Top 5 heists featured in the GTA franchise

There have been many great heists featured throughout the GTA franchise.

It is vital to preface this article by mentioning that there will only be one heist per game on this list. Each game will only be allowed a maximum of one heist, with GTA Online being considered a separate game from GTA 5 due to how radically different the two games are now (plus, they have separate heists).

Of course, even the more primitive heists from the earlier games are still fascinating in their own right, so it's not a disservice to discuss how great they are.

Most of these heists have a great monetary reward, often giving one of the best cash-outs in their respective GTA games.

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5 great heists featured in the GTA franchise

#5 - The Job (GTA Vice City)

The Job in GTA Vice City (Image via GTA Series Videos, YouTube)

The Job is, in many ways, a prototype of heists for later GTA games to draw inspiration from.

Like in GTA 5, this heist has multiple crew members (gunman, getaway driver, safecracker, and the protagonist), with each role filled by an interesting character.

The $50,000 reward might not seem like a lot of money in GTA Vice City, but it's more than the amount that the final mission of the game offers ($30,000). It also unlocks a passive revenue of $10,000 at the Malibu Club.

Plus, this is GTA Vice City, where this amount of money goes farther than $50,000 would in a modern game like GTA V.

#4 - Breaking the Bank at Caligula's (GTA San Andreas)

Breaking the Bank at Caligula's in GTA San Andreas (Image via GTA Wiki)

Breaking the Bank at Caligula's is one of the longer missions in GTA San Andreas. Fortunately, it doesn't feel like a chore to do. Like in The Job, the player gets a massive amount of money for completing this mission relative to other missions in GTA San Andreas.

This heist feels more epic than The Job, as a massive casino seems more impressive than a small city bank. Aside from the atmosphere, this heist also features an epic getaway in the form of a parachute. The player uses it to get to another building with a helicopter, which then allows them to get back to their safe house.

#3 - Three Leaf Clover (GTA IV)

Three Leaf Clover in GTA IV (Image via Stilefty, YouTube)

Three Leaf Clover is similar to heists in GTA Online, where it's just gunmen doing a basic heist, as opposed to most GTA IV heists where there are more specific roles to fill.

However, there are a few similarities that Three Leaf Clover shares with the previous heists on this list. The main one (aside from an obvious monetary reward) is that it doesn't go as planned.

In this heist, Michael Keane dies as one of the hostages had a gun. This parallels some of the previous disasters like Hilary King's death and Zero bragging about the heist to Berkley.

#2 - The Big Score (GTA V)

The Big Score in GTA V (Image via IGN)

GTA V has many fun and unique heists, but the Big Score is easily the most epic of them all.

The heist is the game's penultimate mission, allowing the player to steal well over $200,000,000, although each protagonist only gets a maximum revenue of $41,664,000.

This amount of money puts it way above any other heist in the series (although GTA Online heists are repeatable, allowing players to earn more money with them).

Aside from a massive amount of money, this heist also features two methods of completing it, giving the player additional replay value. There's even a difference in profit, although one could argue the difference in difficulty makes up for it.

#1 - The Cayo Perico Heist (GTA Online)

The Cayo Perico Heist in GTA Online (Image via GTA Wiki)

GTA Online heists often require other players to start and complete them. However, the Cayo Perico Heist allows players to do it solo.

Players can do it in multiple ways - Aggressive, Big Con, or Silent and Sneaky - with each option accommodating a player's playstyle. They can choose different infiltration and exit options, making it feel more immersive compared to past heists in the GTA series.

Besides being arguably the best heist in GTA Online in terms of sheer efficiency, the atmosphere of the island is just wonderful. It's so radically different from most GTA settings (such as the countryside or the busy towns players see in most games). It's easy to get lost in awe of how awesome The Cayo Perico Heist truly is.

Note: This list is subjective and reflects only the writer's opinions.