Can You Complete GTA Online‘s Doomsday Heist By Yourself?
As a passionate GTA fan who analyzes every new update, one question I see asked a lot is: can you complete the entire Doomsday Heist solo in GTA Online?
The short answer is no. Rockstar designed the 3-act Doomsday Heist to require at least 2 players to finish the finale of each act.
However, by understanding the solo limitations, utilizing solo public lobbies, and maximizing payouts as a crew member, you can still take on Doomsday alone without missing out on the action or big bucks!
Attempting Doomsday Solo: The Challenges
I‘ve played GTA Online since launch in 2013, completing every heist many times over. When the Doomsday Heist released in 2017‘s The Doomsday update, I jumped in guns blazing with my regular heist squad.
We immediately noticed how much harder Doomsday‘s missions felt compared to earlier heists. The enemy AI felt far more accurate, the prepare/setup jobs more complex, and the multi-stage finales longer and more intense.
As my squad attempted Act 1‘s finale, we soon realized a sobering fact: these finales cannot be completed solo no matter the player‘s skill. I tested this myself, reaching the final stage of the Act 2 finale before failing miserably trying to solo it.
Here‘s an overview of why Doomsday simply cannot be fully soloed:
| Act | Finale | Challenge(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Data Breaches | Must hack 3 separate servers simultaneously Enemies swarm final area |
| 2 | The Bogdan Problem | Multiple players needed for key prep missions Requires 4 players for Submarine Team |
| 3 | The Doomsday Scenario | Must deliver and configure a Khanjali tank Mounted gunner required in final battle |
With up to 4 protagonists requiring coordination in the climax of each act, Doomsday is designed for squad play.
Workarounds: Solo Public Lobbies & Crew Payouts
While Doomsday‘s 3 finales need multiple players, there are still ways to play mostly solo:
Solo Public Lobbies
By utilizing some simple network tricks, you can empty out a public session to make it just you and friends. Benefits include:
- Invite only trusted players needed for finales
- Reduces griefers interfering with prep/setups
- Farm prep missions without disruption
I use this solo lobby technique daily before running any heists. Here‘s how:
On PC:
- Open Resource Monitor (CTRL + Shift + ESC)
- Suspend GTA5.exe process for 5-10 seconds
- Resume process and rejoin GTA Online
On Console:
- Load any job/mission from pause menu
- At the voting screen, test your connection
- Decline the alert warning
- You‘ll load back solo in a public session
Maximizing Payout as Crew
The Doomsday Heist pays very well, with potential final take as follows:
| Act | Easy | Normal | Hard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $325,000 | $450,000 | $812,500 |
| 2 | $475,000 | $675,000 | $1,187,500 |
| 3 | $600,000 | $900,000 | $1,500,000 |
As crew helping other players, your potential cut is:
- 15% minimum cut for each finale
- +$50k bonus completing each finale the first time
- Up to $635k total bonus completing in order with same squad
With 3 Doomsday acts, skilled solos can net over $5.5 million assisting others while enjoying exciting heist action!
The Cayo Perico Heist: GTA Online’s First True Solo Heist
While Doomsday requires a squad, the epic Cayo Perico Heist added in 2020 finally brought a heist that can be soloed completely in GTA Online.
As an avid solo grinder, I was overjoyed at this update. Gather intel, scout the tropical island grounds, and finalize an approach completely alone.
The many prep missions to unlock equipment, weapon loadouts, entry points and escape routes can also be done solo.
Finally, you can tackle the thrilling grand finale alone too: infiltrating the notorious El Rubio’s heavily guarded compound to swipe his loot. With complete flexibility on strategy, I’ve stealthed my way in flawlessly or shot my way out guns blazing!
Here’s a comparison data table between Cayo Perico and Doomsday:
| Heist | Cayo Perico Heist | Doomsday Heist |
|---|---|---|
| Release Year | 2020 | 2017 |
| Soloable? | Yes | No |
| # of Setups | 9 | 29 |
| Total Take | $4.57 million | $15 million |
| Avg. Solo Take | $1.3 – $1.9 million | N/A |
While Doomsday still reigns in terms of potential team earnings, Cayo Perico is now the solo grinder’s paradise.
Final Verdict: Gather Your Heist Crew for Doomsday
The Doomsday Heist offers some of the most exciting, intense, and rewarding gameplay GTA Online has ever seen.
However, at the end of the day it firmly requires a crew to conquer. As a passionate solo player myself, I first stubbornly attempted to circumvent its team-based requirements, before accepting the heist’s exceptional co-op focus.
Now, I happily fill out Doomsday heist squads as crew, while taking point solo on the epic Cayo Perico hustle added in the last major update.
So in summary: Gather your most trusted heisters before taking on Doomsday, but hit up El Rubio solo if you really want to rob an island solo!
Whether blasting through enemies in Los Santos or infiltrating a drug lord’s compound, I’ll be recording and analyzing every minute of the action on my gaming YouTube channel. Subscribe and join me for a world of lucrative scores, satisfying gunplay, and nonstop multiplayer adventures!
