Grand Theft Auto Online lost two game components with the After Hours update: Dead Drop and Moving Target. In its place, we got Business Battles. To put it simply, Business Battles are a type of Freemode Event. Players go on missions to steal different kinds of cargo (including weapons and other products) to stock up for the Nightclub Warehouse. With that being said, here’s how to start a Business Battle in GTA Online.
Business Battles require players to compete with other online players and involve combat. While these battles are significantly different from Special Cargo missions, they require a special kind of gear and a decent amount of skill.
The incentive to Business Battles is plenty of cash ($10,000 GTA$) and RP (reputation) points. You can also win special bonuses. Remember that your character can’t be affiliated with another organization or club to compete in a business battle, or the rewards are transferred to the VIP/CEO of said organization.
How to Start a Business Battle in GTA Online?
Business Battles become available at different intervals in the game, and you can’t start one whenever you want. A freemode event becomes available to compete at 0:00, 6:00, 12:00, and 18:00 hours in-game time.
Of course, an entire day of GTA Online in-game time takes one hour in real life. That means that you can participate in a freemode every 15 minutes. Since freemode events are randomized, you’ll have to keep an eye out for Business Battles. Out of the ten freemode event types, Business Battles are only one.
When you see a Business Battle beginning, you can join as long as three online players are in the lounge. You’ll be notified automatically. This is one of the best ways to earn quick cash and RP points in the game, and most fun when played with friends. If you get the timing right, you can join a Business Battle right away.
There are 12 different kinds of missions in a Business Battle, each involving a different task.
Business Battles 12 Mission Types
Here are the Business Battles mission types in GTA Online:
1. Car Meet
In this mission type, the players have to steal a car from the active car meet. This involves traveling to the Los Santos Car meet, finding the designated vehicle, and stealing it despite the armed NPCs around. The vehicle could be Hermes, Sabre Turbo Custom, or a Dominator GTX.
The cars are located at different parking lots, so it’s important to find the right one before proceeding. There are two ways to get past the NPCs. The first way is to eliminate them using weapons and then drive away. This is relatively easier since explosives can be used without damaging the vehicles. The second way is to sneak past the NPCs and steal them without alerting them. This results in them chasing you, however.
2. Showroom
In this mission type, you have to get to the Premium Deluxe Motorsport, Simeon’s dealership, and steal a vehicle that contains Business Battle Cargo. The mission also includes a hacking minigame to complete it.
You’ll be attacked by Armenian mob members, and you can only steal the intended vehicle: a customized Vapid Ellie. After stealing the cargo-laden car, you also have to successfully escape without engaging with Simeon.
3. Assassination
This mission type is the most similar to the original Headhunter. As the name suggests, you have to assassinate six targets while also stealing precious cargo.
Six targets appear on the map, so you have to eliminate them one by one, and only then does the cargo appear. Re-spawning of the targets is randomized, so you have to be prepared for this as well.
You get cash and bonus points for each target that’s killed, as well as RP points for successfully retrieving the duffel bag. The duffel bag can be at any four locations on the map. It’s possible that rival players will hold the duffel bag (cargo) and may need to be retrieved. Finally, you deliver it to the Nightclub.
4. Vehicle Export
A truck is transporting the Mamba, and you need to steal and retrieve it to the Nightclub garage. This involves eliminating all the enemy targets and then using explosives to blow up the back of the truck.
If the player already has explosives, they’re at an advantage, but five sticky bombs are also provided after each enemy target is killed. The truck can spawn on any San Andreas highway. NPCs will also spawn to chase you down once you’ve stolen the Mamba.
5. Parked Cars
Unsurprisingly, this Business Battle mission type also deals with stealing cars. Here, you’re given a photograph of the car’s last location. Using only this, you have to find the car amongst the many parking lots on the map.
After finding the car, you steal it and deliver it back to the Nightclub garage. Seems easy enough, but it can be a challenge to find the car. Possible locations for the car include the Los Santos airport and Richman.
6. Pick-Up
If you thought the last mission type was pleasantly devoid of conflict: here’s an interesting one for you. This mission type entails intercepting cargo from two rival gangs.
You’ll be up against two rival NPC factions, and you have to steal not one but two duffel bags with cargo. There’s a lot that can go wrong here: particularly because you’re walking into a battle scene. This is also one of the few mission types where the cargo can be potentially destroyed, so you have to look out for that as well.
7. Mercenary/Gang Assault
Here, you’ll be right up against Merryweather Security. You’ll find professional security or mercenaries guarding the target vehicle that needs to be stolen. The vehicle could be a Barrage, Insurgent Pick-Up, or a Technical Custom.
Here’s where it gets tricky: as soon as you fight off any one of the mercenaries, you receive a three-star wanted level, and military personnel comes to attack you.
It’s possible that a rival organization can steal the car or that the car gets destroyed in cross-fire, so you’ll have to look out for that as well.
8. Merryweather Drop
Another mission type that deals with Merryweather Security. You’ll have to take out the mercenaries and throw a flare inside the drop zone.
This will signal a cargo plane to drop a crate in that location. It’s on you to clear out the area and make sure nobody beats you to the cargo. Rival organizations might attempt to retrieve the cargo, and you might face “black ops” personnel after the cargo is dropped as well.
9. Joyrider
A weaponized vehicle has been stolen (surprise, you’re not doing the stealing this time), and it’s your job to track it down. Once you find the vehicle (which can spawn anywhere on the map), you’ll be fired on by NPC gang members, who might also use the vehicle’s weapons.
Unlike all those bulletproof cars in the other missions, this weaponized vehicle can and should be destroyed. You’ll have to blow it up to eliminate the enemy targets as well, and then retrieve the cargo and travel back to the Nightclub, all the while in pursuit.
10. Police Station
There are plenty of police stations in GTA Online (understandable, with all the rampant crime!), and you’ll need to go to one and hack into one of their systems.
It could be the Mission Row Police Station, Sandy Shores Sheriff’s Station, or Paleto Bay Sheriff’s Office. Here, you’ll have to sneak past the police and hack into one of the computers. There’s no hacking minigame in this mission, and it happens automatically.
Once this is done, you receive information about your target car, which you have to steal, and you’ll have to get rid of the cops hot on your trail as well. You can now travel to the location, steal the target car, and take it back to the Nightclub Garage.
11. Aircraft Carrier Assault
This mission involves traveling to an Aircraft Carrier in the ocean. It’s most likely in the southeast ocean area on the map, and once you reach it, you’ll need to retrieve cargo.
The USS Luxington ATT-16 can be reached by traveling through a dinghy on the shoreline.
There are eight packages of cargo that are scattered all over the USS Luxington, and each one is guarded by airforce and security personnel. This is one of the tougher missions, and entering the airspace can trigger the missile lock-on warning. Once you’ve retrieved all eight cargo packages, you can travel back to the shore by air.
12. Factory Raid
This factory raid also involves retrieving eight cargo packages. You have to hack into the entry security (no minigame), fight off the enemies, and then locate and retrieve the cargo packages back to the Nightclub. Sounds easy enough, but the crates are tough to find in the large factory, with decreased visibility to boot.
Now that you know how to start a business battle in GTA Online check out our guide on how to join Sprint Races in GTA.
