Ranking all the heists in GTA Online

It would be fair to say that the biggest draw GTA Online currently has are its numerous heists. In GTA Online, heists are presented as elaborate PvE missions that require a setup and usually a crew to undertake the operation with.

Heists were easily the most exciting parts of the Story Mode, and it only made sense for them to be brought over to GTA Online.

The structure of the heist lends itself to an online multiplayer experience that encourages co-op play and pooling in skills and resources to pull of an elaborate plan.

In 2021, there are plenty of heists for players to take on, and all of them are pretty exciting in their own way. Not only are heists one of the best ways to make money in GTA Online, they are massively fun as well, which certainly helps in grinding.

This article takes a look at all of the heists purely in terms of how fun they are to play and the quality of the story told since heists contain a lot of story elements.

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All the heists in GTA Online

#4 - The Heists update (First 5 heists in the game)

2015 saw the release of the Heists update in GTA Online and introduced players to the first five heists that they would be completing in the game.

Since the original few heists are essentially to tutorialize the system to players in GTA Online, they can be bundled up together as they aren't particularly brimming with rich content and gameplay variety.

The clear stand-outs from the first five heists in the game are clearly Series A Funding and Pacific Standard Job. The latter might just be one of the best heists to not be included in the Story Mode as the story and thematic elements of it would fight right in with the Story Mode.

The Pacific Standard Job tasks the players with the most quintessential form of heist as the crew must take on a bank. Controlling the crowd becomes a high-stakes game of chicken as the goal is to not alert NOOSE and incur their wrath.

The Pacific Standard Job heist is simply the most traditional and well-thought-out of the five heists presented in the first update.

#3 - The Diamond Casino Heist

Make no mistake; The Diamond Casino Heist is one heck of an operation that involves the most Ocean meets Heat situation in GTA Online. The heist has plenty to be excited for, the most exciting of which is obviously the target of the heist.

One of the many things that the Diamond Casino Heist does extremely well is the story. There is perhaps more story in this particular heist than any other in the game.

It also helps that the Diamond Casino Heist introduces fantastic villains and side characters that would go on to become fan favorites. The best thing about the Diamond Casino Heist still remains its payout, which is absolutely massive, depending on what the player is stealing.

If not for the Doomsday Heist's over-the-top shenanigans, The Diamond Casino Heist could've easily clinched that spot.

#2 - Doomsday Heist

The Doomsday Heist is perhaps the most elaborate of any other heist in the game, including the latest, Cayo Perico Heist. The heist takes place over three acts, which act as heists unto themselves, all complete with fantastic story elements and over-the-top gameplay.

The Doomsday Heist is simply way too much each time around and never becomes boring even on the 10th playthrough. While the payout is modest of each of the acts, collectively, they amount to quite a lot.

The only drawback to the Doomsday Heist is the fact that it requires plenty of setup, and some of it can start to feel tedious. It also gets brownie points for being the first heist to allow only two players to complete it, resulting in higher payouts.

This was also the first heist in GTA Online to raise the stakes abnormally high and introduce some true anarchy in the game.

#1 - Cayo Perico Heist

Unarguably, the biggest ever heist in GTA Online, the Cayo Perico Heist, is an absolute joy to play through. Players are tasked with recovering sensitive files for the Madrazo family, and players are encouraged to pick up any and all loot they find in the compound.

The heist introduces an all-new location in the form of the Cayo Perico island, which should be a building block for future updates in GTA Online. It pays out extremely well and never gets repetitive, which helps since the heist can also be completed solo.

Therefore, it is not only the biggest heist in the game in terms of scope and scale; it is also the most accessible. Players have heralded it as one of the best ways to make money in the game while also being a fun co-op GTA experience.

The only department it lacks in is the story, which the other two heists arguably do better in GTA Online. But purely in terms of gameplay variety and fun, the Cayo Perico Heist is untouchable.