What are Business Battles in GTA 5?

Business Battles are one of the many types of Freemode Events available in GTA Online. Like all Freemode Events, these battles occur randomly in online sessions, provided at least three players are playing in the lobby.

They were added as part of the After Hours update, then expanded upon in the Los Santos summer special update. This guide will cover everything you need to know about participating in Business Battles.

Business Battles pit players against each other as they race to steal different kinds of cargo for their Nightclub Warehouse, where you keep any cargo you steal successfully. Players not affiliated with any organizations or clubs can still partake in Business Battles, though they instead deliver the cargo to a random garage in exchange for cash and reputation points, with potential bonuses depending on how quickly you perform the heist.

There are 12 mission types:

• Car Meet: Steal a specific vehicle from an active car meet, guarded by armed NPCs.
• Showroom: Steal a vehicle containing cargo from Simeon’s dealership, and complete a hacking minigame.
• Assassination: Take out six targets and retrieve cargo.
• Vehicle Export: Steal a Mamba being transported by a truck, using explosives to open the truck, with the Mamba containing valuable cargo that you must return to the Nightclub garage.
• Parked Cars: Find and hijack a parked car in a parking garage using a photo of its last known location.
• Pick-Up: Intervene in a battle between rival factions, robbing them of two duffel bags of cargo.
• Mercenary/Gang Assault: Steal and deliver a car guarded by Merryweather Security in exchange for goods.
• Merryweather Drop: Clear out an area patrolled by Merryweather Security, then collect and ignite a flare within the area to signal a cargo plane that drops crates in that location.
• Joyrider: Retrieve packages in a weaponized vehicle stolen by gang members. The vehicle can be destroyed.
• Police Station: Go to one of Los Santos’ many police stations to hack a computer and determine the location of a vehicle you must steal.
• Aircraft Carrier Assault: Go to the aircraft carrier in the southeast corner of the ocean via a dinghy, and steal eight weapons packages on the carrier.
• Factory Raid: Hack the security at a specified factory location, fight off a wave of enemies, and retrieve eight packages.

How to Start a Business Battle in GTA Online

At 0:00, 6:00, 12:00, and 18:00 hours in-game time, a random Freemode Event will become available. One day in GTA Online is equivalent to one hour of real-time, so a new event becomes available every 15 minutes, assuming there is a minimum of three players in a lobby, all of whom must not be doing Freemode missions at that time.

When an event begins, all players will be notified. To partake in a Business Battle, you will need to first wait for one to begin as a random Freemode Event.

Business Battles and other Freemode Events are among the best and most fun ways to earn cash and reputation in GTA Online, so hop into a lobby with a handful of friends and try to tackle all 12 unique battles as they come. Rockstar has added new battles in previous updates, as well as held special holiday battles in the past, and it’s likely we’ll get to see some more. Keep an eye out.