GTA V Complete Heist Guide: Best Crew and Approach for Every Job

Heist 1: The Jewel Store Job

Best approach: Smart (disguised as pest control)

Best crew: Rickie Lukens (hacker, 4%), Eddie Toh (driver, 6%), Karim Denz (backup driver, 8%)

Why: Rickie's low cut + Eddie's skill keeps the van safe. Karim is expendable for the bikes. Payout: ~$4.9M per character.

Tip: During the escape, let Karim take the first bike hit. Eddie will save the van if you choose the LSIA option.

Best approach: Freighter (no choice really affects payout)

Fixed payout: $0 (Merryweather gets the device back). This heist is purely story-driven.

Tip: Use the stealth approach underwater to minimize conflict. Stock up on armor and snacks.

Best approach: Only one option — straight robbery

Best crew: Chef and another gunman. The FIB takes most of the money so crew cuts matter less.

Fixed take: ~$8M before FIB and Merryweather deductions. Expect to walk away with ~$400K–600K per character.

Best approach: Fire Crew (helicopter approach)

Best crew: Rickie Lukens (hacker), Taliana Martinez (driver, 5%), Norm Richards (gunman, 7%)

Why: Norm will die (saving you his 7% cut) and Taliana will extract you efficiently. Payout: ~$3.8M per character.

Best approach: Subtle (helicopter gold route)

Best crew: Rickie Lukens (hacker), Taliana Martinez + Karim Denz (drivers), Chef + Packie McReary (gunmen)

Why Subtle: The gold bars weigh more but the subtle approach avoids massive gunfights that can eliminate crew members.

Maximum payout: ~$41.6M per character with optimal crew choices.

Critical tip: Do NOT use a high-cut crew member in the role where they die. Use cheap replaceable crew in the most dangerous spots.

Always scope locations before the heist to unlock optional objectives
Complete heist setup missions in story mode to unlock bonus 10% for finishing all heists
Keep $40K+ of snacks in stock before every heist
Buy heavy armor from Ammu-Nation before each job
Save the game after each successful setup to avoid repeating work