Online crew · DLC
Solo-able stealth heist on a private island — biggest single Online drop in years.
The Cayo Perico Heist is a heist introduced to Grand Theft Auto Online in The Cayo Perico Heist update. The heist's story focuses on the protagonist being contacted by the son of a Mexican crime boss they worked with before, in order to steal problematic documents being held by a prominent drug lord from their island stronghold in the Caribbean. The heist focuses on players scoping out the island for points of interest, entry points both to the island and the victim's compound, and any additional lucrative targets for them to steal.
Unlike other heists, The Cayo Perico Heist allows players to approach the heist either in the planned method or doing it differently than intended, as well as handling the mission on their own although securing less of a payout, or working with others, requiring co-ordination between all players, but providing a greater payday for all involved.
The Cayo Perico Heist focuses on players conducting a major heist against Juan Strickler, a notorious drug lord known to many as El Rubio, who maintains an island compound in the Caribbean which houses a collection of valuables, is home to a major part of his drug operations, and maintains tight security measures and heavily armed guards, including gunboats, an attack helicopter, and surface-to-air missile turrets. The focus of the heist is to secure a major target being held in a vault beneath Strickler's secure compound and escape with it, using any methods to reach the island and breach into the vault. This includes going in aggressive, using stealth to neutralize hostiles, or conducting subterfuge by using disguises to get around guards. In addition to this, players can also steal additional valuables from secure storage sites, which increase the overall payout of the heist.
The heist may only be initiated when a player is operating as a CEO or VIP Organization or a Motorcycle Club, with the first time playthrough focused on the protagonist conducting the heist to secure documents for Miguel Madrazo, the son of Martin Madrazo, being held by Strickler. The initial job focuses on the players meeting Miguel at the newly opened nightclub, The Music Locker.
The player is directed to purchase a Kosatka submarine from Warstock Cache & Carry as a base of operation for the heist, with the intial setup cost and fencing fees covered for the first time, and making use of a beach party organized by Strickler to go undercover to plan the heist. After the first playthrough, the player must pay an upfront fee of $100,000 (as of 27/09/2023) when initiating another playthrough of the heist, but will focus on stealing valuables being held by Strickler in his vault, using a drug smuggling plane to return to scope out the island.
The heist is divided between three separate strands of missions: Intel, which focuses on scoping out points of interests, the primary target, and any potential secondary loot targets; Prep, which focuses on acquiring the needed equipment to pull off the heist (following on from the idea used in the Doomsday Heist and the Diamond Casino Heist; and the Finale, which focuses on conducting the heist in any arrangement the player decides upon, regardless of how they chose the heist to proceed as upon the planning screen. The Cayo Perico Heist can be completed solo by players, not only in scoping and prep work, but the finale of the heist itself; however, the payout for doing it solo is reduced as a result, as certain secondary targets are held behind locked doors within the compound that require another player to open, limiting access to valuable goods such as gold and paintings unless the heist is played with other players.
