Cayo Perico Heist - Full Solo & Team Guide with Payouts & Tips: GTA Online Guide

The Cayo Perico Heist is one of the most profitable and flexible activities in GTA Online. You can run it solo without help, or bring a full crew and grab extra loot, the setup works either way.

This guide covers how to unlock it, prep the smart way, and make every run worth your time.

Getting Started: How to Unlock the Heist

Start by going to The Music Locker beneath The Diamond Casino. That’s where Miguel Madrazo gives you the job take down El Rubio, the guy running a heavily fortified drug empire on his own island. To get things rolling, you’ll need to buy a Kosatka submarine from Warstock Cache & Carry. It costs $2.2 million and serves as your new heist base.

From your Kosatka, you can launch the heist. Unlike previous ones, Cayo Perico is completely solo-capable from start to finish. If you’ve had it with random players or flaky teammates, this is your answer. Still, you can bring up to three others if you want backup or bigger loot potential. It’s your call solo for control, team for faster clears.

Island Recon: Intel Phase and What to Scout

Next up is the ‘Gather Intel’ mission. You fly to Cayo Perico, land at the airstrip, and start scouting. Your job is to identify as many useful spots as possible, things like entry routes, compound access, secondary loot, and tools like bolt cutters or uniforms.

Snap photos and send them off, so Pavel can log them. The more you find, the more routes and options unlock for the finale. If you skip key recon, you’re stuck with fewer routes and loot choices. That makes avoiding guards tougher and the whole run riskier.

Infiltration points:

• West Beach
• North Dock
• Main Dock
• HALO Jump
• Airstrip
• Drainage Tunnel (the best option for stealth solo)

Compound entries:

• Main Gate
• Drainage Tunnel

Escape points:

• Swim off the island
• Kosatka
• Docks (North/Main)
• Airstrip

Optional equipment includes bolt cutters, grapples, disguises, and a supply truck. These tools let you open locked stash areas or use alternate routes into the compound. Scoping them gives you more options during the finale and can make runs smoother, especially with a team.

Loot Overview: Know What You’re After

The loot is split between primary (in El Rubio’s vault) and secondary (around the island). Only the host gets the primary. Everyone can grab secondaries. Picking the right loot combination makes a big difference in total earnings.

Primary targets:

• Madrazo Files (first run): $1.1M
• Sinsimito Tequila: $630K / $693K (Hard)
• Ruby Necklace: $700K / $770K (Hard)
• Bearer Bonds: $770K / $847K (Hard)
• Pink Diamond: $1.3M / $1.43M (Hard)
• Panther Statue (rare): $1.9M / $2.09M (Hard)

Secondary targets:

• Cash: ~$80K (fills 25% bag)
• Weed: ~$132K (fills 37.5%)
• Cocaine: ~$200K (fills 50%)
• Artwork: ~$170K (fills 50%)
• Gold: ~$330K (fills 66.7%, needs 2 players)

El Rubio’s office safe has an extra $20K–$99K. This bonus doesn’t use loot space, so it’s free money, grab it every time.

Hard Mode and Bonus Challenges

Activate Hard Mode by launching the heist again within 48 minutes of finishing. Look for the red skull icon. It boosts the primary target value by 10%. For experienced players, this is an easy way to increase profit.

You can also rack up one-time (and some repeatable) bonuses:

• First-time clear: $200K
• Solo completion: $100K
• 4-player finale: $100K
• Elite Challenge (under 15 mins, full bags, no deaths): $200K
• Hard Mode, no deaths: $200K
• All approach types used: $250K
• All primary target types stolen: $150K

These stack with your regular payout. Combine multiple to make each run more lucrative.

Optimal Solo Strategy

For solo players aiming at stealth and speed:

1. Select Kosatka as the approach
2. Use the Drainage Tunnel (Cutting Torch required)
3. Equip suppressors ($5K)
4. Take out guards cleanly
5. Loot the vault
6. Exit compound climb or walk out
7. Grab secondary loot at docks
8. Escape by swimming or boat

This method is repeatable, safe, and efficient. Once you learn guard patterns and camera spots, it becomes second nature.

Solo vs. Team: Pros and Cons

Solo:

• Keep 100% of the take
• Lower chance of failure
• Best for grinding

Team:

• Access to gold loot
• Faster scoping and prep
• Extra backup during final run

Sample Payouts: Host Earnings Only

Solo (Elite Challenge, full loot, safe):

• Tequila: ~$1.12M
• Necklace: ~$1.15M
• Bonds: ~$1.20M
• Pink Diamond: ~$1.70M
• Panther Statue: ~$2.28M

Three-player host (gold route):

• Panther Statue: ~$2.27M

Four-player low share:

• Panther Statue: ~$653K

Cooldown Timers and Loot Rotation

Rockstar added cooldowns to limit grinding:

• Solo cooldown: 144 minutes
• Team cooldown: 48 minutes
• Primary loot cooldown: 72 hours

Run it too fast, and you’ll often get low-value targets like Tequila (60% odds). Wait the full 72 hours to increase odds for Bonds, Necklace, or Diamond.

Repeat Run Advice: Max Profit Every Time

• Scout every time loot and gear spots change
• Cocaine is best for solo secondary loot
• Use Gold when running with at least one partner
• Trigger Hard Mode and go for Elite Challenge bonuses
• Stay in private lobbies for clean runs
• Wait full 72 hours for better primary loot odds

Cayo Perico remains GTA Online’s top solo-friendly moneymaker. Once you’ve got the rhythm down, it’s easy to clear in under 15 minutes with steady profit.