Lester’s assassination contracts in GTA 5 do more than pay a fee, because each target is tied to a company whose stock price reacts to the hit. That connection between missions and the in-game BAWSAQ and LCN markets is one of the most talked-about tricks in the whole game, and it shows how much depth sits behind the chaos of Los Santos.
| Style |
Open-world crime action |
| Where it runs |
Browser version, desktop |
| Leads |
Michael, Franklin, Trevor |
| Stock markets |
BAWSAQ and LCN |
Lester’s Contracts and the Market Trick in GTA 5
Lester Crest is the hacker who plans the big heists and also hands Franklin a series of assassination jobs. The trick players share is simple: invest in the right company before a hit and sell once its price jumps afterwards.
Timing matters. Most guides recommend waiting until after the final heist, when all three characters have far more money, so the returns from these contracts become enormous.
It is one of the few places where patience beats action. Rushing the contracts early leaves a lot of potential profit unused.
Three Households, Three Moods
Michael’s home life is a running drama. His wife Amanda, son Jimmy and daughter Tracey constantly clash with him, and many of his missions spill out of family arguments.
Franklin’s story is about ambition. Alongside his friend Lamar and his dog Chop, he tries to climb out of street hustling into bigger jobs, and Chop turns out to be a useful partner on several jobs.
Trevor’s life in Sandy Shores is pure chaos, full of rivals, explosions and unpredictable side characters. Switching from Michael’s mansion to Trevor’s trailer shows how different the three lives feel.
Getting Around Los Santos Efficiently
Each character’s skills grow with use, so letting Franklin drive and Trevor fly makes them better at those jobs over time.
- Wait until after the final heist to run Lester’s contracts.
- Invest before each hit and sell after the price jumps.
- Train Franklin’s driving and Trevor’s flying early.
- Take Chop on walks to keep him useful in missions.
Quick travel is worth using on long trips. Taxis across the city skip the drive entirely, and calling Franklin’s or Michael’s personal vehicle saves time when you need a dependable car before a mission.
Players who rush the main story often miss a lot, including the market trick and the side lives of the three leads. Slowing down and rotating between characters reveals much more of the city.
Side Lives That Most Players Rush Past
Outside the heists, each lead has hobbies and errands that reveal more about him. Michael can join a yoga session with Amanda or sit through therapy with Dr. Friedlander, Franklin can help Lamar with his schemes and Trevor runs an airstrip business out in Blaine County.
Strangers and Freaks encounters add oddball characters scattered across the map, marked by question marks. Many of them lead to multi-part stories that are among the funniest writing in the whole city.
Taking time for these side lives makes the final choice of the story land harder, because by then each of the three feels like a person rather than just a playable avatar.
GTA 5 Answers
- When should you do Lester’s assassination missions in GTA 5? Most players wait until after the final heist, when all three characters have large bank balances. Investing heavily before each hit then produces much bigger returns.
- Who is Chop? Chop is Franklin’s rottweiler, originally Lamar’s dog. He can help track targets in missions and responds to training and care.
- What are BAWSAQ and LCN? They are the two in-game stock markets. Lester’s contracts move specific company prices, which is how players profit from the market trick.
GTA 5 rewards players who look beyond the headline heists: Lester’s contracts move the BAWSAQ, Amanda and Jimmy keep Michael’s house in uproar and Chop trots along beside Franklin through every corner of Los Santos.
