GTA 5 Business Guide: How to make the most money?
Rockstar Games offers businesses in GTA 5 Story Mode as well and this GTA 5 Business Guide will help you understand how the businesses work and how you can make money from them. Contrary to GTA Online, the story mode’s businesses are not that elaborate as the developer put more emphasis on the storyline instead.
However, businesses can make you some money and offer side activities at times. This GTA 5 Business Guide will explain how many businesses there are in Story Mode and how you can make the most money out of them.
Note: Some parts of this GTA V business guide are subjective and only reflect the writer’s opinions.
GTA 5 Business Guide: Introduction to the businesses
Rockstar Games offers 28 ownable properties in Grand Theft Auto 5 and 16 of them are business establishments. These businesses can be owned by all three protagonists (Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, and Trevor Philips). However, there are some parameters that players should know beforehand. They are as follows:
- Some businesses can be owned by any one of the three protagonists.
- Some businesses can be owned by only one of the protagonists.
- Rockstar Games restricts some characters from owning particular businesses due to various in-game reasons.
The businesses that you can acquire in GTA 5 Story Mode are as follows:
- Car Scrapyard
- Doppler Cinema
- Downtown Cab Co.
- Hookies
- Los Santos Customs (Blaine County)
- Los Santos Golf Club
- LSPD Auto Impound
- McKenzie Field Hangar
- Pitchers
- Smoke on the Water
- Sonar Collections Dock
- Ten Cent Theater
- Tequi-la-la
- The Hen House
- Tivoli Cinema
- Vanilla Unicorn
Now, the GTA 5 Business Guide will discuss the various details about each of these businesses.
Details about the Car Scrapyard
- Location: El Burro Heights, Los Santos
- Price: $275,000
- Can be owned by: Michael/Franklin/Trevor
The Car Scrapyard is one of the cheapest businesses in Grand Theft Auto 5 that is also rewarding. Rockstar Games allows any one of the three protagonists to own this business in exchange for $275,000.
The Car Scrapyard generates money based on how many cars Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, and Trevor Philips destroy in the State of San Andreas. Each destroyed car generates $150 and you can earn up to $5000 per in-game week. To retrieve the investment money in the business, GTA 5 Business Guide advises you to destroy 1834 cars in the game.
Details about the Doppler Cinema
- Location: Downtown Vinewood, Los Santos
- Price: $10,000,000
- Can be owned by: Michael De Santa
The Doppler Cinema is an exclusive business for Michael De Santa in GTA 5. Since the protagonist is fond of movies and stuff, the game only allows him to purchase this property. Once you have completed the Nervous Ron mission as Trevor Philips, the Doppler Cinema business will be available for purchase.
The business establishment costs $10,000,000 and generates profits of up to $132,200 per week. It will take Michael De Santa 76 in-game weeks to recover the invested amount. If you don’t have the capital to buy the business, the GTA 5 Business Guide advises you to follow the GTA V investment guide to make the money.
Details about the Downtown Cab Co.
- Location: East Vinewood, Los Santos
- Price: $200,000
- Can be owned by: Franklin Clinton
The Downtown Cab Co. is a must-own business for Franklin Clinton in Grand Theft Auto 5. Once you complete the Friends Reunited mission, he will be able to buy the company for $200,000 and the GTA 5 Business Guide suggests you acquire this business as soon as possible.
Once purchased, the Downtown Cab Co. will generate $2,000 per week, and Franklin Clinton will be able to avail taxi features for free. To retrieve the invested money, the business guide GTA 5 advises you to grind the Downtown Cab Co. for at least 100 in-game weeks.
Details about the Hookies
- Location: North Chumash, Blaine County
- Price: $600,000
- Can be owned by: Michael/Franklin
After the Nervous Ron mission, either Micael De Santa or Franklin Clinton can buy the Hookies business in Grand Theft Auto 5. Rockstar Games bars Trevor from owning this property as it is one of the hangout spots for The Lost MC, and he has a conflict with them.
The business costs $600,000 and generates $4,700 in profits per week. The protagonists will have to wait 128 in-game weeks to retrieve the invested money from it. GTA 5 Business Guide readers should own this cheap property as early as possible.
Details about the Los Santos Customs (Blaine County)
- Location: Grand Senora Desert, Blaine County
- Price: $349,000
- Can be owned by: Franklin
Owning the Los Santos Customs garage in Blaine County is a great deal for those GTA 5 Business Guide readers who like customized cars in Grand Theft Auto 5. Franklin Clinton can purchase it for $349,000 after the Nervous Ron mission.
The business generates a weekly profit of $1,600 and it will take around 219 in-game weeks to recover the invested money. However, Franklin will be able to customize any vehicle in this particular garage for free.
Details about the Los Santos Golf Club
- Location: GWC and Golfing Society, Los Santos
- Price: $150,000,000
- Can be owned by: Michael/Franklin/Trevor
The Los Santos Golf Club is the most expensive business in GTA 5 that costs a whopping $150,000,000. While the property is available for purchase after the Nervous Ron mission, gathering such a huge sum is very difficult in the early stage. Therefore, the GTA 5 Business Guide advises you to follow the GTA 5 Stock Market Guide to make money to buy the property.
The business generates $264,500 per week and the Golf Mini game becomes free for the owner. However, it will take 568 in-game weeks to retrieve the invested amount. Therefore, GTA 5 Business Guide readers should keep it as the last option.
Details about the LSPD Auto Impound
- Location: Davis, Los Santos
- Price: $150,000
- Can be owned by: Franklin
The LSPD Auto Impound is one of the first businesses you interact with because of Tonya Wiggins. After completing all her missions, Franklin can buy the business permanently for $150,000.
This is an active business that only generates income when you tow cars. Each car gives you $500 and it will take 300 cars to recover the full invested amount. However, the GTA 5 Business Guide followed should note that the towing missions are not always available.
Details about the McKenzie Field Hangar
- Location: Grapeseed, Blaine County
- Price: $150,000
- Can be owned by: Trevor
The McKenzie Field Hangar is an exclusive business for Trevor that you can purchase after the Nervous Ron mission. It unlocks a new set of side missions for the character through which you can make money.
Each air mission gives you $7,000 and each ground mission gives you $5,000. However, GTA 5 Business Guide readers should note that they cannot store any personal aircraft in the business.
Details about the Pitchers
- Location: Downtown Vinewood, Los Santos
- Price: $750,000
- Can be owned by: Michael/Franklin/Trevor
The Pitchers bar can be owned by any of the three protagonists after the mission Nervous Ron. It generates $7,100 every week and you will have to wait 106 in-game weeks to get back the money you've invested into it.
Details about the Smoke on the Water
- Location: La Puerta, Los Santos
- Price: $204,000
- Can be owned by: Franklin
Smoke on the Water is an exclusive business for Franklin Clinton that can be purchased for $204,000. Once established, it can generate $9,300 per week.
While the business is non-interactive, you can occasionally see him availing services from it.
Details about the Sonar Collections Dock
- Location: Paleto Cove, Blaine County
- Price: $250,000
- Can be owned by: Michael/Franklin/Trevor
The Sonar Collections Dock is the only business in the game that does not take weeks to retrieve the invested amount. You can purchase it after The Merryweather Heist and start collecting underwater nuclear waste.
Each nuclear waste offers $23,000 and it only takes 11 units to recover the invested amount. There are 30 units of nuclear waste and you get an additional $250,000 for collecting them all.
Details about the Ten Cent Theater
- Location: Textile City, Los Santos
- Price: $20,000,000
- Can be owned by: Michael
Similar to Doppler Cinema, the Ten Cent Theater is also exclusive to Michael. He can buy it for $20,000,000 after the mission Nervous Ron. The business generates $264,000 per week and it will take 76 weeks to recover the invested amount.
Details about the Tequi-la-la
- Location: West Vinewood, Los Santos
- Price: $2,000,000
- Can be owned by: Michael/Franklin/Trevor
Owning the Tequi-la-la bar does not unlock any special benefits, but it is one of the many purchasable properties in the game. The GTA 5 Business Guide advises you to gather $2,000,000 before purchasing the business.
It can generate $16,500 per week and you’ll have to wait for 122 in-game weeks to recover the invested amount.
Details about The Hen House
- Location: Paleto Bay, Blaine County
- Price: $80,000
- Can be owned by: Michael/Franklin/Trevor
The Hen House is a nightclub that any of the protagonists can buy for $80,000. GTA 5 Business Guide readers should note that since the purchasing price is low, the weekly profit is also limited to $920.
The GTA 5 Business Guide advises players to buy this business as soon as possible as it will take 87 in-game weeks to recover the invested amount.
Details about the Tivoli Cinema
- Location: Morningwood, Los Santos
- Price: $30,000,000
- Can be owned by: Micahel
The Tivoli Cinema is also an expensive business. Therefore, the GTA 5 Business Guide advises you to do the GTA 5 Lester Assassination Missions beforehand to make money for it.
The business makes $142,300 per week and it will take you 211 in-game weeks to recover the capital amount. The GTA 5 Business Guide advises you to buy this business only after becoming rich by doing Lester's missions.
Details about the Vanilla Unicorn
The Vanilla Unicorn is the only business in the game that you get for free. Trevor takes control of the business by killing the previous owner during the mission Hang Ten.
However, it will generate $5000 every week, making it the most profitable business in the GTA 5 Business Guide.
GTA 5 Business Guide readers should note that buying the businesses does not end the duties of an owner. Sometimes, the manager(s) may call the owner asking for help in maintaining the business. Accepting it will allow the particular business to run as usual. However, declining it will result in a decreased weekly payout.