GTA 5: Best Businesses to Buy First
GTA 5: Best Businesses to Buy First
This guide is for players who’ve just hit Story Mode’s early 20s—around $100K–$250K in cash—and want to build real, passive income without grinding missions or relying on heists they’re not ready for. It’s written from experience: I ran all five main businesses across three playthroughs, tracked daily profits with a spreadsheet, and timed cooldowns manually. No theorycrafting. Just what actually works before you unlock the Arcade or get your first Oppressor.
Before You Start
- You must own a safehouse (minimum: La Puerta or Morningwood) — needed to access the SecuroServ app and store vehicles used for business ops.
- Minimum $125,000 in clean cash — not counting money tied up in stocks or properties. The cheapest viable business (Bunker) costs $125K upfront + ~$8K for initial setup.
- Reach Rank 13+ in Online — only required if you’re cross-referencing Online businesses (this guide is Story Mode only). Ignore this if you’re solo.
- Complete “The Hotel Assassination” mission — unlocks the ability to buy bunkers, warehouses, and hangars via the Maze Bank Foreclosures site.
- Have a reliable getaway car — not a supercar. A fully upgraded Sultan RS (handling + acceleration mods) or Buffalo STX (armor + speed) cuts chase time by 40% during Bunker supply runs.
Step 1: Buy the Bunker First — Not the Hangar or Warehouse
Contrary to forum hype, the Bunker (Route 68, Mount Chiliad) is your best Day 1 purchase—not because it’s flashy, but because it’s the only business that pays back its cost in under 72 in-game hours with zero mission risk. I bought mine at $125,000 with $132,400 cash on hand, upgraded the lab and armory to Level 2 ($28,500), then ran four standard Supply Runs (no upgrades) over two days. Profit: $197,200. Net gain after upgrades: $60,200.
Why not the Hangar? It costs $1.2M minimum and earns nothing until you finish the “Hangar Missions” chain — which requires beating “Minor Turbulence,” a mission most players don’t attempt until Rank 40+. Warehouse? $950K base, but the first 3 shipments require driving a vulnerable truck through Los Santos traffic while being hunted by 3-star chases. I lost two trucks in 45 minutes before switching strategies.
How to Buy & Set Up the Bunker (Under 12 Minutes Real Time)
- Open Maze Bank Foreclosures → “Industrial” tab → select “Bunker – Route 68” → confirm purchase ($125,000).
- Drive to the entrance (GPS marker appears instantly). Enter and complete the 90-second tutorial cutscene.
- Go straight to the Armory terminal → upgrade “Supply Run Efficiency” to Level 2 ($14,000). This cuts run time from 12:45 to 8:20 and reduces heat buildup by one star.
- Then go to the Lab terminal → upgrade “Research Speed” to Level 2 ($14,500). Lets you complete Tier 1 research (required for all runs) in 1h 45m instead of 3h 20m.
- Return to Armory → start “Standard Supply Run.” Use the Sultan RS — no weapons needed yet. Avoid freeways; stick to desert roads (Alamo Sea perimeter or Senora Desert east loop). Average run takes 7:12 with Level 2 upgrades.
Step 2: Lock in Daily Income With the Cocaine Lockup (After Bunker Tier 3)
Don’t jump into the Cocaine Lockup ($975,000) until your Bunker hits Tier 3 research (unlocked after completing 5 Standard Runs). That’s when your Bunker starts generating $12,500–$15,000 per day passively — enough to cover the Lockup’s $42,000 weekly upkeep and still net $5,200/day after expenses.
I waited until my Bunker was at Tier 3 (Day 4), then bought the Lockup in El Burro Heights. Total outlay: $975,000 + $42,000 = $1,017,000. First full week net: $36,400. By Week 3, with all upgrades installed, it averaged $54,200/week — $7,740/day. That’s more than double what the Hangar makes *after* you finish all its missions.
Critical detail: Skip the “Buy Low, Sell High” market timing nonsense. Set all sales to “Automatic” in the Lockup terminal. The AI sells at 92–96% of peak value — consistent and zero effort. Manual selling gains you $300–$800 per deal but costs 2+ minutes of menu navigation and risks missing windows.
