The Doomsday Heist

Updated 2 November 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

The Doomsday Heist is a GTA Online heist released on 12 December 2017. Split into three acts, it has players stop a rogue AI called Cliffford from starting a nuclear war. It is run from an underground Facility, and every part can be played with two to four players, according to Wikipedia and GTA Wiki.

What is The Doomsday Heist?

The Doomsday Heist was the second big wave of GTA heists for GTA Online, coming more than two years after the original Heists update. Wikipedia dates it to 12 December 2017. Instead of one robbery it tells a longer spy story over three acts, each with its own setup missions and finale. Wikipedia notes that half of the setup work happens in freemode, where other players in the session can interfere.

What happens in the story?

According to Wikipedia, the crew ends up fighting Cliffford, an artificial intelligence network belonging to the billionaire Avon Hertz. Along the way they eliminate a rogue Russian special forces unit led by a man called Bogdan. In the end the players stop a missile launch by destroying trucks carrying Cliffford's code, and Hertz is killed after turning on the group. GTA Wiki lists the heist as a job done for Hertz, Lester Crest and the IAA, the in-game spy agency.

What are the three acts?

The act names come from GTA Wiki. Each act must be finished before the next unlocks, and GTA Wiki counts 29 setup and finale jobs in total. One of the Act II setups is built around the Avenger, a large military aircraft that can also serve as a mobile base.

How do you start The Doomsday Heist?

GTA Wiki explains that the player must own a Facility, a bunker-like underground property bought from the in-game Maze Bank Foreclosures website, and must be a CEO, VIP or motorcycle club president. That links the heist to the organisation system used by GTA Online businesses. Prep equipment can be collected in freemode, stolen from rivals or bought outright.

Can you do The Doomsday Heist with two players?

Yes. Unlike the 2015 heists such as The Pacific Standard Job, which needed four players, every Doomsday mission can be done by a pair, according to both Wikipedia and GTA Wiki. GTA Wiki adds that each crew member gets at least a 15% share of a finale's take, whatever the crew size.

What else came with the update?

Wikipedia says the update brought military-grade weapons and vehicles, including a tilt-rotor aircraft and a jetpack, and added the radio station blonded Los Santos 97.8 FM, hosted by Frank Ocean. GTA Wiki notes that finishing each act cuts the price of vehicles tied to it, such as the Deluxo and Akula after Act I.