As well as the main storyline, you get a ton of side missions that you can choose to do in Grand Theft Auto 5. A lot of them have you dealing with what the game refers to as strangers and freaks. Yet, the game does not consider Lester to fit into either of those categories, as his missions are simply known as Lester's assassination missions.

As the title of them suggests, they revolve around different assassinations carried out by Franklin. This gives the young protagonist a chance to make some extra money while Lester rids the world of people he doesn't like - while also making money on the stock market. This is how you complete all the missions.

Updated December 17, 2023, by Sean Murray: Ready to make some cash by ending some lives? Lester's assassination missions are a good way to earn green, provided you're up for a bit of planning first. That's why we've updated this guide with improved formatting and more breakout tips to make those kills just a bit easier. We've also added more links to other helpful GTA 5 topics.

When Do Lester's Assassination Missions Start?

The first two assassination missions are available after Trevor arrives in Los Santos.

When you switch to Franklin, you will then get a text from Lester about an opportunity that he has for him. Go and meet him at the base of Del Perro Pier. This is the beginning of the first set of assassination missions.

All these missions are marked with a green L on the map.

Every assassination mission impacts the stock market in some way. This guide includes who you should invest in and when. It isn't a requirement to complete the missions, but it can boost your in-game finances.

The Hotel Assassination

​​​​​Before going to the target's location, you need to stop off at Ammu-nation. If you haven't got one already, you need to purchase a Sniper rifle. Getting an advanced scope and a suppressor will be useful.

Follow the guideline on your mini-map - this will take you to a Car Park opposite the hotel building.

Head in and around to the back of the car park, a yellow circle on the ground will mark where you need to stand.

Once you trigger the mission sequence, you will have a timer appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. This tells you how long you have until the target is due to leave the hotel.

Stay in the spot where you are - there is no need to move as you have a good position. Equip your sniper and look down the sight.

Do not shoot early, or you will compromise the mission.

Your best chance of sniping the target is as he is heading for the black car in front of the hotel. It's more or less directly in front of you.

Wait patiently for the timer to end. As the timer gets to the last ten seconds, start to focus as this next bit will move fast.

The target will be marked by a red circle on the map. He's the guy in the pink shirt.

If you miss your shot, the guards will figure out where you are and start gunning for you. Also, the cops will come straight for you, so accuracy is key.

When you take out the target, run back to your car and get out of there ASAP. Once you lose the cops (if there were any on your tail), the mission will be complete.

You will now have unlocked Franklin's new safehouse in Vinewood Hills.

Losing The Cops

Losing the cops in this game is easier said than done, but there are a few little tricks that come in handy when you want to disappear without using cheat codes.

• Drive onto the train tracks - across the city there are multiple entrances to the train tracks and there are numerous areas where the tracks cross over the roads so it's really easy to drive on them. Cops may follow you onto the tracks but you can speed off ahead of them. If you're really lucky, you will come across a train that is heading for you and if you swerve out of the way at the right time, it will take out the Cops for you.
• Switch Cars - If you have a big enough window between gaining a wanted level and the Cops following you, you can switch cars. This might not always work but if you switch cars then hide down a back alley they can drive straight past you.

The Multi Target Assassination

When you get to the mission marker, you will hear a phone ringing. Head to the phone box outside of the store on the far right wall (it's marked with a yellow circle). Walk over to it to trigger the mission.

You will have nine minutes to drive around Los Santos and take out the four targets.

Drive carefully because if you draw attention to yourself, having cops on your tail makes this mission much harder. If you do get cops, you can use one of the many cheat codes to get rid of your wanted level.

As soon as you end your conversation with Lester, the timer will begin. He will text your phone with the locations and brief descriptions of the targets.

Juror One - Bodybuilder

Drive quickly but carefully to Vespucci Beach. Follow the red guidelines on your mini-map. This is the quickest route. When you are there, get out of your car and quickly equip your sniper. Aim for the Bodybuilder. He will be a red dot on your mini-map.

He'll be very obvious and will be standing in the workout area shirtless and flexing his muscles. It's an easy one-shot kill.

When that target is down, your next target will be sent through by Lester.

Juror Two - Yacht Dude

Follow the red line on your mini-map again. Do not draw attention to yourself again. The map will take you to a car park overlooking the ocean. When you're there, get out of your car and stand on top of it.

Use your Sniper to zoom all the way in on the target. The target will have his back to you whilst he is watching a girl dance. The boat bobs up and down so make sure you have a good shot before pulling the trigger.

If you miss, re-load and try again quickly as the target will start driving away on the Yacht.

Juror Three - Window Cleaner Eclipse Medical Tower

Get into your car and quickly drive to West Vinewood. If you can, drive as fast as possible to this one without drawing attention to yourself. Once at the location, pull up on the corner of the street. Stand on top of your car (this reduces your chances of pedestrians or cars hitting you when you pull your gun out).

The target will be on a window cleaning platform halfway up the building. They will be slowly moving upwards, so getting a clean shot should be easy.

Once you have assassinated the target, get in your vehicle and get out of there fast. You shouldn't get any police on you if you're quick.

