending on whether we're calculating for solos or multiple players.
All additional fees and bonuses, including the Elite challenge bonus and the maximum amount from El Rubio's safe, which is $99,000, are factored into these calculations. The following values were calculated thanks in part to Tylarious on Youtube.
| Solo | 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | |
| Host Cut (%) | 100 | 85 | 70 | 55 |
| Host Max Take | $1,124,640 | $1,490,016 | $1,596,672 | $1,544,928 |
| Player 2 Max Take | $362,944 | $442,144 | $521,344 | |
| Player 3 Max Take | $442,144 | $521,344 | ||
| Player 4 Max Take | $521,344 |
| Solo | 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | |
| Host Cut (%) | 100 | 85 | 70 | 55 |
| Host Max Take | $1,156,760 | $1,472,812 | $1,551,704 | $1,485,396 |
| Player 2 Max Take | $359,908 | $432,508 | $505,108 | |
| Player 3 Max Take | $432,508 | $505,108 | ||
| Player 4 Max Take | $505,108 |
| Solo | 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | |
| Host Cut (%) | 100 | 85 | 70 | 55 |
| Host Max Take | $1,206,480 | $1,493,000 | $1,552,936 | $1,474,264 |
| Player 2 Max Take | $363,472 | $432,772 | $502,072 | |
| Player 3 Max Take | $432,772 | $502,072 | ||
| Player 4 Max Take | $502,072 |
| Solo | 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | |
| Host Cut (%) | 100 | 85 | 70 | 55 |
| Host Max Take | $1,701,920 | $1,819,692 | $1,865,864 | $1,708,036 |
| Player 2 Max Take | $438,828 | $499,828 | $565,828 | |
| Player 3 Max Take | $499,828 | $565,828 | ||
| Player 4 Max Take | $565,828 |
| Solo | 2 Players | 3 Players | 4 Players | |
| Host Cut (%) | 100 | 85 | 70 | 55 |
| Host Max Take | $2,282,720 | $2,385,372 | $2,272,424 | $2,027,476 |
| Player 2 Max Take | $520,948 | $586,948 | $652,948 | |
| Player 3 Max Take | $586,948 | $652,948 | ||
| Player 4 Max Take | $652,948 |
Considering these maximum payouts, you might wonder which setup is optimal for everyone involved. Well, if the host aims to maximize their earnings, they should run the heist with two additional players, totaling three players. As demonstrated in the tables above, the three-player setup offers the highest payouts for the host, regardless of what the primary target is.
If the team is determined to maximize their earnings, the host should assemble a full squad of four players, as indicated by the maximum payout tables above.
We still consider the Cayo Perico heist a viable option for solo players to earn money, which is why it remains on our list of the best methods for making money in GTA Online.
