Heist Setup

Heist setups are the preparation missions you must complete before a GTA Online heist’s finale. They involve gathering equipment, stealing vehicles, scouting locations, and weakening defenses, and most must be done in order to unlock the payout mission.

Setups generally pay little themselves; the reward is the finale. Because they take real time and, on team heists, multiple players, the prep grind is a major reason heists feel like work — and a reason some players buy an account that already has the cash these jobs would slowly earn.