Have you been trying to complete the Cayo Perico Heist in GTA Online and getting nowhere? You’re not alone. We’ve all been there. But we’re here to help!
The Cayo Perico Heist is one of the most difficult heists in the game, but it’s also one of the most rewarding. The payout is huge, and completing this mission will give you access to some of the coolest vehicles in the game.
But what if you’ve had enough of failing miserably time after time? What if you just want to get through this mission so that you can claim your prize? Well, we’ve got this guide for you that’ll help make this process a little easier!
The Cayo Perico Heist – Overview
Nobody will ever admit it, but we all know that the Cayo Perico Heist is the best Heist in GTA Online. Sure, there are other Heists out there that are more popular—like Series A or The Humane Labs Raid—but none of them have the same charm and style as Cayo Perico.
The most important thing about a Heist is being able to walk away from it feeling like you’ve done something cool, and nobody can walk away from Cayo Perico without having done something cool.
It’s got everything: a Russian submarine operator named Pavel, a fortified island populated by drug lords with names like El Rubio, and even an underwater escape pod!
And while all of these things may sound like they’d be too much for one Heist to handle, Rockstar manages to make everything fit together seamlessly into one incredible experience.
What makes this particular heist so memorable is its seamless blend of story and gameplay; when you’re playing as Franklin or Michael (or Trevor if you’re really lucky), you’ll feel like you’re really part of the action—and that feeling just doesn’t come around often in video games these days.
Perquisites Before You Go: The Cayo Perico Heist
You’ve made it to the point in your GTA Online career where you’ve finally decided to take on the Cayo Perico Heist. Well done!
Before you start this epic heist, though, you should make sure that you’re ready for it. The best way to do that is by making sure you have all the prerequisites taken care of first. But don’t worry: we’ll break it down for you here, so all you need to do is read and follow along!
First thing’s first: You’ll need to be a VIP or CEO (or MC President) as well as own a Penthouse at the Diamond Casino and Resort. If you don’t already own a Penthouse at the Diamond Casino and Resort, then head over there right now and approach the customer service desk.
On the far left side of the desk is a terminal—use this terminal to purchase a Penthouse.
Meeting Madrazo
If you want to experience the full glory of the Cayo Perico Heist in GTA Online, you need to do a few things before you can get started. First, take the elevator down to The Music Locker from the customer service desk at Diamond Casino.
Then head down to the spiral staircase and take the door on the left to enter the club. Inside the club, go to the dance floor and head to the VIP section to trigger a cutscene. The cutscene will show you meeting with Miguel Madrazo.
He asks you to infiltrate Cayo Perico and get back sensitive files from drug lord El Rubio, then escapes the casino.
Getting A Kosatka
The Kosatka is the perfect vehicle for any gamer who wants to experience the thrill of high-speed underwater travel.
The submarine, which can be purchased at Warstock Cache and Carry in GTA Online Cayo Perico Heist, comes equipped with a hatch on top that allows you to enter the vessel and meet its pilot, Pavel.
If you’re familiar with how to use the phone menu in your game console and access the internet, buying this vehicle will be a breeze. Just open up your phone, select Services > Kosatka and request it from there.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll receive an email from Pavel letting you know your vehicle has been delivered. Now all that’s left is for you to climb on top of the Kosatka and find that hatch!
Intel Gathering and Reconnaissance for The Heist
The Intel Gathering phase of the Cayo Perico Heist is all about getting to know your surroundings. You’ll have to meet Dave and Keinemusik at the LSIA Private Terminal in southern Los Santos. You won’t be able to drive there, so use a dinghy instead.
You’ll need to head toward the airport and approach it from the southeast side (that’s where you’ll find a private hangar). When approaching this hangar, a cutscene will activate and then you’ll be on Cayo Perico island with El Rubio.
Drive him back to his compound and wait for the show to start. Once the show starts, sneak away from it outside the island. When outside again, your goal is simple: find a boat or make your way through the island to reach the opposite side of Cayo Perico.
However, make sure you stay out of the sight of cameras and guards. Pavel will call again once this has happened, and informs you that there’s a communication tower that you can use to hack into the CCTVs and find the vault.
You’ll need to make your way to the communication tower and climb up the ladder to reach the upper platform. There, you’ll find a box that needs to be hacked – do so, and access will be granted.
