GTA Online Acid Lab: How to Get It, Upgrade It and Make It Pay Solo
You get the Acid Lab by finishing the six First Dose missions for Dax, then paying Mutt 750,000 GTA$ to install it in the Brickade 6x6. With the Equipment Upgrade (250,000 GTA$, after 10 Fooligan Jobs), a full stock of 160 units sells for 335,200 GTA$ and fills in about 4 hours of play. It is one of the best businesses for a new solo player, because it needs no CEO or MC status and it never gets raided.
How do you get the Acid Lab?
- Start the First Dose series. You play it for Dax, at the Freakshop. Six missions in a row, all doable solo.
- Collect the Brickade 6x6. It is given to you for free at the end of the series. This truck is where the lab lives.
- Pay Mutt for the installation. 750,000 GTA$ according to GTA Boss and Timesaver. The installation was free for GTA+ members at one point: check the price shown on your screen.
The GTA Wiki also mentions a direct purchase from Warstock Cache & Carry for 1,450,000 GTA$, skipping the missions. That is nearly double: if you have time to play First Dose, the mission route is cheaper.
Should you buy the Equipment Upgrade?
Yes, it is the most profitable purchase for the lab. It costs 250,000 GTA$ and unlocks after 10 Fooligan Jobs for Dax. Here is what it changes according to GTA Boss:
| Without upgrade | With upgrade | |
|---|---|---|
| Time per unit | about 2 min 15 s | 1 min 30 s |
| Full stock (160 units) | about 6 hr | about 4 hr |
| Value per unit | 1,485 GTA$ | 2,095 GTA$ |
| Full sale | 237,600 GTA$ | 335,200 GTA$ |
| With renamed product (+5%) | about 249,500 GTA$ | about 351,840 GTA$ |
The upgrade adds almost 100,000 GTA$ per full sale. It pays for itself in fewer than three sales.
Also rename your product at the lab's table: +5% on every sale, according to GTA Boss and Timesaver. Once a day, the same table lets you start a production boost that temporarily speeds up manufacturing.
Supply missions or buying supplies?
This is the most asked question about the lab. It all depends on your play time.
- Buy: according to the GTA Wiki, a full refill costs 60,000 GTA$ (12,000 per fifth of the bar) and arrives in 10 real minutes. You lose no play time.
- Steal: Fooligan Jobs resupply for free. You need at least 10 of them to unlock the upgrade.
Our advice: do the 10 Fooligan Jobs first, since they are required for the upgrade. After that, if you play less than an hour a night, buy supplies: time spent stealing them pays less than another activity.
How much does the Acid Lab really make per hour?
Published figures range from 64,000 to over 100,000 GTA$ per hour. The difference comes from how you count.
- Timesaver divides the full sale by production time: 335,200 GTA$ over about 4 hours, a little over 80,000 GTA$ per hour, and "over 100,000" when rounding up with the boost and the renamed product.
- Crimenet Gazette first removes the supplies you bought: 351,840 minus about 96,000, so about 255,840 GTA$ of profit, or about 64,000 GTA$ per hour, and about 85,000 with the daily boost (about 3 hours instead of 4).
Our reading: expect between 60,000 and 85,000 GTA$ of profit per hour of play, on top of whatever you earn alongside it. And that is the whole point: the lab produces while you do something else. Your active time is limited to resupplying and selling, about twenty minutes per cycle.
Keep in mind: production stops when you leave GTA Online. The lab only earns in proportion to your play time.
How long does the Acid Lab take to pay for itself?
