5 best criminal businesses in GTA Online that give maximum profit

Since Grand Theft Auto (GTA) Online plays out from a criminal's perspective, it offers many ways to establish one's criminal empire. One of the most popular options for this is illicit businesses that act as a stable source of income besides missions. Players must first invest in establishing a business before making money from it in the game.

This investment isn't cheap either; therefore, going for options that return the highest profits becomes highly crucial. To help players in this regard, here is a list of the five best criminal businesses in GTA Online that give maximum profit.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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Acid Lab and 4 more best criminal businesses in GTA Online that give maximum profit

1) Hangar

Along with storing a player's aircraft, the Hangar can help make money in GTA Online. This can be done by stealing crates containing various types of goods and selling them profitably. While the Hangar was initially unattractive, Rockstar Games increased its payout quite recently.

Furthermore, June 2023's San Andreas Mercenaries update added new sourcing and selling missions and made it possible to outsource crate-sourcing missions to Rooster McCraw for $25,000.

Five Hangars are available in the game, with the cheapest one available for $1,200,000 at LSIA. The profit from this criminal business can range between $4,470,000 and $5,070,000, depending on what goods are being sold.

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2) Acid Lab

The Acid Lab is unlike any other business in GTA Online since it is entirely mobile. It is set up inside the MTL Brickade 6x6 and requires a meager investment. Players can acquire an Acid Lab by completing all First Dose missions and paying a $750,000 setup fee.

Then, they can either complete resupply missions or skip them to source raw material for $60,000 at most remotely. Selling missions are of three pretty straightforward types. This criminal business can pay close to $300,000 upon selling a complete batch of acid.

After the San Andreas Mercenaries update, a 5% bonus can be earned by naming the Acid Lab product before selling it. This update also added a new Sports Car, the Grotti Itali GTO Stinger TT.

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3) Cargo Warehouse

GTA Online Cargo Warehouses operate on the simple principle of sourcing and selling crates for profit. The more crates are sold, the more profit is earned. There are three types of Warehouses in Grand Theft Auto Online, and each can hold the following amount of crates:

• Small - 16
• Medium - 42
• Large - 111

Their cost rises with capacity. Players can own multiple Cargo Warehouses, but since the Large Warehouse is the most profitable, having at least one of its types is beneficial.

The profit from selling 111 crates from a Large Warehouse is around $1,998,000. However, a Cargo Warehouse can only be bought after purchasing a CEO Office. They are available on the Dynasty 8 Executive website, and the cheapest one costs $1,000,000.

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4) Bunker

GTA Online Bunkers are utilized for manufacturing firearms. It is an underground facility with various property options across the game's map. While the cheapest Bunker is available for $1,165,000, analyzing all the options properly before purchasing one is better.

Bunker weapons can either be sold in Los Santos or Blaine County. As selling in Los Santos gives the maximum profit, getting one with faster access to the city is best. This criminal business generates an hourly profit of $52,000.

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5) Cocaine Lockup

Grand Theft Auto 5's online mode hosts five types of MC Businesses, of which Cocaine Lockups are the most profitable. The cheapest Cocaine Lockup costs just $975,000. Operating this business involves resupply and selling missions, which can sometimes get a little monotonous.

The standard hourly profit of this criminal business is $30,000. However, a fully upgraded Cocaine Lockup generates $72,000 in profit every hour. Installing upgrades benefits profit and improves different aspects of the facility. As of this article, there isn't any confirmation about this business returning to Grand Theft Auto 6.