From there, cycle through camera feeds until you find the basement feed, which is in El Rubio’s office. Turn the camera left to view the safe – keep cycling feeds until Office Cam 1 shows up and head over to North Dock to take a picture of the water and send it to Pavel.
Search around for Bolt Cutters sitting on a ledge nearby. Take pictures of them as well as any other interesting finds! After reaching the runway, take a photo of the control tower and send it off to Pavel – once back at the main building, speak with the pilot again and return home.
Once you’re back in Los Santos, just get back to the Submarine and access the planning board to begin the next phase of the heist.
Heist Prep Part 1 – Approach Vehicles
In this section, you’ll need to choose a vehicle that will allow you to infiltrate Cayo Perico without being spotted by police. You can choose from four different options: Kosatka (submarine), Alkonost (plane), Velum (plane), Patrol Boat, and Longfin (Boat).
For our example, we’ll be using the Kosatka approach. Head to the highlighted area of sea in your map and use a periscope to fire missiles at any helicopters or boats near Merryweather’s test site.
Once you’ve dealt with those threats, dive into the water and approach the submarine’s glowing yellow hatch. Equip body armor and close-range weapon like an SMG before making your way onto the bridge of the sub and taking out any remaining enemies on board.
Grab the package and head back to Kosatka to complete this phase of the heist.
Heist Prep Part 2 – Equipment
After you’ve successfully acquired an approaching vehicle, you have to gather some equipment for the break-in. There are several options available at your disposal, such as Demolition Charges, Safe Code, Fingerprint Cloner, or Cutting Torch.
Let’s take a look at each of these options:
Demolition Charges
The Demolition Charges approach is more of an aggressive assault that’s best suited for players who are willing to take risks and have the skills to pull it off. To proceed with the Demolition Charges equipment prep, just select the mission from the Kosatka menu.
Then, head to the marked area where you’ll find O’Neil Brothers. Make sure you equip body armor and heavy weapons before you meet the brothers. Once you’ve killed all nine of them, Pavel will notify you that the demolition charges are not there.
He’ll ask you to visit O’Neil’s home and retrieve a security card that will allow you to access a basement where the brothers kept their explosives. When you get there, take out the security guards and carry a crate of explosives to your car.
At this point, your location will be marked on the map and you need to head back to the Kosatka to complete the mission.
Safe Code
If you choose this approach, you’ll need to find a safe code to access the files required by Madrazo. To find this code, head to Diamond Casino and go towards the elevator to trigger a cutscene, after which you’ll be relocated to the penthouse floor.
Once you’re there, equip a silenced weapon and head to Apartment 512, and take out the guards by surprise. Then, find the head of security and kill him to get the code. Once you have it, get back to the elevator and escape the building.
Fingerprint Cloner
When you select the “Fingerprint Cloner” equipment prep mission, you’ll need to find a fingerprint cloner. The easiest way to do this is to follow the waypoint given by Pavel, where you’ll find a warehouse that you can access.
There are two security cameras at the entrance to the warehouse, and you can easily disable them if you manage to find the security box nearby. However, you can also just storm inside and take out the guards by surprise.
You’ll find a laptop on the table in the warehouse, which contains the location of the archive. You’ll have to complete a hacking minigame to access the archive location and then head back outside to get the next waypoint from Pavel.
Head to the next waypoint and destroy the security cameras at the entrance. On the table, you’ll find the fingerprint cloner, so take that with you and head outside. Once outside, return to the Kosatka to finish the mission.
Cutting Torch
To complete the heist with a stealthy approach, choosing the Cutting Torch equipment prep mission is the best option. This prep mission can only be accessed if you have scoped out the Drainage Grate infiltration spot.
If available, initiate the mission and take a Dinghy to get on land. Once on land, get a vehicle and drive to the Construction Site. There, you’ll find a glowing yellow spot in the elevator that’ll allow you to enter the building.
Inside the building, climb up the ramps to reach the rooftop and locate the cutting tool. Now you have to equip a hardhat and head to the area where the conduction workers are working. There, head down to the construction site and locate a toolbox with a green arrow.
Lastly, get back to the car and make your way back to the Kosatka.
Heist Prep Part 3 – Weapon Loadout
At this point, you’ve got both the approaching vehicle and the necessary equipment to complete the heist. Now, all you need is a weapon loadout from one of the many options available such as Aggressor, Conspirator, Crack Shot, Saboteur, Marksman, or Suppressors.