Here is the math with the figures above, using the most cautious assumption on supplies.
| Item | Amount | Assumption |
|---|---|---|
| Installation by Mutt | 750,000 GTA$ | GTA Boss and Timesaver price |
| Equipment Upgrade | 250,000 GTA$ | after 10 Fooligan Jobs |
| Profit per full sale | about 160,000 to 256,000 GTA$ | 351,840 minus 96,000 or 192,000 in supplies depending on the source |
| Sales needed to earn back 1,000,000 | 4 to 7 | supplies bought, no boost |
| Matching play time | about 16 to 28 hours | 4 hours of production per full stock |
If you steal some of the supplies with Fooligan Jobs and use the daily boost, you break even faster. More importantly, those hours are not wasted: while the lab produces, you do your other activities. The lab does not replace a heist, it adds to everything you already do.
Compare that with the Agency or the Kosatka, which cost over 2 million each according to GTA Boss but pay out in big one-off sums. On a tight budget, the Acid Lab is the first purchase that works for you.
How does a solo sale work?
Solo, the delivery always uses a single bike (a Manchez Scout C), whatever the quantity, according to GTA Boss. That is a clear advantage over other businesses that need several vehicles. Scenarios vary: street dealing, drop-offs, or a police sting. You have about 20 minutes.
Since the Criminal Enterprises update in 2022, Rockstar allows sales in invite-only sessions. Alone, that is the safest option: nobody will come and destroy your bike. See our tip selling in an invite-only session.
Acid Lab or Nightclub first?
| Criterion | Acid Lab | Nightclub |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | 1,000,000 GTA$ with the upgrade | several million, plus the businesses that feed it |
| Status required | none | CEO or MC President to feed it |
| Raids | none | depends on the linked businesses |
| Per-hour earnings | 60,000 to 85,000 GTA$ (see above) | about 27,500 GTA$ according to GTA Boss |
For a new solo player, the Acid Lab comes first. The Nightclub gets interesting once you already own several businesses. Our guide what to buy first lays out the full order.
Which Acid Lab mistakes should you avoid?
- Leaving the lab without supplies. No supplies, no production during your session.
- Skipping the upgrade. Without it, each sale pays about 100,000 GTA$ less.
- Forgetting to rename the product. A free 5% on every sale.
- Starting a sale without 20 minutes to spare. An interrupted delivery means part of your stock is lost.
The Acid Lab fits into a wider routine: see making money solo and what to do with 30, 60 or 120 minutes. For a plan built around your account, 1v1 coaching starts from what you already own.
FAQ
How do you get the Acid Lab in GTA Online?
Finish the six First Dose missions for Dax at the Freakshop. You get the Brickade 6x6, then Mutt installs the lab inside it for 750,000 GTA$, according to GTA Boss and Timesaver.
Is the Acid Lab free?
The Brickade 6x6 is given to you at the end of First Dose, but installing the lab costs 750,000 GTA$. It was free for GTA+ members at one point: check the price shown in your game.
Should I do supply missions or buy supplies?
If your play time is short, buy: a full refill costs 60,000 GTA$ and arrives in 10 minutes according to the GTA Wiki. If you have time and little money, Fooligan Jobs resupply for free and unlock the upgrade.
How much does a full Acid Lab sale pay?
335,200 GTA$ with the Equipment Upgrade and 237,600 without it, according to GTA Boss. Renaming your product adds 5%, or about 351,840 GTA$.
Did the July 2026 update nerf the Acid Lab?
Not according to the published notes: Title Update 1.73 names Cayo Perico and heists, not the Acid Lab. Sources checked in September 2026 still give the same amounts.
Sources
- GTA Boss: Acid Lab business page (prices, production, selling) (2026)
- Timesaver: is the Acid Lab worth it in 2026? (September 12, 2026)
- Crimenet Gazette: payout of a full Acid Lab sale (September 1, 2026)
- GTA Wiki (gta.wiki): Acid Lab (accessed September 23, 2026)
- GTABase: Title Update 1.73 patch notes (July 19, 2026)
- Sportskeeda: Criminal Enterprises, business activities in private sessions (July 2022)
Guide prepared with the help of AI tools from the sources cited, then reviewed by the WantedWise team. Independent site, not affiliated with Rockstar Games.
