The fastest first $1,000 I found: complete the tutorial, grab the crowbar, rob the nearest low-security house, sell electronics at the fence, buy a lockpick set. Repeat with better entry on house number two. Took me about 20 minutes of real time.

The early game is about capital accumulation. Every dollar goes back into tools that enable better heists. I wasted my first payout on hideout decorations and regretted it for the next hour.

Early Game Money Loop (First Hour)

Step 1: Do the tutorial. It gives you starter cash and the crowbar. I tried skipping it once and ended up confused about lockpicking mechanics. The tutorial takes 5 minutes and saves you 20 minutes of trial and error.

Step 2: Target the three cheapest houses from the job board. These have no electronic locks, fewer NPC patrols, and lower police response time. I hit all three in one loop. Each house takes 3-5 minutes and yields approximately $150-$300 in loot.

Step 3: Focus on electronics and small valuables. A laptop is worth roughly 5x what a kitchen appliance sells for and takes the same inventory slot. I leave blenders and toasters behind now. Prioritize this order when looting:

• Electronics (laptops, tablets, smartphones) -- $100-$300 each
• Cash -- $50-$150 per stack
• Jewelry -- $100-$800 per piece (rare early on)
• Small valuables (watches, silverware) -- $40-$100
• Everything else -- grab only if you have empty slots

Step 4: Sell at the fence, buy a lockpick set and flashlight. The lockpick set pays for itself within two heists. The flashlight prevents you from missing high-value items in dark corners -- I have found laptops on dark shelves I would have walked past without one.

First Hour Expected Earnings

After this cycle you should have $1,000+ cash. Buy the lockpick set ($300-$400), flashlight ($100-$150), and sleeping gas ($200-$250). You will have roughly $200-$400 left for emergencies.

What I Do Differently Now

After the first few runs, I stopped selling everything immediately. I hold onto items that match active requests from the request board. A single requested item can pay $350-$400 instead of $200 at the fence. Multiple requests on the same item type stack.

Skill Leaflets: Hidden Cash

Skill leaflets are a hidden cash cow in the early game. Once you have learned a skill, any duplicate leaflet sells for roughly $300-$500. I check every special loot box during heists because they occasionally drop leaflets. Never sell a leaflet you have not read first.

The Tool Maintenance leaflet is the most valuable early find because it reduces tool break rate by approximately 20-30%. If you find it, learn it immediately -- it saves money on repairs across every subsequent heist.

Jobs Over Free-Roam

Job board contracts pay guaranteed cash rather than variable fence prices. I complete every available job before free-roam selling. Jobs count toward quota, freeing your loot for item requests or better fence prices.

The Rotation I Use

1. Morning: check job board and accept jobs
2. Mid-day: rob houses targeting job-related objects
3. Check: verify item request status for items found
4. Evening: deliver requested items, fence the rest
5. Return: go to hideout, check if quota is met

This cycle takes about 20-30 minutes per game day and consistently beats quota by 30-50% compared to selling everything immediately.

Common Early-Game Mistake

The biggest mistake I see new players make (and made myself) is buying cosmetic hideout items before essential tools. That $200 poster on the wall could have been a lockpick upgrade that enables $500 more per run. Decorate your hideout after you have a $5,000 cash buffer and full tool set.

Gold Bars Warning

Gold bars from Update 1.3 should never be sold early. They fund basement upgrades that unlock better contracts. If you find a gold bar in your first few runs, stash it immediately. Selling it for $800-$1,500 cash seems good until you realize the upgrade it funds can earn you $5,000+ over subsequent runs.

Related Guides

• Loot Locations Guide -- full loot value breakdown
• Loot Selling Strategy -- maximize profit per heist
• Getting Started Guide -- first 30 minutes walkthrough

Do not sell gold bars for quick cash. I made this mistake on my first 1.3 playthrough and regretted it when I realized gold bars are the currency for hideout basement upgrades -- and those upgrades unlock higher-value contracts that pay back 5x the gold's fence price.

What Changed in Update 1.3

Update 1.3 introduced a parallel economy system that fundamentally changes how you should think about loot:

• Gold bars -- new resource for hideout basement upgrades
• Jewelry loot -- authentic and fake variants with different values
• Basement hideout expansion -- upgradeable with gold bars
• PvP competition modes -- new income stream with risk
• Master Key -- premium tool for instant lock opening
• New loot locations with expanded map areas

Gold Bars: The Basement Currency

Found in high-security targets, heist locations, and rare loot boxes. Gold bars are heavy and take multiple inventory slots. They are used exclusively for basement upgrades.

Gold Bar Basement Upgrades

Each upgrade snowballs: better storage holds more high-value items, better tools mean faster heists, better security protects your stash.

Should You Ever Sell Gold Bars?

Sell gold bars only if the basement is fully upgraded and you need immediate cash. Even then, the fence price of roughly $800-$1,500 per bar is less valuable than the upgrade ROI over 10+ heists.

Gold Bar Safety

Gold bars are fragile to loss. If you get arrested carrying them, they are gone. I stash them in hideout upgrades immediately after each heist. Never travel between districts with gold bars in your inventory -- go straight home after finding one.

Jewelry System

Authentic jewelry is found in high-value safes and display cases. It has a higher fence price (approximately $400-$800 per piece). Fake jewelry is common in low-security houses with a lower price (approximately $50-$200).

How to Tell Authentic from Fake

I check items in my inventory to tell them apart -- authentic pieces have a distinctive label or shine effect. If a skill leaflet for Jewelry Appraisal exists, it makes the distinction automatic.

Jewelry Selling Strategy

Keep authentic jewelry in your stash for item requests before selling. Some NPCs pay up to $1,000 per piece for authentic requests. Fake jewelry should be fenced immediately -- it rarely appears in request lists and takes up inventory space that could hold electronics.

Master Key (Update 1.3)

The Master Key is a premium tool that opens most standard residential locks instantly without a mini-game. It does not work on electronic locks or high-security safes. I use it on every standard door.

Combined with the hacking tool for electronic locks, the Master Key covers approximately 80% of entry points. It is the best late-game tool investment I have unlocked.

New Income Flow

1. Run standard heists for cash and tools
2. Target high-security houses for gold bars and authentic jewelry
3. Use gold bars for basement upgrades immediately
4. Sell fake jewelry at fence, keep authentic for requests
5. Use upgraded basement to unlock higher-paying contracts
6. Repeat until basement is fully upgraded
7. Sell excess gold bars for cash

Related Guides

• Loot Locations and Values -- where to find gold bars and jewelry
• Loot Selling Strategy -- maximize profit per heist
• Tool Upgrades Guide -- Master Key and advanced tools