What made the Cayo Perico Heist special in GTA Online?

GTA Online's Cayo Perico heist was Rockstar Games' first foray into fresh heist design back in December 2020. Players instantly fell in love with the Cayo Perico heist with a record number of players returning to the game after a long absence. The heist not only provided a new experience for players but managed to make GTA Online's economy more forgiving for players not keen on buying shark cards. Here's everything the Cayo Perico update did right and why players still perform the heist on a daily basis.

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Why the Cayo Perico Heist is a continued success for GTA Online

New heist design

The Cayo Perico heist was the biggest changeup to GTA Online's heists since 2014. Instead of traditional linear design, Rockstar Games designed Cayo Perico as a completely open ended island in which players can plan their heists as they please. Entry and exit points are plentiful, meaning players can mix and match strategies until they find their optimal route.

First solo heist and better payout scales

The Cayo Perico heist was the first in the game to allow players to complete the heist all on their own. Without needing to depend on inexperienced randoms, or wait around for friends to join, players could just hop in and start the heist by themselves. The heist paid out around GTA $1.8 million (depending on primary target value) for solo players and quickly became the go-to method for earning some GTA $.

Cayo Perico heist incentivized team play

The Cayo Perico heist featured a system where players could fill their bags with secondary targets (gold, weed, meth, cash) to get some bonus money before escaping El Rubio's island. More players in a heisy means more cash as they can make off with a lot more loot. Players have hit astronomical numbers with a 4 man squad at Cayo Perico, raking in anywhere between GTA $3-4 million.

All in all, the Cayo Perico heist was fresh when it was released, rewarding and fair to players, while paying out a lot with little to no effort in terms of preparation. Even after the Los Santos Tuners update in July 2021, the Cayo Perico heist still reigns supreme as the best way to make money in GTA Online.