This comes up often enough in GTA Online that it deserves a straight answer rather than a thread to scroll through.

Short answer

Do the simple thing first. It is correct more often than the complicated thing people recommend instead.

Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see.

When the usual advice fails

Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of GTA Online. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively.

The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here.

Why it works this way

It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. Everything below is framed around the current state of GTA Online rather than a launch-week impression. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.

  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Stop and reassess after two failed attempts rather than repeating the third.
  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Keep a save or backup from before you start — it costs nothing and occasionally saves an evening.

Worth knowing alongside this

If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it.

Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over.

The practical answer

Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows.

What to do instead

The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds.

Where people go wrong

  • Trusting a video thumbnail that promises a result the video never actually shows.
  • Changing five things at once and then not knowing which one helped.
  • Rushing the last step, which is usually the one with the actual requirement in it.

GTA Online FAQ

Why do other guides describe this differently?

Most were written for an earlier version and never revisited. Compare the steps against what your build actually shows.

Is this still accurate after the latest GTA Online update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

Does this change between platforms?

The behaviour does not. Where menu paths or prompts differ, that is noted above.

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

Work through it in the order above and heists in order stops being a question you have to look up again.