Juror Four - Vinewood Hills Biker

Your final target will be in Vinewood Hills. You need to be very fast and accurate with your driving to be able to beat the timer on this one. Follow the red line on your mini-map, and it will take you up into Vinewood Hills.

When you get there, the target will be driving on a Motorbike. You can either choose to shoot them or you can ram them with your car if there is enough time left.

If you creep up behind him in your vehicle he shouldn't notice that you're trying to kill him. You should be able to get close enough to him to get another one-shot kill.

Once the target is down, drive away from the area quickly and Franklin will call Lester. This mission is now complete.

If you're playing through the story at the same time, you'll only be allowed to access the next set of assassinations after you meet Devin Weston and do his first mission.

The Vice Assassination

In a similar fashion to Lester's first assassination mission in GTA 5, you should go to Ammu-Nation and buy sticky bombs before starting the mission. When you have the bombs, follow your mini-map guidelines to the marked spot. It will take you to Mutiny Road in La Puerta.

You'll be watching a woman standing around, waiting to be picked up. Do not move, or shoot, or do anything. This one is about patience.

Whilst you are waiting in your vehicle. equip your sticky bombs by searching through your weapons wheel.

The woman will be approached by a few cars before your target car arrives. Wait for her to get into the car before you drive behind it.

When you are behind the target car, throw a sticky bomb at it. Once a sticky bomb attaches to the car, make sure there is some distance between you before you detonate it.

Once you have detonated the bomb, the target should be eliminated. Leave the area as fast as possible.

If you have a clean escape, you should avoid getting any Police on your tail. There are many easy ways to get a five-star wanted level, so be careful.

Alternative Approach

Follow the same steps as the previous approach up until the target arrives. When the target arrives you should drive up behind them but make sure you're not suspicious. If they realize you're after them, they will speed off, and you will end up chasing them for ages, which draws a lot of unwanted attention from cops.

After a few seconds of driving, the target should end up on a street that is almost empty and this is where you should make your move. Choose your favorite weapon then drive up next to them and get a clean head-shot at them.

If you miss, then chaos will erupt, and you will need to chase them. If this happens, then the best approach will be the one with the sticky bombs. However, if you pull off the stealthy assassination, it should be easier for you to escape without a wanted level.

The Bus Assassination

When you get to the mission marker, it will be another ringing phone at a phone box that you need to find.

After you get off the phone with Lester, follow the guidelines on the minimap. This will take you to the bus garage where you'll need to steal the bus.

Drive the bus to all of its stops (follow the mini-map guide).

Do not crash into anything or run anyone over!

On your fourth stop, your billionaire target will get on board and berate you for being late.

He will then get off the bus and steal a pedestrian's bike then start to ride off.

The fastest way to assassinate him is to get off the bus and shoot him.

However, if you want the gold level for this mission, then you need to hit him with the bus.

You will get noticed for this one, so get out of there quickly. You're likely to get the police on you, so you will need to lose them before the mission is classed as complete.

If you are playing the story at the same time, you will need to have kidnapped Madrazo's wife. You'll also need to do Devin Weston's movie set job, head to Michael's house as Franklin to find him, and fly the plane into the gun shipment plane as Trevor. The final assassination will then be unlocked.

The Construction Assassination

Stock up on ammunition at Ammu-Nation before heading to the target's location. Sticky bombs and ammunition for your favorite weapon are recommended.

Head to the construction site once you are sure that you have enough ammunition. When you are at the construction site, drive around to the side where the yellow marker is on the mini-map.

Keep driving past that until you see a rear entrance to the construction site.

There will be a guard halfway up the entranceway. Take him out however you want to but do it quickly. Then, there will be another guard outside of the elevator on the side of the building.

You should be able to sneak up behind this guard and do a stealth takedown on him. Run into the lift and hit the button to get it to start.

Get ready, there will be a welcoming party for you when the lift arrives. There will be three guards coming at you from your right. There are plenty of areas to take cover, so use them and you'll be able to take the guards down easily.

Use the red markers on your mini-map to figure out where the guards are if you cannot see them.

Don't use grenades or explosives at this point in the building. Most of the time you will blow yourself up.

Make your way through this construction floor to the rear of the floor. When you are there, the elevator will arrive and there will be two more guards on it.

Take them out and get into the elevator. Hit the button the same as before and the elevator will take you up to the roof. Get ready, you'll need to be fast on the roof.

When you are up there, ignore everything else and run for the helicopter in the center of the roof.

Throw a sticky bomb at the helicopter. Once it is attached (and you are a good distance away), detonate it. This should assassinate the target.

Now you can use any weapon to take down the remaining guards.

At this point, you will need to get off the roof quickly.

Directly ahead of where you entered the roof from the elevator, there will be a parachute on the ground. Walk to this to pick it up.

Head to the edge of the roof and jump off.

When you have jumped off, click your action button to deploy the parachute.

Follow the on-screen prompts on how to control your parachute and you will safely pilot yourself to the ground. You will now have completed all of Lester's Assassinations in GTA 5!