GTA Online Classic Heists Money Guide 2025 – Best Payouts & Tips
- Niels Gys
- Oct 25, 2025
- 5 min read
TL;DR (The Lazy Criminal’s Version)
Do all five Classic Heists once, on Hard, same team, no deaths → $12M.
Nightclub + Bunker + Acid = daily ATM.
Car Wash / Smoke on the Water = +35% boost to Cash & Weed.
Time Trials + Payphone Hits = fast solo filler.
Heist Bonus Weeks = Pacific Standard or bust.
Host takes 55%. If you don’t like it, buy snacks and think about your life choices.
The Classic Heists are the backbone of GTA Online — still functional, still profitable, still filled with teammates who think “stealth” means honking in Morse code. If you do it right, it’s one of the most satisfying (and occasionally friendship-ending) ways to make cash in the game.
Do it wrong, and you’ll discover how long the loading screen feels when your host rage-quits at 99% progress.
CRIMENET Verdict:💵 Old Heists still print money — if you have friends with IQs above 40 and a helicopter pilot who doesn’t drink.
“The Old Heists Never Die — They Just Smell Like Burnt Kuruma”
There’s something majestic about the Classic Heists in GTA Online. They’re the crusty, nicotine-stained grandparents of the criminal underworld — slow, temperamental, and yet somehow still richer than your entire nightclub empire.
And yes, they still pay. Not as much as they should for robbing an entire bank under SWAT gunfire, but enough to keep your mechanic drunk and your wardrobe full of leather.
Let’s get this straight: this isn’t a “maybe try this” guide. This is a how-to-print-money-while-insulting-your-friends guide.
THE NUMBERS (Hard Mode, No Tears)
Heist | Payout (Hard) | Setup Fee | Elite Bonus | Crew Size | Verdict |
Fleeca Job | $250,250 | $11,500 | $50,000 | 2 | Your intro to crime. Think of it as criminal kindergarten. |
Prison Break | $875,000 | $25,000 | $100,000 | 4 | Long, chaotic, and someone always crashes the plane. |
Humane Labs Raid | $1,181,500 | $25,000 | $100,000 | 4 | Half stealth, half panic attack. |
Series A Funding | $883,750 | $25,000 | $100,000 | 4 | Trevor’s midlife crisis, sponsored by meth. |
Pacific Standard | $1,875,000 | $25,000 | $100,000 | 4 | The crown jewel. The Mona Lisa of vehicular homicide. |
One full run (in order, on Hard, no deaths, same team) gives you:👉 $12,000,000 in bonuses from All In Order, Loyalty, and Criminal Mastermind. That’s not an estimate. That’s the reason grown men cry when someone dies on the final stretch of Pacific Standard.
WHY BOTHER IN 2025?
Because Rockstar decided to buff the old heists.Yes, your grandpa’s favorite moneymaker got a 75% raise — which means it now pays about as well as a mildly successful OnlyFans.
Add in the right passive income rotation and suddenly the old heists are the perfect centerpiece of a criminal buffet. You just need to stack them properly.
PAYOUTS PER HOUR (ROTATING HOST)
Heist | Avg Completion | Total Take (Hard + Elite) | $/Hour (4 Crew) | $/Hour (Host) |
Fleeca | 10 min | $300,000 | $600k/hr | $300k (host covers fee) |
Prison Break | 15 min | $975,000 | $3.9M/hr | ~$875k |
Humane Labs | 16 min | $1.28M | $4.8M/hr | ~1.28M |
Series A | 15 min | $984,000 | $3.9M/hr | ~$980k |
Pacific Standard | 15 min | $1.98M | $7.9M/hr | ~$1.95M (minus who crashes the bike) |
Host Cut Etiquette (or how not to get murdered):
Host takes 55%, others 15%.
For Fleeca: 50/50 or 60/40 depending on who drilled and who paid. If you complain about your cut — congratulations, you’ve just volunteered for prison transport duty next time.
