7 Things We Learned About GTA Online Heists From the Debut Trailer

For the thieves, robbers, thugs, and gang members of Los Santos (read: the modern gaming population), yesterday was a big day. At long last, Rockstar Games not only revealed information about the long-awaited online heists for Grand Theft Auto V‘s massively multiplayer GTA Online, but it also uploaded a fancy trailer and tossed about a tentative release window — early 2015. Timeliness hasn’t exactly been the studio’s strong suit when it comes to releasing this particular feature, but we now know that heists are coming, and sooner rather than later. Love or hate how long it’s taken so far, that’s definitely a good thing.

Though short, the trailer contains an alarming amount of new information, as do quotes from Rockstar’s lead mission designer Imran Sarwar. Just what exactly can we expect from these chaotic, four-player, multi-mission crime-fests when they land on both last and current-gen consoles next year? Read on to find out, and don’t forget — there’s a rank requirement of 12 to partake in heists in the first place. If you’re new to GTA Online, I suggest you start preparing now.

GTA V Online Heists

Every player is crucial

If there’s one thing GTA Online players have been dying to know, it’s precisely why online heists have taken so long to develop. The answer is multi-faceted, but one explanation is abundantly clear from both yesterday’s trailer and statements made by Rockstar’s Imran Sarwar; there’s simply a lot more going on than we thought.
In the trailer alone we see many examples of multitasking. One player approaches a prison break mission via airplane, another hijacks an inmate bus, while a third and fourth commit the inmate transfer schedule to memory in order to intercept it, presumably to obtain or simply go rogue at the earliest convenience.
Sarwar told IGN that “unlike a heist in Story Mode, every player needs to feel central to the action at all times, and that’s much more challenging than it appears.” Though it may not be obvious at first, character’s you aren’t currently controlling during Story heists may not be doing something all that exciting at all times. Ensuring that every player has a key role represents a fundamental shift in how heists operate for GTA Online. The results, in theory, will be thoroughly action-packed.
Lester is involved

I was surprised to see Lester playing such a crucial role in relaying heist info to player avatars in yesterday’s trailer. After all, why would Lester, a consummate professional, lend out his services so easily to up-and-coming thieves when he’s already successfully taken down the Union Depository with the famous Michael DeSanta? Is it not yet time for retirement? Apparently not.
Just like in Story Mode, Lester is the brains behind heist operations, and he’ll contact heist leaders directly when there’s a new or promising job in the works. Of course, from there players will have to do the legwork themselves, and that’s where things begin to get interesting.
Be the decision maker

As mentioned, one player will become the heist leader in a crew, and it’s up to that player to not only relay the details of a job from Lester, but also assemble a crew and choose the members wisely. What’s brilliant here is that heist leaders aren’t just sifting through lists of AI teammates and selecting based on skills vs. percentage of the total cut. Instead, they’ll be choosing from real players, based on their proven abilities (or lack thereof) playing GTA Online up to that point.
From there it’s all about execution, and the heist leader must own a high-end apartment to serve as an HQ and place of planning, as well as front set-up costs as the job unfolds. It’s a bit hard to fathom that the former is necessary given the planning locations used by Story Mode characters, but at least it’s a reasonable method of encouraging players to try different roles. You’ll also need to be rank 12 or above to partake in heists in the first place, so you’ll want to sink some time into Online’s parallel Los Santos before next year.
Four is the magic number

So how many players can join your crew, anyway? Yourself plus three, according to Sarwar. There’s a reason for it, too -- while preparation and set-up missions in Story Mode were often lax or low-key, the opposite is true here. The goal was to make each mission of a heist “as diverse and fun as possible,” which means you can expect high-octane thrills even before the score is actually taken.
Four-player heists also enable replayability. If you’re heist leader for a series of attempted scores but lose hard-earned capital when they go wrong, why not try your hand as a crew member on a more experienced player’s job? With five heists and what appears to be a wide degree of variation for each (not to mention multiple missions), the idea is that you’ll play each heist multiple times and have completely different experiences or outcomes. Worried you’ll get bored? Don’t be -- Rockstar added “trip-skips” for heists you’ve already completely, meaning you won’t waste time traversing familiar roads.
Crews you know and love

Though your actual four-player squad will consist of other humans, that doesn’t mean Story Mode characters won’t weasel their way into the picture from time to time. The trailer shows Trevor’s right-hand man Ron briefly panicking as he chastises an Online avatar, while Lester (as we know) players an integral role in online heist structure.
Sarwar says this is no coincidence. In addition to making each heist different and diverse, the team at Rockstar “wanted each one to have a unique thread that brought you back in touch with some of the characters from the story.” Ron is confirmed, but how about Michael, Trevor, and Franklin? We don’t know yet, but it seems fair to assume we haven’t heard the last of GTA V’s main cast.
20 hours, 20 missions, 20 scores

I’ve already mentioned that heists are multi-faceted, but how many steps can players actually expect for each? Approximately four missions per heist, it seems, for a total of five heists, 20 brand new missions, and 20 hours of gameplay tying them together. While the title of this slide is a bit misleading (there are only five heists and thus five “big scores”), non-leaders will actually see a continuous payday. Though the leader has to front set-up costs, crew members are paid each step of the way, meaning those players will experience something like twenty small, incrementally achievable scores.
What constitutes an entire mission remains to be seen -- we’ll have to wait and find out when we try firsthand next year. These could be shorter than story missions or twice as diverse depending on the crew involved, too. As with most things GTA Online, the people you run with will make or break the experience.
An early 2015 release…. supposedly

What everyone really wants to know is when online heists will be ready, and though Rockstar doesn’t have an exact release date, there is a fairly concrete release window. Despite delays caused mainly by the desire to get it right rather than get it out, Sarwar says that the team is “getting close,” and that “heists will be ready early in 2015.”
Will this actually happen? I’m inclined to believe it will. Radio silence is one thing, but it’s not often a professional game studio overshoots an entire release window. Regardless, it’s good to know Rockstar is committed to quality here, and heists may do more than just satisfy existing GTA Online players. As somebody who’s hardly dabbled in the mode until now, I’m incredibly excited to grind my way to rank 12 and get in on the action as soon as possible.