GTA 5's Story Mode heists ask for more than a loud or quiet approach. Drivers, gunmen, and hackers take a percentage of the score, improve when they survive jobs, and can lose money when they are given a role they cannot handle. The cheapest name on the board is sometimes the best choice. On other jobs, saving a small crew cut creates a much larger loss during the escape.

This guide covers the five main Story Mode scores where approach or crew decisions matter: The Jewel Store Job, The Merryweather Heist, The Paleto Score, The Bureau Raid, and The Big Score. It does not cover GTA Online heists. Mission replay is useful for testing another approach or earning a medal, but it does not replace the financial result already recorded in the main campaign save.

Use the GTA 5 Story Missions Guide for the wider campaign order. Check the crew choices below before confirming a planning board because the original Story Mode payout cannot be repaired later by replaying the mission.

Best Approach, Crew, and Payout for Every Heist

  • The Jewel Store Job: Choose Smart. Hire Karim Denz as driver, Packie McReary as gunman, and Rickie Lukens as hacker. The maximum gross take is $4,946,153. With this crew, Michael receives $1,223,073 and Franklin receives $293,539. Rickie's timer is shorter than the expensive hackers, so smash cases quickly and do not waste movement inside the store.
  • The Merryweather Heist: Neither Offshore nor Freighter pays the protagonists. Choose the mission style you prefer; there is no crew percentage to optimize and no cash reward to protect.
  • The Paleto Score: There is no approach choice. The bank contains $8,016,020, but the crew loses money during the escape and each hit taken by Michael, Trevor, or Franklin can reduce the bag. Daryl Johns produces the highest immediate protagonist cut at roughly $464,395 each, even after his casualty cost. Using Norm Richards lowers that result to roughly $455,577 each but preserves Daryl, the cheapest gunman, for later jobs. Norm is the better campaign-wide sacrifice if maximum money from The Big Score is the real goal.
  • The Bureau Raid: Choose Roof Entry with Rickie Lukens as hacker, Daryl Johns as gunman, and Taliana Martinez as driver. Nobody dies with this combination, and Franklin can receive about $242,349 from the $331,985 FIB budget. Michael receives no payment for this job.
  • The Big Score: Choose Obvious. Put Taliana Martinez in the first driver slot for the helicopter and Karim Denz in the second slot for the train if Karim is still inexperienced. Use Daryl Johns plus Norm Richards or Hugh Welsh as the two gunmen. The gross take can reach $201,600,000, leaving about $41,664,000 for each protagonist with the low-cut crew. Putting an inexperienced Karim in the helicopter slot can cost half the score.
A GTA 5 crew escapes in an armored car while a gunman fires from the roof.
Crew percentages are only half of the decision. A cheap hire is useful only when that person can finish the assigned role without losing the take.

The Paleto recommendation needs one clear distinction. Daryl creates the highest payout for that mission by himself, but he dies and cannot be hired for the finale. Saving him for The Bureau Raid and The Big Score protects more money across the full campaign. Players who only care about the Paleto result can use Daryl. Players planning the entire story should use Norm there and keep Daryl available.

Crew Members Worth Unlocking Before the Finale

  • Packie McReary: Complete his getaway-driver random event in Los Santos before The Jewel Store Job. His 12% cut is lower than Gustavo Mota's, and he is skilled enough to clear the jewelry cases without the losses caused by a weak gunman.
  • Rickie Lukens: Answer his call after Friend Request. Rickie begins as a weak hacker with a 4% cut, but early heist experience improves him. His shorter Jewel Store timer is manageable if the player moves directly from case to case.
  • Taliana Martinez: Rescue her during the roadside crash random event and drive her to safety before she dies. Her 5% cut and strong driving skill make her one of the most valuable crew members in Story Mode, especially for The Bureau Raid and The Big Score.

Crew experience carries forward after a successful job. Rickie, Karim, and other low-cost members become more reliable when they survive earlier assignments. That makes the first heist part of the final heist plan. Paying for the most expensive crew every time is safe, but it gives away millions that a trained low-cut crew can keep for Michael, Franklin, and Trevor.

A GTA 5 crew fights police near a helicopter during a night mission.
Damage, casualties, and the wrong role assignment can reduce a score even when the mission still reaches its ending.

Move the final Story Mode money into the right investments with the GTA 5 Money and Stock Market Guide. For the rest of Pixel Twelve's campaign and Online pages, return to the GTA 5 Complete Guide.

Before each planning-board confirmation, make a manual save. Choose the approach, crew, and crew order carefully, then protect the bag during the mission. The Big Score is where these decisions matter most, but the crew needed for that payout is built several heists earlier.