The crime yardstick
Run the highest unlocked crime that shows at least a 70% chance on the screen. Unlocked a new crime? If its chance is 70% or more, it is your crime. If it is lower, stay on the previous one until your gear and attributes bring the chance up to 70%. If none reaches 70%, run the one that gives the most XP per energy (the table below shows which).
Where "always the highest" gets it wrong: the new crime comes in with a low chance and pays less per energy than the best previous one until your gear catches up. Raid Warehouse (levels 4 and 5) pays 78% of what Shoplift Jewelry and Shoplift Electronics pay; Jack a Sports Car and Hijack a Cargo Truck (7 to 11), 84% to 89% of the Sedan; Crack the City Vault (16 and 17), 87% of Rob a Credit Union. Without the 70% condition, level 30 arrives 29% later (25 days instead of 19, at 8 rotations a day).
Why always run the highest one the chance allows: more successful crime means more XP, more money and more items. The red item only drops on tiers 4 and 5 and it is what keeps you competitive in the end game.
Money, house and business
- House: when to buy each one is in Real Estate → Where to live.
- Stashing: idle money goes in the bank, no cap. Your pocket loses 10% on every fight you lose, with no ceiling. Buying doesn't require a withdrawal: the purchase comes out of your pocket first and the rest out of the bank (only the casino wants cash in your pocket).
- Street protection: every crime pays part of the reward. With no home, you pay 8% to the government. With a home, the tax goes to the territory owner, the gang that controls the district you live in, and it sets the rate, from 0% to 8% (in a neutral district the government keeps it). The money figures on this page are before that cut.
- Businesses: the first is the Gun Store, then the Chop Shop, and both can come before the Mansion. The other businesses (Casino included) only after the Mansion, because before that your money works harder in your farm (here's why).
- Always collect and protect the till. A raid takes 50% of whatever wasn't collected, up to $500,000; Detective Barone shows up on 8% of collections of $2,000 or more.
Crimes by level
For reference: the crime that pays the most per energy in each range, with the typical gear for the level (street kit and green kit, at the game's base price). If the table and the yardstick disagree, follow the yardstick: the chance on your screen is yours, with your gear. The calculator right below redoes the math with your stats.
| Level | Run this | Chance | $ per energy | XP per energy | Jail per 100 energy | With success capped at 95% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Lift a Wallet or Swipe a Phone (more XP) |
70%–84% | $14–$17 | 0.70–0.84 | 0 min | Swipe a Phone |
| 3–4 | Shoplift Electronics or Shoplift Jewelry (more XP) |
76%–84% | $26–$29 | 1.13–1.26 | 0 min | Shoplift Jewelry |
| 5 | Shoplift Jewelry or Shoplift Electronics (more money) |
83% | $29 | 1.45 | 3 min | same one |
| 6–7 | Steal a Sedan | 84%–85% | $45–$46 | 1.74–1.77 | 3 min | same one or Jack a Sports Car (more XP, at level 7) |
| 8–11 | Steal a Sedan | 86%–91% | $47–$49 | 1.80–1.89 | 3 min | Hijack a Cargo Truck |
| 12–14 | Rob a Credit Union or Steal a Sedan (more XP) |
59%–62% | $82–$85 | 1.78–1.85 | 8 min | same one |
| 15–17 | Rob a Credit Union or Steal a Sedan (more XP) |
63%–65% | $86–$89 | 1.88–1.95 | 7 min | Crack the City Vault |
| 18–23 | Rob the Museum | 54%–61% | $192–$216 | 2.49–2.81 | 9 min | same one |
| 24–29 | Crack the Casino Vault | 54%–61% | $288–$326 | 3.39–3.83 | 9 min | same one |
| 30–50 | Raid the Federal Reserve | 52%–79% | $478–$731 | 4.37–6.69 | 9 min | same one |
- Jail grows with the tier. From the Museum up, with the gear of that level, it's about 26 minutes of jail per rotation. It's still worth it by a mile, but every piece that cuts jail time (Scrambler Phone, Riot Surplus Helmet, Getaway Car Keys…) gives you rotation time back.
Which crime pays you the most
Enter your total stats (base + gear), as they show on the Character page, and check the chance of each crime against the 70% yardstick.
Chance = (base + Σ stat × weight × (1 + house) − difficulty + gear crime bonus) ÷ 100, between 5% and 95%.
Gold highlight = most money per energy; ★ = most XP per energy. “Jail/energy” = expected minutes of jail per energy point spent.