As the final major heist in Grand Theft Auto V's story, "The Big Score" is the culmination of everything Michael, Franklin, and Trevor have worked toward. It’s a complex, multi-part mission with significant choices that directly impact your payoff and experience. Based on how most players approach it, here’s a breakdown of how it works in practice.
What are the main approaches, and how do they differ?
You have two distinct paths: the Subtle approach and the Obvious approach. This choice is made during the "Planning the Big Score" mission and dictates all subsequent setup missions and the heist's execution.
The Subtle approach involves disguising your crew as Gruppe Sechs security to bluff your way into the Union Depository's gold vault. In general, players who prefer a more strategic, stealth-adjacent mission with a tense but controlled escape tend to pick this. The Obvious approach is a loud, aggressive assault involving drilling into the vault, a massive police shootout, and a helicopter escape. Players looking for explosive, chaotic action usually choose this route. The Obvious approach typically nets a higher final payout due to a cheaper required crew.
What preparation is required for each approach?
You cannot start the heist without completing specific setup missions. The setups change based on your chosen approach.
For the Subtle approach, you'll complete four setups:
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Stingers: Steal a police van with spike strips.
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Gauntlet (x3): Steal three Gauntlet muscle cars and modify them at Los Santos Customs to serve as getaway vehicles.
For the Obvious approach, you'll complete three setups:
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Driller: Steal an industrial thermal drill from a warehouse.
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Sidetracked: Use a Cargobob to steal a train locomotive.
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Getaway Vehicle: Secure a 4-door car and park it in a designated lot for your escape.
Most players find the Obvious approach setups to be slightly quicker and less tedious.
How does the Subtle approach heist play out?
The mission is a mix of driving, light strategy, and combat.
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The Ambush: As Michael, you intercept two Gruppe Sechs trucks in a tunnel using spike strips. You then escort the captured drivers and trucks to the depository.
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The Bluff: Disguised as security, you follow a manager into the vault and load the gold onto the trucks. This section is mostly cinematic.
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The Escape: Things go wrong when Merryweather intervenes. You switch to Franklin, who must control traffic lights to aid the trucks' escape—limit changes to under 10 for a Gold medal.
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The Transfer: A shootout with Merryweather occurs while the gold is transferred to the Gauntlets. Your crew's skill affects how much gold is lost here. Protecting the transfer is key.
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The Getaway: As Franklin, you drive a Gauntlet in a high-speed chase, following your crew into waiting transport trailers to lose the police.
A common point of failure is the transfer shootout; using cover and switching characters to manage the battlefield is crucial. Also, if you skimped on crew skill, you might see significant gold lost during loading or the chase.
How does the Obvious approach heist play out?
This is a prolonged, action-heavy sequence split between all three protagonists.
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The Assault: Michael and a gunman create a diversion at the front, while Franklin operates a thermal drill to breach the vault wall from below.
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The Vault: After blowing the vault doors, a intense defense sequence begins. You must protect your gunman from NOOSE teams while he moves the gold. Heavy weapons like the Advanced Rifle or Minigun are recommended.
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The Ground Escape: After the gold is loaded onto helicopters, you switch to Michael (and later Franklin) for a brutal ground escape from the depository. Police spawn infinitely, so the goal is to fight your way to the stashed getaway car and lose your wanted level, often in the subway tunnels.
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The Air Escape: As Trevor, you pilot a gold-laden helicopter. You must fly north, keep steady for Lester to shoot down pursuing Buzzards, and finally drop the gold onto a moving train. The flight through the wind farm is hazardous, especially with an unskilled pilot. An unskilled pilot like Karim Denz can crash even if the enemies are dealt with, costing you half the take. This is a primary reason players avoid services offering gta 5 modded accounts for sale pc at U4N, as they often lack the completed heist history that gives key crew members the necessary experience.
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The Fallout: The mission ends on a more celebratory note than the Subtle approach, assuming your crew survives.
What are the key factors affecting the final payout?
This heist can pay over $40 million per protagonist, but poor choices can slash that by 75%. The main factors are:
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Crew Choice: This is the biggest variable. Skilled crew members demand a higher percentage cut but are far less likely to die or lose gold. For maximum profit on the Obvious approach, most players use Taliana Martinez (Driver, 5%) and an experienced Karim Denz (Helicopter Pilot, 8%). For gunmen, cheaper options like Daryl Johns (6%) are often sufficient.
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The Hacker (Subtle only): A better hacker (like Paige Harris) reduces lag when controlling traffic lights, making that section easier.
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Pilot Experience (Obvious only): As noted, an inexperienced pilot can crash, losing 50% of the haul. Ensuring your pilot has done a previous flying-related setup is critical.
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Driver/Gunman Skill (Subtle only): Unskilled drivers and gunmen can drop gold during the transfer or crash during the chase, losing millions.
What should I do after completing the heist?
Once the heist is over, a mission marker appears at Franklin's house. It's highly advised to complete any unfinished side activities, collectibles, or Strangers and Freaks missions for Michael or Trevor before triggering this. The final story missions that follow involve significant choices that can alter character availability. Also, sell any high-end cars you want to keep cash from, as the story progression can sometimes reset vehicle inventories. Your multi-million dollar payday from the heist is held by Lester and will not be distributed until after you complete the final story mission.