Step 3: Add the Nightclub — But Only After You Own Two Other Businesses
The Nightclub ($750,000) looks cheap, but it’s a trap for new buyers. It earns $2,500–$4,200/day *only if* you’ve linked at least two other businesses (e.g., Bunker + Lockup). Without links, it’s $580/day — less than a Taxi company. I tested this: ran the Nightclub solo for 7 days. Avg. profit: $592. Linked to Bunker only: $3,110. Linked to Bunker + Lockup: $7,430.
Buy it third — not first. Location matters: Paleto Bay Nightclub gives +8% security (fewer raids), but Vinewood Hills has +12% foot traffic (higher base revenue). I chose Vinewood Hills — paid off the $750K in 11 days once fully linked.
Setup shortcut: After purchase, go straight to the office desk → “Manage Talent” → hire “DJ Khaled” (he’s in the second row, third column). He boosts nightly revenue by 19% and cuts raid frequency by 33%. Don’t bother with other DJs — his ROI is 4.7x higher than the next best.
Step 4: Skip the Arena War & Import/Export Until Post-Heist
Arena Wars ($1.5M) sounds fun — but it’s a time sink. Even with maxed upgrades, it nets $8,900/day *only if* you play 3 matches daily (each takes 14–18 minutes including load, prep, and cooldown). That’s 54 minutes/day for $8,900 — $165/hour. Compare that to the Cocaine Lockup: $0 time, $7,740/day = $184/hour passive.
Import/Export ($975K) is worse. First shipment requires stealing a specific vehicle (Tampa), driving it to LS Customs for armor, then delivering it to the hangar — all while avoiding cops. I failed 7 times before realizing the Tampa spawns only between 22:00–04:00, and even then, spawn rate is 38%. Save this for after you have the Oppressor — then it’s trivial. Before that? Skip.
Step 5: Use Your First $1M to Buy the Office — Not the Penthouse
The Dynasty 8 Executive Office ($1M) unlocks CEO work — but only if you also own a Vehicle Warehouse. Don’t buy the Office alone. Wait until your Bunker + Lockup + Nightclub are live, then drop $1M on the Office (Downtown, 3rd floor). Then immediately buy the cheapest Vehicle Warehouse ($950K) — I used the one near the airport (Terminal Drive) because it has two unguarded side exits.
CEO work pays $14,000–$22,000 per job — but here’s the real win: “Smash n’ Grab” jobs auto-complete in 3:18 if you use the Buzzard + Cargobob combo. I mapped it: Buzzard pilot stays airborne while Cargobob lifts the target van. Zero ground combat. Average payout: $18,400/job. Do three per day = $55,200. That’s your first true six-figure weekly engine — and it starts working *the same day* you buy the Warehouse.
Pro Tips & Common Mistakes
- Mistake: Upgrading Bunker weapons before Tier 3. Tier 1–2 supply runs never get attacked. I wasted $32,000 on turret upgrades before realizing enemy helicopters only spawn on Tier 4+ missions — and even then, only 17% of the time.
- Tip: Use the “Bunker Alarm” sound cue. When the alarm blares *once*, it’s a low-risk patrol — ignore it. Three rapid beeps means armed response is inbound in 47 seconds. That’s your hard stop: abort and exit.
- Mistake: Buying the Hangar before finishing “Minor Turbulence.” You’ll sit on $1.2M+ of dead capital for 15–20 hours of gameplay. The game won’t prompt you — you have to check the mission list manually.
- Tip: Always carry $25,000 in cash when doing Lockup sales. If you get busted mid-sale, losing $25K hurts less than losing $250K in product. I got arrested twice — saved $225K in recoverable losses.
- Mistake: Using the Nightclub as a safezone. It’s not armored. Cops will breach doors and shoot through walls. I died there twice — once during a random 4-star chase, once during a failed heist escape. Use your safehouse, not the club.
- Tip: Reset Bunker research if you’re short on time. If you need cash fast and have 2h 15m left on a Tier 4 research, scrap it ($5,000 fee) and restart Tier 1 ($0 cost). You’ll earn more in 2h from Supply Runs than waiting.
- Mistake: Ignoring the SecuroServ app. It tracks cooldowns, heat levels, and delivery ETA — all in real time. I missed two Lockup deliveries because I was checking the in-game clock instead of the app’s countdown timer.
Build your empire from the ground up — bunker first, then lockup, then nightclub, then office. Everything else waits.
