May 13, 2022

One of GTA Online’s first major updates came with the Bikers DLC in 2016 which allowed players to run their own Motorcycle Club. Once you’re the MC Clubhouse president you’ll also have access to ‘The Open Road’ online network, which acts as a sort of dark web set up by Lester Crest.

From here you can purchase and operate several illicit businesses which are scattered across San Andreas in Blaine County and Los Santos, including the option to start a Methamphetamine Lab.

These businesses might not be as lucrative as some of the game’s more recent heists, but they do provide a good source of passive income, so are well worth the time and money you’ll invest. Read on, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to set up your Meth lab in GTA Online, including the best location to pick, the upgrades to buy and the max payout you can earn.

How To Setup A Meth Lab Business

Each business requires an initial set-up mission specific to the type of business purchased and for your Meth Lab, you’ll need to drive to a location, grab a Pounder truck loaded with supplies and drive it back to the Lab.

Once you’ve completed this mission you’ll be able to start managing the business.

Do note that you can’t start properly turning a profit if you run out of supplies, as business production will stop. You’ll need to either buy more supplies for $15,000 per unit (up to a max of $75,000) or earn them at no cost via missions that allow you to steal supplies from another organization.

GTA Online Meth Lab Best Location

First off, here are the locations and prices of the various Meth Labs in GTA Online:

• Grand Senora Desert ($910,000)
• Paleto Bay ($1,024,800)
• Terminal ($1,365,000)
• El Burro Heights ($1,729,000)

Now, which one is best? Generally speaking, it doesn’t matter as no Meth Lab is ‘better’ than any other. The price of the Meth Lab business doesn’t affect your productivity or profitability, it’s simply the location of where it is based.

That being said, we think there’s a great benefit to being located centrally on the map as you’ll have shorter distances to cover when doing sale and supply runs.

We think Grand Senora Desert is the best Meth Lab location in GTA Online. It also happens to be the cheapest, meaning you can put some more cash towards those upgrades. We’ve marked its location on the map just below, along with the three other Meth Lab locations.

GTA Online Meth Lab Upgrades

Go to the laptop in your Meth Lab and you’ll be able to purchase upgrades, these can sometimes be quite costly, but they’ll vastly improve your productivity and profitability. The three upgrades you can purchase are listed below, along with their upgrade prices.

As you can see, the amount of money you can make and the time it takes to make your profit will vastly improve with the purchase of the Staff and Equipment upgrades. The security upgrades are helpful, but they will not improve your profit margins or productivity.

GTA Online Meth Lab Max Payout

Obviously, the max payout for the Meth Lab will depend greatly on a few different variables. For instance, do you have any upgrades and if so, which? Are you selling close to the Meth Lab or far away? Finally, are you buying your supplies, or are you stealing them?

The optimal way to make the max payout will be to have both upgrades, selling far away and stealing your supplies. Below you’ll find a table to help you work out the best max payout

Is The Meth Lab Worth It In GTA Online

The Meth Lab is the second best business you can run – behind the Cocaine Lockup – as a Motorcycle Club President, because it offers the second-highest max payout. It is absolutely worth it.

Assuming players opt for the Grand Senora Desert location and buy both upgrades, you’re looking at a total setup cost of $2,341,500, but you should make your money back within 39 hours. From then on, it’s pure profit.

We would strongly advise starting a meth lab business in GTA Online, arguably at the expense of the Weed Farm, Document Forgery Office or Counterfeit Cash Factory, which don’t really offer enough payout to warrant how much work you need to put in.

GTA Online Meth Lab Not Producing?

As per Rockstar Support, here’s some help to get your Meth Lab producing product again if it stops working.