Is GTA Online's Cayo Perico Heist worth the setup cost and time?

Rockstar Games wasn't playing around when it said that GTA Online's last update for 2020 would be its biggest ever.

The Cayo Perico Heist update featured not only the biggest, most ambitious heist in the game yet, but also a fantastic new fleet of vehicles and a couple of new weapons.

Comments from Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick suggested that December 2020 was GTA Online's most profitable period since its launch back in 2013. These numbers indicate that the Cayo Perico Heist update could have single-handedly boosted sales for GTA Online.

While the Cayo Perico Heist has been unbelievably successful for Rockstar, have GTA Online players responded well to it?

The thing about heists is that regardless of how fun the story or the context might be and how varied the gameplay is, if it doesn't pay, it isn't worth it.

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GTA Online's Cayo Perico Heist: Worth the setup cost and time?

For the Cayo Perico Heist's enormous initial setup cost, the Kosatka Submarine will set the player back by at least $2,200,000. Further upgrades and additions of features will drive up the price to upwards of $9 million.

However, not all players will go for all the bells and whistles, so $2 million is roughly the average amount they will have to throw. On top of that, depending upon the players' approach, certain vehicles like the Annihilator Stealth Chopper might set the player back by a bit more.

Yet, none of that is necessary, apart from the Kosatka Subarmine itself. Players have been able to break down just how much the payout of the Cayo Perico Heist is, depending on how much secondary loot and timed bonuses they can grab. This breakdown by u/HuntersLaptop should give readers a fair idea of how much the Cayo Perico Heist will payout in GTA Online.

Image via u/HuntersLaptop, r/gtaonline

Like the Diamond Casino Heist, this heist's primary objective the first time around is the Madrazo Files. Upon further replays, the files are removed from the heist.

The fact that players can easily make back their initial investment of roughly $2 million in about 2-3 replays of the Cayo Perico Heist should answer the question of whether it is worth it. GTA Online players genuinely appreciate the grind, and many feel that the Cayo Perico Heist breaks the game by just how profitable it is.

So, for players looking to make the most out of their time in the game, the Cayo Perico Heist is indeed worth the money and time investment that players put into it.