GTA V missions

Updated 30 October 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

Grand Theft Auto V (2013) has a story of roughly 70 missions, counted slightly differently depending on how setups and endings are included. They run from the 2004 prologue in North Yankton to a final choice between three endings. Six heists form the backbone, and many missions let you switch between Michael, Franklin and Trevor mid-action.

How many story missions are in GTA V?

The answer depends on what you count. The mission list on gta.wiki gives 69 story missions, but the same page notes that the game holds 79 in total, because some missions only appear on certain branches and no single playthrough can reach them all. The final choice alone offers three missions, of which you play one. Heist setup jobs are also counted as story missions. Many missions unlock at the same time, so the order you play them in can vary. What is fixed is the order inside each character's own chain. The tables below group the missions by story arc rather than by strict sequence. For the plot itself, see Grand Theft Auto V and the pages on the three leads.

Wikipedia describes the missions as linear scenarios with set objectives. Some use one protagonist, others two or all three, and in the latter you can jump between characters during the action. Outside missions the map is open, and you can switch freely. Missions also carry optional goals, such as a time limit or an accuracy target, that count towards a gold medal, as the gta.wiki mission pages show.

Prologue and the first arc in Los Santos

The game opens with the failed 2004 robbery in North Yankton. It then jumps to 2013, where Franklin works repo jobs with Lamar Davis until he crosses paths with Michael. This arc ends with Michael's first big job in years.

Trevor, the FIB and Merryweather

The story then cuts to Trevor in Sandy Shores, who learns his old partner is alive and heads south. Back in the city, the corrupt FIB agents Dave Norton and Steve Haines start giving orders, and a dock job brings the crew into conflict with Merryweather Security. Devin Weston and Martin Madrazo add their own work.

The Paleto Bay job and the split

The crew heads north for a bank job in Paleto Bay set up for the FIB. Afterwards the old Ludendorff wound reopens: Trevor digs up Michael's grave and the friendship breaks, while the crew is pushed into a raid on the FIB itself.

Setup missions such as Bugstars Equipment, Military Hardware, Architect's Plans or Driller are left out of these tables; they are covered on each heist's own page. After The Big Score, Devin Weston visits Franklin, and the player chooses one of three final missions: Something Sensible, The Time's Come or The Third Way. Our GTA V endings page explains each.

Who gives the missions in GTA V?

The gta.wiki list files each mission under the character who starts it. Besides the three leads, the main contacts are the car dealer Simeon Yetarian, Lamar, Lester, the gangster Tao Cheng, the FIB agents Dave Norton and Steve Haines, the billionaire Devin Weston, the film producer Solomon Richards and the drug lord Martin Madrazo. Following one contact's chain is often the easiest way to keep track of a strand, since each chain must be played in order. One mission stands out for the wrong reasons. Wikipedia notes that By the Book, a Trevor mission in the FIB strand, makes the player torture a man for information. Politicians and anti-torture groups criticised it, some reviewers found it in poor taste, and the torture gameplay was cut from the Japanese release.

What are the heists in GTA V?

Six missions are heists, and gta.wiki notes that some of them let you choose between a careful and a loud plan before the setup work begins. How heists work in general, including hiring crew members, is covered on our GTA heists page.

What are Strangers and Freaks?

Strangers and Freaks are optional jobs given by odd characters you meet around the map, each marked by their own icon. gta.wiki describes them as the successor to the random character missions of earlier games. Some chains count towards 100% completion and some do not: Michael's Epsilon Program chain and Trevor's Nigel and Mrs. Thornhill errands are not required, while Franklin's jobs for Hao and several other chains are. Other optional content is covered on our GTA side missions page.