Best GTA Missions of All Time [Top 5 List]

The Big Score — Grand Theft Auto V

The Big Score is the final heist mission in Grand Theft Auto V, and it’s unquestionably the biggest, boldest, and most memorable mission you could do, easily ranking it as number one. Unlike many other missions in the GTA series, The Big Score allows you to choose your own path; you can choose to handle business the subtle, stealthy way or the obvious, menacing way. Whichever route you choose, you’ll get the same result: wealth.

Choosing to go the subtle route will take you on a mission of trespassing into the depository disguised as guards to avoid getting caught. You’ll then need to access the loading trucks and store the stolen gold inside the trucks before shuffling your way through traffic and the bullets of the Merryweather agents to safety to complete the heist. It seems easy enough, right?

With the obvious route, things get a bit more complicated. This way, you will be in a position to drill your way into the bank vault. Once you’re in, you’ll need to steal the gold and then make your way to a helicopter nearby to make your escape with the gold, all without getting caught and eliminated. Though, as with the subtle route, you’ll still have Merryweather agents, and maybe even some police officers, on your tail as you make your escape.

Three Leaf Clover — Grand Theft Auto IV

The Three Leaf Clover mission draws direct inspiration from the 1995 film ‘Heat’, mirroring its bank heist scene in both events and the attire of the criminals. This mission is celebrated for its hilarious narrative and high level of action and risk, making it a standout in the series.

The mission is quite similar to a GTA heist in the way it’s planned out. The mission starts with a cutscene of the main character of Grand Theft Auto IV, Niko Bellic, meeting up with Derrick and Michael at the McReary Mansion, where the group of men is arguing assertively. They soon resolve the argument and create a plan to rob the Bank of Liberty in Algonquin.

When arriving at the bank, the group makes their departure with Michael, as he is told to stay put and keep an eye on their hostages. After robbing the bank of $1 million, the group attempts to make their escape to the subway, where they’ve planned to escape with the money through the underground tunnels. I say “attempt” because, within this time, there are shots fired and one man killed before the rest are able to make it out alive.

Dropping In — Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony

The Ballad of Gay Tony expansion pack for Grand Theft Auto IV involved many missions where GTA players got to once again experience the hardcore crime, elimination, and escape plans that they know and love. One mission in particular, the Dropping In mission, is arguably one of the best from that expansion pack.

Dropping In brought us the thrill of having to assassinate an enemy. The main character, Luis Lopez, begins his mission at the top of a building, where he is to parachute off of it, landing on the floor where his enemy resides and eliminating him when he’s found. There are multiple ways you can go about eliminating Luis’s enemy, such as by using a weapon or simply tossing him out of the window.

That’s pretty much all there is to accomplish in this mission; however, the real fun begins when Luis jumps out of the same window, parachuting near the ground, only to land on a moving car like a scene straight out of an action film.

Freefall — Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The Freefall mission from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is another mission that seems like something straight out of an action film. Players take on the role of Carl Johnson, better known as CJ, whose mission it is to hijack a plane, but there’s more to it than that.

CJ begins in his own aircraft, trailing closely behind the wanted plane, which he has to then attempt to intercept so that he can get on it and eliminate the passengers and the aircraft personnel. Once that portion of the mission has been successfully completed, CJ must find a way to gain control over the plane and land it safely on the ground.

The Doomsday Scenario — Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V features a challenging Doomsday Heist, made up of three parts; the final part is the Doomsday Scenario mission. This mission is highly challenging and will require two or more teammates to get through it successfully, though even with four players, it still seems like a big challenge.

Avon Hertz, the main antagonist of GTA’s Doomsday Heist, issues a threat to launch a missile and create the beginning of a new war. Players take on the roles of government agents who must trespass into Avon’s Missile Launch Base to deactivate the threat and save the world. This heist mission is an incredibly fun, thrilling, and challenging mission in GTA V, and it’s surely been everyone's favorite by now.