GTA V PS3 stock market guide

The GTA V PS3 stock market guide is helpful for those who are still on the old console and love the original version of Grand Theft Auto 5. Rockstar Games first released the popular title on this console with an in-game stock market included. While the game has many versions as of 2024, the principles of the stock market continue to be the same as the original PlayStation 3 version.

However, a huge majority of Grand Theft Auto 5 PlayStation 3 players are still unaware of how the stock market works and how they can manipulate it to gain exponential profits in the game. If you are one of them, this GTA V PS3 stock market guide will help you understand the tricks behind in-game market manipulation.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and only reflect the writer’s opinions.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: the basics

Rockstar Games included two stock markets in the PlayStation 3 version of Grand Theft Auto 5. Their names are as follows:

Liberty City National Exchange (LCN)
BAWSAQ

The homepage of the Liberty City National Exchange in Grand Theft Auto 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

The homepage of the BAWSAQ stock market in Grand Theft Auto 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

Here is how to open these stock markets in the game:

Press the up arrow button on your D-pad to bring up the in-game mobile phone.
Press down once to get to the Internet icon (globe) and open it.
On the top middle of the screen, you will see a tab named Money and Services. Click on it.
A list of new websites should appear under the tab. Click on Liberty City National Exchange or BAWSAQ to access the markets.
You can also access these markets from a laptop that can be found inside the protagonists’ houses.

The GTA 5 PS3 stock market guide will explain how to use both Liberty City National Exchange and the BAWSAQ market to make money in the game. However, players should note that the LCN market is an offline market that can be easily manipulated in story mode.

On the other hand, the BAWSAQ stock exchange is an online community-driven market where the acts of other players have a huge impact. You will also need an active internet connection to access this market.

Therefore, the GTA V PS3 stock market guide advises the PlayStation 3 players to keep their consoles connected to the internet while playing the game and using the stock market. While it is a community-driven market and has no proven results, you can manipulate some of the stocks in story mode as discussed later.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: How to manipulate the market and make profits

Manipulating the stock market allows you to engage in expensive purchases in Grand Theft Auto 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

The stock market in GTA 5 can be manipulated via a handful of missions. The results may vary if you trade anytime outside these missions. That said, some missions in the game have a direct effect on how the stock market reacts. These missions are:

Lester’s Assassination missions
Finale: The Third Way
Hitch Lift 1 random event

The aforementioned three mission series can help manipulate the following companies and their stocks:

Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) - BAWSAQ
Bilkinton Research (BIL) - BAWSAQ
Merryweather (MER) - Liberty City National Exchange
Debonaire (DEB) - Liberty City National Exchange
Redwood (RWC) - Liberty City National Exchange
Fruit (FRT) - BAWSAQ
Facade (FAC) - BAWSAQ
Vapid (VAP) - BAWSAQ
GoldCoast (GCD) - Liberty City National Exchange
Tinkle (TNK) - BAWSAQ

Grand Theft Auto players must know when to buy which stock and when to sell them. The GTA V PS3 stock market guide will help you with this.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: How to use the missions to make money

The main process of making money through the GTA 5 PS3 stock market guide begins here. Players are advised to follow the below-mentioned steps carefully and in chronological order.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: The Hotel Assassination mission

The Hotel Assassination mission is your gateway to stock manipulation in Grand Theft Auto 5 PS3 (Image via Rockstar Games)

What to buy: Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) - BAWSAQ
When to buy: Before the mission
When to sell: Profits around 50%
What to buy: Bilkinton Research (BIL) - BAWSAQ
When to buy: After selling BET
When to sell: Profits above 80%

The Hotel Assassination mission is the first mission in the game that lets you manipulate the stock market and make money. It is one of Lester’s Assassination missions that you must do to progress in the storyline.

Lester Crest asks you to kill Brett Lowrey, the CEO of Bilkinton Research company. However, before starting the mission, the GTA V PS3 stock market guide advises you to buy as many Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) stocks as you can.

Then, complete the mission objective and save the game a few times as Franklin Clinton until you see Betta Pharmaceuticals (BET) stocks hitting the 50% profit mark. Sell it and immediately buy Bilkinton Research (BIL). Switch to Trevor Philips and save the game six to eight times until you see the profits going above 80%. You can sell the holdings afterward.

After this mission, you should not do any of Lester’s Assassination missions until as mentioned later in the GTA V PS3 stock market guide.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: Finale - The Third Way

The finale of Grand Theft Auto 5 unlocks a new series of possibilities for grinders (Image via Rockstar Games)

What to buy: Merryweather (MER) - Liberty City National Exchange
When to buy: After The Third Way mission.
When to sell: Profits above 70%.

The finale of Grand Theft Auto 5 can put players in an ethical and moral dilemma. Rockstar Games gives players the following options, each of which changes the course of the game afterward:

Option A: Kill Trevor (Something Sensible).
Option B: Kill Michael (The Time's Come).
Option C: Deathwish (The Third Way).

If you want to rake in more moolah in the game, then the GTA 5 PS3 stock market guide advises you to select Option C: Deathwish (The Third Way). Complete the mission as directed by the game and continue playing as Michael De Santa.

After a brief period, you should receive an email from a character named Donald "Don" Percival, informing you about a stock market crash. At the same time, you should also get your cut from The Big Score heist from Lester Crest.

Immediately invest all your in-game money in the Merryweather (MER) stock. Then switch to Trevor Philips and save the game multiple times. Do not sell the holdings until the profits cross the 70% mark. This is a very lengthy process and can take weeks (in terms of in-game time) to show results. Therefore, players are advised to be patient during the process.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: The Multi Target Assassination

The next chapter of Lester’s Assassination missions begins here in Grand Theft Auto 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

What to buy: Debonaire (DEB) - Liberty City National Exchange
When to buy: Before the mission.
When to sell: Profits around 35%.
What to buy: Redwood (RWC) - Liberty City National Exchange
When to buy: After selling DEB.
When to sell: Profits over 100%.

Once you are done with the aforementioned steps, we go back to Lester’s Assassination missions. This time, you have the full liberty to do them chronologically, and the GTA V PS3 stock market guide will help you with some hidden tricks.

The Multi Target Assassination mission in GTA 5 requires you to kill four jurors found at the following spots:

Vespucci Beach
Pacific Bluffs
West Vinewood
Vinewood Hills

You must kill all these targets within nine real-life minutes. Once done, save the game a few times as Franklin Clinton and sell Debonaire (DEB) stocks when the profits are around 35%. Then buy Redwood (RWC) stocks, switch the character to Trevor Phipils, and save the game six to eight times. Reload the saved game and then re-save it. Once the profits cross 100%, sell the holdings.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: The Vice Assassination

The Vice Assassination mission is small but can have a huge impact on your portfolio (Image via Rockstar Games)

What to buy: Fruit (FRT) - BAWSAQ
When to buy: Before the mission
When to sell: Profits around 25%
What to buy: Facade (FAC) - BAWSAQ
When to buy: After selling FRT
When to sell: Profits over 25%

The Vice Assassination mission is an easy one where you have to kill Jackson Skinner, Head of Product Development at the computer applications company, Facade. Before killing him, invest all your money in Fruit (FRT) stocks.

Once the mission is complete, save the game four to six times as Franklin Clinton, and sell the stocks once the profits reach around 25%. Next, buy Facade (FAC) stocks and save the game six to eight times as Trevor Philips. Sell them when profits are over 25%.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: The Bus Assassination

The Bus Assassination will boost your money even more (Image via Rockstar Games)

What to buy: Vapid (VAP) - BAWSAQ
When to buy: After the mission.
When to sell: Profits around 90%.

So far, you have been buying stocks before engaging in particular missions in Grand Theft Auto 5. But, during The Bus Assassination mission, you must not buy anything beforehand. First, kill the target named Isaac Penny by using a bus.

After that, buy Vapid (VAP) stocks and switch to Trevor Philips. Save the game four to eight times until you see the VAP stock profits reaching 90% of its original value. Immediately sell the stock to reap full benefits.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: The Construction Assassination

The last chance to make money from the stock market in Grand Theft Auto 5 (Image via Rockstar Games)

What to buy: GoldCoast (GCD) - Liberty City National Exchange
When to buy: Before the mission.
When to sell: Profits around 50%.

The Construction Assassination is technically the last chance for you to get rich from Lester’s Assassination missions and manipulate the stock market in Grand Theft Auto 5 PlayStation 3. Before starting the mission, invest all your money in GoldCoast (GCD).

After that, kill a target named Enzo Bonelli, who can be found on top of the Mile High Club. It is worth noting that Enzo Bonelli is not alone and several guards protect him on all floors. Once you kill the target, escape the wanted level to complete the mission.

Next, save the game three to four times as Franklin Clinton to boost your holding’s value. Once you see it reaching the 50% mark, sell the stocks at once.

GTA V PS3 stock market guide: Hitch Lift 1 random event

The Hitch Lift 1 random event is hard to come across(Image via Rockstar Games)

What to buy: Tinkle (TNK) - BAWSAQ
When to buy: Before the event.
When to sell: Profits around 30%.

The Hitch Lift 1 mission can make you wander for days trying to spawn it. It is a random event that usually appears in the above-shown location (Ineseno Road, Banham Canyon). If you are lucky enough to find it in time, invest in Tinkle (TNK) stocks before the mission.

The random event requires you to pick up a character named Timm and drop him at the Los Santos International Airport in time. After the mission is complete, save the game a few times as Franklin Clinton. Once you see the profits reaching around 30%, sell the holdings to reap the full and final benefit from the Grand Theft Auto 5 stock market.

While you can continue to trade after this, the GTA V PS3 stock market guide advises not to, as results will be uncertain. If you have thoroughly followed the GTA V PS3 stock market guide so far, all your characters should become billionaires. Players are advised not to spend money on needless items before starting the processes mentioned in the GTA V PS3 stock market guide.

Edited by Abhishek Manikandan