Kosatka guided missiles in GTA Online are remotely piloted weapons launched from the submarine's optional Guided Missiles station. To use them, own a Kosatka, buy the Guided Missiles upgrade, keep the submarine surfaced, sit at one of its two missile consoles, and fly the missile toward your target. These are manually steered cruise missiles—not the homing rockets fired through the periscope and not a weapon you can take into the Cayo Perico finale.
The distinction matters. The original submarine is a heist headquarters; its guided-missile system is mostly a free-roam tool for striking exposed surface targets. