GTA 5: Here’s how heists will work in GTA Online

Fans have been waiting patiently for the arrival of heists in Grand Theft Auto 5's multiplayer mode, GTA Online, for quite a while now. But while we don't have an exact date, Rockstar has at least confirmed that they are expected to go live in early 2015.

“We never want to have to move a date but if something is delayed, it’s because it’s not at the level we expect of ourselves. And while we’re not there yet, we’re getting close and Heists will be ready early in 2015,” lead mission designer Imran Sarwar said.

So how will heists work in GTA Online?

According to Imran, who spoke to IGN, each heist will require four players all at rank 12 or above, with one of the four designated as the "heist leader."

Leading a heist requires owning a high-end apartment so that you have a room available to set up the planning board. From there you’ll be able to launch missions as the leader, starting with the prep work and building up to the score itself.

Being a heist leader has advantages and disadvantages. On the upside, Lester contacts the leader directly when there’s news of a job and it’s up to the leader to invite players into the crew, assign positions, pick outfits and allocate each player’s cut. On the other hand, the heist leader will need to personally front the set-up costs in order to successfully pull off the heist.

While crew members will receive a cash payout for each prep mission, the heist leaders won't receive their payout until the finale mission is complete.

Some missions will require all players to work together as a single unit, some will require players to take on a specific task, like hacking or crowd control. Other missions might require players to split into smaller teams to complete "separate high value objectives." The finale will consist of a "big set-piece mission with players taking on multiple roles," Imran said.

At launch, there will be five unique strands of GTA Online heists involving over 20 total missions. This is said to add "around" 20 hours of additional gameplay, potentially more should you decide to replay them. Rockstar has created several rewards for players who meet a specific set of criteria, like playing all five heists in order with the same set of players.

[IGN]