Cayo Perico Heist: Step by Step
- •Best solo money in GTA Online. ~$1M–$1.5M per run once you learn it.
- •Requires the Kosatka submarine ($2.2M) from Warstock.
- •Entirely solo: no friends needed.
- •Same island every run. Gets faster with practice.
- •Stealth approach recommended for beginners.
What is Cayo Perico?
Cayo Perico is a solo heist on a private island off the coast of Los Santos. You rob the compound of drug lord Juan "El Rubio", steal cocaine, gold bars, cash, or artwork, then escape by boat or plane. It is the best repeatable solo income in GTA Online. Most experienced players earn $1,000,000–$1,500,000 per run in 45–60 minutes.
Tip: If you do not have $2.2M yet, read the Make Money guide first. Farm Raid → save for Kosatka → then come back here.
Step 1: Buy the Kosatka ($2.2M)
Open your in-game phone → Internet → Warstock Cache & Carry. Search for Kosatka (submersible). Purchase for $2.2 million. Pick a spawn location. Aa dock near Los Santos is fine. The Kosatka appears on your map as a submarine icon. You must physically go inside it to start the heist, it does not launch from your phone.
Tip: Do not buy other properties first if Cayo is your goal. The Kosatka is the only purchase that matters for solo grinding.
Step 2: Scope Out the Island (first-time setup)
Enter your Kosatka and use the planning screen inside. Launch "Scope Out", you fly to the island and photograph key locations: the main compound, guard positions, loot types, drainage tunnel, and optional secondary targets (north dock, airstrip hangar). This unlocks the drainage tunnel entry for the finale, which is the fastest route on repeat runs.
Approaches:Take your time on the first scout. Mark where cocaine and gold spawn in the compound, they pay the most. The drainage tunnel is on the south side of the compound wall.
Tip: You only need to fully scout once. On repeat runs you skip straight to the finale.
Step 3: Optional prep missions
After scouting, optional setup missions appear: weapons loadout, getaway vehicle, suppressors, etc. For your first run, do "Weapon Loadout" and pick the Conspirator (or similar suppressed SMG/assault rifle). Other prep is optional. Many solo players skip extra prep once they know the route and run the finale directly.
Tip: Suppressors matter for stealth. If guards hear gunfire, the compound locks down and more enemies spawn.
Step 4: Choose your approach
Stealth (Silent & Sneaky): Sneak in, avoid alerting guards, grab loot, leave quietly. Harder to learn but safer and faster once mastered. Recommended for solo beginners. Loud (Aggressive): Fight in with guns blazing. Faster to start but you face heavy resistance and take more damage. Better once you know the map and have good weapons/armor.
Approaches:Stealth entry: drainage tunnel (after scout) → compound → loot → same tunnel out. Loud entry: boat or grappling hook → fight through guards → loot → escape.
Tip: Most solo grinders use stealth + drainage tunnel on every run after the first scout.
Step 5: Finale: infiltrate the compound
Launch the finale from the Kosatka planning board. Travel to Cayo Perico (Kosatka positions you offshore). For stealth: swim to the drainage tunnel grate, cut it open, and enter the compound underground. You emerge inside the wall near the basement loot rooms. Move quietly, crouch, use melee takedowns on isolated guards, and avoid cameras where possible.
Tip: If a guard is alone and not facing you, melee from behind. Do not shoot unless necessary.
Step 6: Grab the loot (priority order)
Inside the compound, loot rooms contain cash piles, cocaine bricks, gold bars, and artwork. Priority for max payout: Gold (best value per slot, but only 2 players can carry full stacks solo, take what fits) → Cocaine → Artwork → Cash → Weed (lowest value). Fill your bag before leaving. Primary target (tequila bottle, ruby necklace, etc.) is in the main vault. Ggrab it if your route passes through.
Approaches:Solo players often take cocaine + artwork + whatever gold fits. Do not grab weed unless nothing else is left, it pays the least.
Tip: The pink diamond or other primary target changes each run. Always loot it if you can reach the vault safely.
Step 7: Secondary loot (optional extra cash)
Outside the compound you can hit secondary locations if you have time and bag space: North Dock (warehouse loot), Airstrip hangar (cocaine or cash stacks). Many speed runners skip secondaries on first learning the route and add them later. Each secondary adds $100K–$200K if done efficiently.
Tip: Learn the compound run first. Add dock and airstrip loot on run 5+ when you are comfortable.
Step 8: Escape
Leave the compound the same way you entered (drainage tunnel for stealth). Once outside the wall, run to your escape point, longfin boat at the beach, or steal a guard's vehicle. The heist completes when you are far enough from the island. Do not die with a full bag, you lose the loot.
Tip: If alarms go off, do not panic. Grab what you have and run for the tunnel. Partial loot beats zero.
Step 9: Cooldown and repeat
After the finale, there is a cooldown of about 45 minutes real time before you can run Cayo Perico again (hard mode may have different timing). During cooldown, do Contact Missions, Daily Objectives, or Farm Raid. When cooldown ends, return to your Kosatka and launch the finale again. No need to re-scout unless you change approach.
Tip: Same route every time. Most players finish in under 15 minutes after 10–20 practice runs.
Worthwhile upgrades (after your first few runs)
Sparrow helicopter (stored in Kosatka): fast travel to the island. Ssaves minutes each run. Weapon Workbench inside Kosatka: attach suppressors. Reinforced armor and snacks in your inventory before each run. Avoid buying unrelated supercars until Cayo is paying you consistently.
Common mistakes to avoid
Starting the finale without scouting first (no drainage tunnel). Shooting guards when stealth was the plan. Grabbing weed instead of cocaine/gold. Forgetting suppressors. Trying Cayo before you can afford the Kosatka. Expecting it to work in GTA Online without owning the submarine. Story Mode progress does not help.