GTA Online Time Trials: Ultimate Money & Speed Guide (2025)
- Niels Gys
- Oct 16, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 17, 2025
Why rob a bank when you can humiliate physics instead?
🏁 TL;DR for the Fast and the Felonious
Time Trials reset weekly → one new race = $100K. Check Our Weekly Grind.
HSW = $250K for next-gen players.
Junk Energy = $50K for daily fun.
Bati 801 (cheap), Hakuchou Drag (elite), Deveste Eight HSW (god-tier).
Avoid the GPS, trust your criminal instincts.
Fastest way to make money without a single bullet fired.
Time Trials are the purest money in GTA Online — no heists, no partners, no awkward prep missions.Just you, the asphalt, and a deep hatred for time itself.
They’re also Rockstar’s way of testing your sanity: one wrong turn, and you go from millionaire to roadkill in three seconds flat.
Still, when it works — when you thread that final corner and cross the line 0.8 seconds ahead — it’s better than a heist, better than therapy, and only slightly less illegal than your driving.
🏁 What Are Time Trials?
Imagine a race. Now remove the other racers, the rules, and your dignity — congratulations, you’ve got a GTA Online Time Trial.
It’s simple: Rockstar drops a purple stopwatch on the map. You drive from Point A to Point B as fast as humanly (and mechanically) possible. Beat the “par time,” and the game throws GTA$100,000 at you like it’s hush money.
Do it again? You get GTA$1,000.
Rockstar’s way of saying: “You already proved you’re fast. Go touch grass.”
💵 Payouts — The Legal Definition of Speed Money
Type | 1st-Time Reward | Repeat Reward | Notes |
Standard Time Trial | $100,000 | $1,000–$4,000 | New one every week |
RC Bandito Trial | $100,000 | $1,000–$4,000 | Requires an RC Bandito |
HSW Time Trial | $250,000 | $1,000 | Next-gen only (PS5/Series X) |
Junk Energy Trial | $51,000–$54,000 | $1,000 | Daily event (bike only) |
Double-money weeks happen often — meaning $200K+ per run. If you’re good enough to chain a few trials in under 10 minutes, you’re making Elon Musk money with less moral conflict.
⚙️ How It Works (Because Someone Should Explain It Sober)
1️⃣ You find the purple stopwatch icon on your map.
2️⃣ You bring your fastest car, bike, or suicidal ambition.
3️⃣ You start the trial and choose any route you like.
4️⃣ If you make it under par time → instant payout.
5️⃣ If you fail → you get the participation trophy of capitalism: $1,000.
You can retry as often as you like — but you only get paid once per week. It’s like getting one free crime per week, and every repeat is just cardio.
🧠 Strategy — How to Break Records (and Speed Limits)
Memorize routes. Watch YouTube guides from players who treat traffic like a suggestion.
Restart instantly if you crash. The reset button is your priest. Confess and retry.
Avoid oversteer. The difference between “winner” and “hospital bill” is throttle control.
Use cinematic camera only if you hate money.
Don’t rely on GPS. Rockstar’s GPS thinks “shortcut” means “over a mountain and into a lake.”
2× weeks = mandatory participation. If you skip a double week, you’re leaving half a million on the table.
🚗 The 3 Best Vehicles for Time Trials (Low, Mid, High Budget)
💸 Low Budget: Bati 801 (Motorcycle) — ~$15,000
The Bati 801 is what happens when a lawnmower gains sentience and decides it’s tired of your nonsense. It’s dirt-cheap, blisteringly fast, and eats corners like spaghetti.Perfect for broke speed freaks or anyone who likes living dangerously without a helmet.
⚡ Pro tip: Wheelie down long straights for that sweet speed boost — it’s both effective and mildly suicidal.
💰 Mid Budget: Hakuchou Drag (Motorcycle) — ~$976,000
The Hakuchou Drag is the weapon of choice for most serious time trial runners. It’s smoother, faster, and less twitchy than the Bati — the gentleman’s missile. It’ll slice through Vinewood Hills faster than Trevor through a therapy session.