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll be demonstrating the Conspirator loadout. The Conspirator loadout prep mission requires you to head to 707 Vespucci and either storm inside through the front door or use the roof.
The former requires you to take out the guards at the front door and then make your way to the top floor. It is advised to use a short-range weapon such as the Assault Rifle to take out the guards and then proceed towards the laptop at the back of the office.
Then, complete a hacking minigame and examine the wall to find the weapons locker. Grab the weapons, head outside, and return to the Kosatka. When outside, you’ll be attacked by two helicopters, so be sure to take care of them.
The Grate – Heist Finale
Now when all the prep work is done, you’re all set for the finale. It’s up to you whether you hire crew members or not. Once you’re ready for the action, aboard the Kosaktka and start the heist to begin the finale.
We’ll be using the stealthy approach for the finale that will require us to approach the drainage gate and cut it open using the Kosatka. Once the gate is opened, continue to swim through the tunnel to enter El Rubio’s compound.
When inside, turn right and head upstairs, and take a right again to access El Rubio’s compound. Also, make sure you keep an eye on enemies through the minimap. Once the path is clear, make your way to the multi-story building on the left.
In the multi-story building, find the entrance to El Rubio’s office and stealthily kill a few guards unless one of them drops a gate key that will be used for the escape. Once you have the key, approach the desk and move the keypad to begin hacking the fingerprint scanner.
Solve some fingerprint cloning puzzles to get past the security checkpoint and head to the elevator to reach the bottom floor. From here, use the Cutting Tool to break through the gate and open the safe using the code Pavel gave you to access the Madrazo files.
After picking up the files, head to the gate on your right and use the key code you gained from the guard to escape. You can either grab a vehicle or choose a preferred escape point to finish the heist and claim your reward.
The Payout for The Cayo Perico Heist
The Cayo Perico Heist payout is $1,078,000. That’s how much you can earn by completing this heist. But it’s not all yours—you have to pay your submarine captain a portion of the take, and you might also miss out on extra money if you don’t complete all optional objectives.
If you want to maximize your payout while playing the Cayo Perico Heist, keep an eye out for the panther statue. This can massively increase your gain (if it’s available), and with it in play, the maximum payout is $5,234,473!
Vehicles Added Exclusively for The Cayo Perico Heist
The most-recent vehicle added to the game with the Cayo Perico Heist is the Kostaka submarine that can be purchased through the Warstock Cache and Carry. The listing price for the submarine is $2.2m.
However, adding extras like guided missiles, Sparrow helicopter, sonar station, or weapon workshop can dramatically increase the value of the submarine to $9.8m. Here’s a list of other vehicles added exclusively for the Cayo Perico Heist:
Legendary Motorsport:
- Grotti Itali RSX sports car – $3,465,000 ($2,598,750 trade)
Southern San Andreas Super Autos:
- BF Weevil compact car – $870,000 ($652,500 trade)
- Dinka Veto Classic go-kart – $895,000
- Dinka Veto Modern go-kart – $995,000
- Grotti Brioso 300 compact car – $610,000 ($457,000 trade)
- Vapid Slamtruck vehicle hauler – $1,310,000
Warstock Cache and Carry:
- Kraken Avisa minisub (Kosatka upgrade) – $1,545,000
- Sparrow helicopter (Kosatka upgrade) – $1,815,000
- Annihilator Stealth helicopter – $3,870,000 ($2,902,500 trade)
- Dinka Verus off-road quad bike – $192,000
- Kurtz 31 patrol boat – $2,955,000 ($2,216,250 trade)
- Maibatsu Manchez Scout military motorcycle – $225,000
- Mammoth Squaddie SUV – $1,130,000
- Nagasaki Weaponized Dinghy boat – $1,850,000
- Pegassi Toreador submersible car – $3,660,000
- Ro-86 Alkonost jet – $4,350,000 ($3,262,500 trade)
- Vapid Winky jeep – $1,100,000 ($825,000 trade)
- Vetir truck – $1,630,000 ($1,222,500 trade)
DockTease:
- Shitzu Longfin speedboat – $2,125,000 ($1,593,750 trade)
Bottom Line
The Cayo Perico Heist is one of the most complex and rewarding heist missions available in GTA Online, but it’s certainly not without its own set of complications. If you can master the requirements and plan accordingly, though, you stand to reap huge rewards.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you learn what you need to know to approach this heist with a plan of your own.
