| Given by | Story contacts, Stevie, the Fixer, Brucie and Little Jacob |
|---|---|
| Opens after | Story pay from the first mission. Side jobs open at different points, listed below |
| Counts toward 100% | The cash itself does not. The jobs that pay do count. See the 100% checklist |
| Reward | Close to $925,000 from the story, about $400,000 from car thefts and more from the rest |
Money in GTA 4 comes in two streams. The story pays on a steady climb, and a handful of side jobs pay big once they open. You will never be broke for long, but you will want a plan if you buy a lot of guns. Everything below is straight play. No tricks are needed.
Where the money comes from
| Source | Pay | Opens after |
|---|---|---|
| Story missions | $25 early, $250,000 for two big ones | The first mission |
 Stevie’s car thefts | $2,310 to $33,000 each, $398,970 for all 30 | No. 1, Smackdown and A Long Way to Fall |
 The Fixer’s assassinations | $3,000 to $7,500 each, $37,000 for all 9 | Truck Hustle |
 Exotic Exports | $1,000 per car, $800 per bike, up to $9,400 for the set | Brucie’s friendship |
 Brucie’s races | $500 per win | Brucie’s friendship |
 Drug deliveries | $250 per delivery, $2,500 for all 10 | Shadow |
 Roman’s taxi fares | $19 to $63 per fare | Jamaican Heat |
| Store tills | Nothing to a couple of hundred dollars | Any time |
Story pay
The first missions pay $25 to $700. Brucie’s early jobs jump to $3,500, and by the mid-game you are earning $6,000 to $9,000 per mission. The late missions run from $10,000 to $14,500. Two payouts dwarf the rest. Three Leaf Clover pays $250,000 and the last mission of your ending pays another $250,000. In all, a single playthrough brings in roughly $925,000, depending on a few choices.
Side jobs
Car deliveries
Stevie’s car thefts are the best money in the game. He texts you a hint and a picture, you find the car, and you drive it to his garage. Deliver it undamaged and the notice tells you the car is in perfect condition and what you get. Pay depends on the model, and scratches do not hurt but dents and broken lights do. The thirty cars add up to $398,970. They open once Alderney and its safehouse are yours.
Brucie’s Exotic Exports use the same idea with a twist. You read his email at an internet cafe, pick up the car or bike he names, and park it in his lockup. A car in perfect condition pays $1,000 and a bike pays $800. The top total for the whole set is $9,400. Some of these cars bring a two-star chase, so drive carefully. See Exotic Exports.
Assassinations
The Fixer calls you after Truck Hustle. Go to the pay phone at the corner of Odhner Avenue and Traeger Road in Port Tudor to get each contract. Behind the phone you will find a weapon and body armor for the job. The nine contracts pay $3,000, $6,500, $3,000, $4,000, $3,000, $3,000, $4,000, $7,500 and $3,000, which is $37,000 in all. One job also hides a $10,000 sports bag between two towers, so grab it before it vanishes. The full list is on assassinations.
Races and drug deliveries
Brucie’s street races pay $500 for first place. You only have to win each of the nine once for 100%, but you can run them again for another $500 each time. They are the least profitable of the big jobs, so do them for the checklist, not for the cash. See Brucie’s races.
Little Jacob’s drug deliveries pay $250 each. Phone him, pick up the package from the car by the cafe on the Broker-Dukes Expressway, and take it to the dealer before time runs out. After ten, the police crackdown ends the jobs. The last delivery also gives you a Huntley Sport. See drug deliveries.
Police work
The Vigilante and Most Wanted jobs run from the police computer in any police vehicle. They are 20 and 30 jobs, and they count toward 100%, but they are a completion task more than a cash one. Do them while you are already driving the cop car. See vigilante and most wanted.
Store tills
You can rob a till without threatening anyone. Walk up to the register in a TW@ internet cafe, a Modo clothing store or a laundromat and take the cash. A one-star wanted level follows a few seconds later, and the take is small. One haul was $22. It is not worth the heat. Tills are not part of 100%.
What to spend it on
Guns and armor are where the money goes. A vest costs $500 and ammo is cheap for most guns, but sniper and RPG ammo is expensive at $800 and $5,000. Little Jacob sells at a discount once he likes you. The price list shows every gun, and weapons says which ones are worth it.
Clothes are cheap and mostly for looks. Shops open in Three’s a Crowd, and a jacket costs a few dozen dollars. Food heals you for small change. A Pay ‘n’ Spray costs $100, though your first use is free. A Higgins Helitours ride is $150. Friends’ outings cost money too, and a meal with Roman gets pricey early on. Your safehouses cost nothing, because the story gives them to you.
Money to avoid losing
Dying takes about 10 percent of the cash you hold, capped at $10,000 once you pass $100,000. If you are about to start a risky fight, spend your cash on armor and ammo first. See the FAQ for the rest.
