The Kortz Center Heist is the centerpiece of Grand Theft Auto V's summer 2026 GTA Online update, and the setup is more involved than most heists that came before it. You need a mansion, a purpose-built Art Studio, and the patience to run through up to 11 prep missions before you see a single dollar. Here's exactly how to get it moving.
What do you need before starting the Kortz Center Heist?
The single hard requirement is a mansion from the Safehouse in the Hills update. Without one, the Art Studio purchase is locked and the heist cannot begin. If you already own any of the three available mansions, you're cleared to proceed.
Once the mansion is confirmed, open your in-game smartphone, navigate to the Prix Luxury Real Estate website, and follow the path: Renovate > Additional Rooms > Art Studio. The base price is $4,700,000. Two discounts can stack on top of that: players who reached Tier 3: Elitist status in the Fine Art Collector program before the update launched save $1,000,000, and active GTA+ members save another $1,000,000 on top of that, bringing the floor price down to $2,700,000 for qualifying players.
Art Studio purchase screen
How do you access the Art Studio?
After purchasing, head to your mansion and use the lift inside to reach Basement Level 2. The Art Studio is accessed from there. The first time you walk in, a cutscene plays introducing Mr. Faber and Raf, who lay out the plan. Once that's done, a heist planning whiteboard appears in the studio with your setup to-do list and the target painting details.
You'll also need to be registered as a CEO before you can interact with the whiteboard to kick off the scouting mission. If you haven't done that yet, sort it out before heading to the studio.
One practical note: you can invite associates into your Art Studio once the cutscene has played. A counterfeiter takes up residence in the studio and begins crafting forgeries of the target pieces. Gear and tech stockpile here as you complete prep missions, and the whole crew can build custom loadouts from that stockpile before the Finale.
Heist planning whiteboard
How does the scouting mission work?
Interacting with the whiteboard sends you to the Kortz Center itself for reconnaissance. If you picked the Richman Villa as your mansion, the gallery is roughly a mile away, which makes this step quick.
Park outside, walk past the admission area, and find the art exhibition entrance at the rear left of the outdoor terrace. Inside, you need to reach the staff room on the right without triggering security cameras. Watch the camera cones on your minimap carefully.
Vault camera feed during scout
Once inside the staff room, take out the guard and upload the AI onto the computer. This gives you access to the camera feeds, which lets you locate your primary target on the Vault camera and spot secondary paintings that can pad your total take.
Before leaving, photograph every painting on display to get valuations for the secondary targets, and look for alternate entry points. There's a manhole that provides sewer access, among other options. The Staff Entrance just behind the art exhibition entry is the mandatory infiltration point, but identifying optional routes during the scout pays off during the Finale.
What are the prep missions for the Kortz Center Heist?
After completing the scout and returning to your mansion, the whiteboard populates with the full prep list. There are 6 mandatory missions and 5 optional missions, for a total of 11.
The 5 mandatory prep missions confirmed from the planning board are:
- Infiltration Gear
- Unmarked Weapons
- Getaway Vehicle
- Access Code
- Hacking Device
Completing optional missions isn't required to reach the Finale, but they expand your loadout options and can increase the secondary painting haul, which directly affects your payout.
Can you play the Kortz Center Heist solo?
Yes. The entire heist, from scouting through the Finale, can be completed solo. The tradeoff is real though: solo play raises the difficulty noticeably and limits how many secondary targets you can grab during the heist itself. Fewer hands means fewer paintings carried out, which means a smaller total take.
The upside is keeping the full cut rather than splitting it. For experienced players who know the layout well, solo runs are viable. For a first attempt, running with at least one other player makes the secondary haul more manageable.
Payout and replay notes
The first attempt each week pays out at a significantly higher rate than repeat runs. Plan your schedule around that reset if you're farming this heist for money. Rockstar has also adjusted heist payouts as part of the broader update, so check current figures before setting expectations.
For more strategy across GTA Online's full content catalog, the Grand Theft Auto V guides collection covers everything from business setups to earlier heists worth running alongside this one.