💬 “It’s so stable, it feels like Rockstar glued you to the road.” — every sane biker ever
💎 High Budget: HSW Vehicles (e.g., Shitzu Hakuchou Drag HSW / Principe Deveste Eight HSW)
If you’re on PS5 or Series X|S, the HSW upgrade turns your vehicle into something NASA would frown at. You’ll break the sound barrier, the law, and probably your controller.
🏎️ The Principe Deveste Eight HSW is your monster here. It eats roads, curbs, pedestrians, and small aircraft for breakfast.
💣 The Criminal’s Time Trial Routine
Start with a Time Trial right after you log in. (Fresh brain, no cops.)
Run the HSW trial if you’re on next-gen — it’s worth 2.5× the money.
If you fail, reset instantly. Pride is for civilians.
If you pass, screenshot the payout to flex on Reddit and/or your therapist.
Chain trials with other businesses. Acid cooking while you race = criminal efficiency.
⚠️ Rookie Mistakes (And Why You’ll End Up in a Lake)
❌ Following the GPS. The GPS will gleefully send you through Mount Chiliad and then off a cliff.
❌ Picking a car for a mountain route. Congratulations, you’ve invented Rally Disaster Simulator.
❌ Forgetting to repair your vehicle. Nothing says “loser” like failing a time trial because you blew a tire 400 meters from the finish line.
❌ Trying cinematic camera mode. It’s called cinematic because you’ll crash like you’re in Fast & Furious 8.
💸 How Much You Can Actually Make
Trial Type | Time to Complete | Weekly Reward | Comment |
Standard | 2–3 mins | $100K | Easy solo money |
RC Bandito | 3–4 mins | $100K | Requires RC Bandito |
HSW | 3–4 mins | $250K | Next-gen exclusive |
Junk Energy | 2–5 mins | $51K | bike-only |
💥 Pro Earnings Math: Do one Standard + one HSW + one Junk Energy = ~$400K for 10 minutes’ effort. Add a double-money week and you’re suddenly printing $800K+ just for showing up on time — something you never did in school.
GTA Online Time Trials — FAQ
Q1: How do I start a Time Trial in GTA Online? Open your map and look for the purple stopwatch icon — that’s the current weekly trial. Drive there, press right on the D-pad to start, and beat the par time. That’s it — no menus, no BS.
Q2: How often do Time Trials reset? Every Thursday with the weekly event update. Rockstar rotates the location and par time, so check the Newswire or CRIMENET’s weekly page for the latest coordinates.
Q3: What’s the payout for completing a Time Trial? Standard: GTA$100,000 on first clear; HSW (next-gen): GTA$250,000; RC Bandito: GTA$100,000 ; Junk Energy: GTA$51,000–$54,000 ; Repeat attempts only give a pity cheque of GTA$1,000–$4,000.
Q4: What’s the best vehicle for Time Trials? Depends on your budget: 💸 Low: Pegassi Bati 801 — absurd speed for GTA$15K. 💰 Mid: Shitzu Hakuchou Drag — the community favourite. 💎 High: Principe Deveste Eight HSW — next-gen rocket disguised as a car.
Q5: Can you use custom or HSW vehicles? Yes. Custom vehicles work in all standard trials; HSW trials require an HSW-upgraded car or bike (next-gen only).
Q6: What happens if I fail a Time Trial? You can retry instantly — no cooldown. Just restart from the purple marker. But only the first successful clear per week pays full reward.
Q7: What’s the fastest way to finish them? Don’t follow GPS — plan your own route. Use bikes for twisty mountain routes, cars for long straights. Reset if you crash or lose traction. Turn off radio chatter — it’s not Top Gear, it’s war.
Q8: Are Time Trials worth it compared to businesses? Absolutely. For 2–3 minutes of effort, you earn what most businesses make in 20–30 minutes.They’re the perfect “quick cash between crimes” activity.
Q9: Why did I only get $1,000 instead of $100,000? Because you already completed that week’s trial.Rockstar pays you once for proving you can drive fast — after that, it’s just pity cash for addicts.
Q10: Can older consoles do HSW Time Trials? No. HSW (Haos Special Works) content is exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. PC, PS4, and Xbox One players are stuck with regular trials — but hey, fewer loading screens.
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