🚁 ELITE STRATEGIES (FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE FAILURE)
Fleeca: 5:20 or faster, <6% vehicle damage. Drive like it’s your driver’s test.
Prison Break: Pilot — don’t crash. Prison team — don’t die. That’s it.
Humane Labs: Go stealth until you can’t, then panic efficiently.
Series A: Kill 75 enemies, don’t count your own corpse.
Pacific Standard: Heli or dinghy escape only. Lose no cash, move like synchronized swimmers with body armor.
🧮 TRUE $/MINUTE CHART
Activity | Hands-On Time | Net GTA$ | $/Minute of Effort | Verdict |
Pacific Standard (Elite, clean run) | 15 min | $1.9M | $126,000/min | God-tier with a good crew |
Nightclub Sale | 10 min | $900k | $90,000/min | Passive king |
Payphone Hit | 2–3 min | $45k | $15,000/min | Fast filler |
Time Trial | 2 min | $100k | $50,000/min | Weekly sprint |
Headhunter | 5–6 min | $25–30k | $5,000/min | Mid filler |
Weed/Cash Sale | 10–12 min | $472k–$496k | $45,000/min | Thanks to Money Fronts buff |
FAQ – GTA Online Classic Heists (2025 Edition)
Q: What are the Classic Heists in GTA Online? A: The five original Apartment Heists — Fleeca Job, Prison Break, Humane Labs Raid, Series A Funding, and Pacific Standard. They were the first co-op robberies ever added and still slap harder than most DLC “content drops.”
Q: Can I run Classic Heists solo? A: No. Even if you’re a god-tier grinder, you still need a crew. Fleeca needs two players; the rest demand four. If you want solo money, stick to Nightclub, Bunker, and Acid Lab.
Q: What’s the cooldown on Classic Heists? A: 48 real-time minutes per host. That means you can’t spam the same finale repeatedly unless you rotate hosts. If you’ve only got one host — fill the gap with Payphone Hits, VIP Work, or a Nightclub sale.
Q: What’s the total payout for doing all five? A: About $12 million if you do them on Hard, in order, same crew, no deaths (that’s All in Order, Loyalty, and Criminal Mastermind bonuses combined).
Q: Which Classic Heist pays the most? A: Pacific Standard — up to $1.875M + $100k Elite bonus if you don’t lose money during escape. Use the helicopter or dinghy method unless you enjoy watching cash spill from bullet holes.
Q: Is the host supposed to take more money? A: Yes. Host pays setup fees and earns nothing during setups. Standard split: Host 55%, others 15% each. Complainers will be reassigned to “demolition duty.”
Q: Can I still do Criminal Mastermind in 2025? A: Absolutely. Rockstar never patched it out. You’ll still get $10 million for finishing all five heists on Hard, in order, same team, no deaths. Just remember: one wipe and it’s over.
Q: Are Classic Heists worth it compared to Cayo or Contract missions? A: One-time bonuses? Yes. Constant farming? Not really — unless you have four coordinated players and patience for Lester’s voice. For solo efficiency, your Nightclub or Acid Lab prints cash while you breathe.
Q: What should I do during the 48-minute cooldown?
3× Payphone Hits = ~$135k
2× VIP Work = ~$50k
Maybe a Time Trial = $100k
Check on Nightclub/Bunker salesBoom — your cooldown just became profitable downtime.
Q: Can I still lose money on Pacific Standard? A: Oh yes. The take drops with every bullet that grazes your duffel bag. Use heavy armor, don’t trip, and for god’s sake, don’t ride the bikes unless you’re filming a blooper reel.
Q: What’s the best overall strategy in 2025?
Do the five Classic Heists once for $12M.
Then build your passive empire: Nightclub + Bunker + Acid.
Grab Car Wash and Smoke on the Water for MC boosts (+35% Weed/Cash).
Only return to Classic Heists during event weeks or for nostalgia therapy.
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