If building an empire and making billions in GTA Online sounds like your ultimate goal, the journey starts with smart investments. To reach $1 billion, it’s easiest to begin with $100 million—and to get $100 million, you first need $1 million. In GTA Online, growing your wealth comes down to reinvesting profits and scaling up your businesses, vehicles, and grinding activities. Here are the 15 best money grinding investments every player should own in 2025 to maximize earnings efficiently.

1. Acid Lab
The Acid Lab is the best starting business for new players because both the lab and necessary equipment upgrades can be unlocked for free through missions. Once fully upgraded, it produces $351,000 worth of product every 3 hours (with a speed boost) or every 4 hours without one, which averages over $100,000 per in-game hour.
It operates via a service vehicle, so you can summon it anywhere. Resupplying is easy since your assistant can buy supplies on command. All sales use the Maibatsu Manchez Scout C, one of the best off-road bikes in the game, making deliveries safe and fast.

2. CEO Special Cargo
To run this business, you need a CEO Office and warehouses. You can source crates manually or assign warehouse staff. Buying three crates costs about $18,000, while selling them nets $20,000 each.
A large warehouse costs $666,000 to fill but can be sold for $2.2 million, giving about $1.66 million in profit. Since you can own up to five warehouses, total earnings stack fast. During event weeks, payouts can double or even triple, with some grinders making up to $16 million per day in invite-only lobbies.

3. Nightclub
A Nightclub is one of the best sources of passive income. At max popularity, the legal nightclub earns $50,000 per in-game day. The real profits come from the nightclub warehouse, where technicians passively source goods from your other businesses like the Bunker, Hangar, MC businesses, and Crate Warehouses. This boosts overall profit without requiring constant manual input.

4. Kosatka Submarine & Cayo Perico Heist
The Kosatka submarine, priced at $2.2 million, unlocks the Cayo Perico Heist—still one of the best solo moneymakers. Even after nerfs, it remains a fast way to earn over $1 million per run. Using the Sparrow helicopter for prep missions and completing the finale stealthily lets you finish in under an hour.
Cooldown timers prevent spamming, but overall, Cayo Perico stays a reliable cash cow.

5. Agency & Dr. Dre VIP Contract
Buying an Agency gives access to VIP contracts, most notably the Dr. Dre VIP Contract, which pays $1.1 million. Efficiency comes down to using fast vehicles like the Sparrow or Oppressor Mk II, making setups and missions much quicker.

6. Armored Kuruma
The Armored Kuruma costs about $700,000 and is an essential early-game investment. Its near-complete bulletproof protection makes it perfect for grinding contact missions and heist setups. While it’s not the fastest car, it’s one of the safest, especially for new grinders. Many legit gta modded accounts for sale already include the Kuruma, so new players can jump straight into missions safely.

7. Hakuchou Drag Bike
The Shitzu Hakuchou Drag is the fastest land vehicle for grinding time trials and missions. Its insane acceleration and slim profile make it ideal for weaving through traffic and completing missions quickly.

8. Sparrow Helicopter
The Sparrow is the fastest and most versatile helicopter in GTA Online. It can be armed with homing missiles, making it perfect for Cayo Perico prep missions, CEO work, and fast travel. Its ability to spawn instantly at your side makes it an indispensable investment.

9. Cocaine Lockup (MC Business)
Often mistakenly referred to as a “Car Wash Business,” the Cocaine Lockup is actually the most profitable MC business. At full upgrades, it can generate $420,000 per in-game day. Even better, owning this boosts other MC businesses, making it a must-have for grinders looking to stack income streams.

10. Hangar
The Hangar lets you source and sell air freight cargo. A full sale nets around $2.5 million. Focus on land-based missions when sourcing to maximize time efficiency, as some air missions can be tedious.

11. McKenzie Field Hangar
Owning the McKenzie Field Hangar unlocks the "Air Trafficking" missions and exclusive opportunities like the Oscar Guzmán Flies Again Heist, which can be done solo for $500,000 on normal and $750,000 on hard mode.

12. Terrorbyte
The Terrorbyte is a mobile HQ for client jobs. It’s essentially a cheaper Master Control Terminal and unlocks discounts on the Oppressor Mk I. It’s also one of the safest and most useful utility vehicles for grinders, combining offense, defense, and mission efficiency.

13. Oppressor Mk I
The Oppressor Mk I is an underrated grinding vehicle. Unlike the Mk II, it’s cheaper, more balanced, and excellent for fast travel. It’s equipped with missiles and has agile handling, making it perfect for quick missions and combat when paired with a Terrorbyte.

14. Living Quarters Upgrade
Available for many businesses, Living Quarters upgrades let players spawn directly inside their properties. This reduces downtime, saves travel time, and makes grinding loops much more efficient.

15. Vehicle Warehouse
The Vehicle Warehouse is one of the most profitable businesses once mastered. By collecting 10 standard-range, 10 mid-range, and all 12 top-range vehicles, you ensure that only top-range cars spawn for sourcing. Selling these yields $80,000–$100,000 profit per car, and using flying delivery vehicles like the Cargobob or Iron Mule makes the process even faster.

Making wise investments in these businesses, vehicles, and upgrades maximizes your earning potential while minimizing wasted grind time. By starting small and scaling up strategically, you can climb the economic ladder efficiently in GTA Online.

Whether you grind solo or with friends, following these 15 proven paths guarantees steady and substantial profits in 2025’s GTA Online environment.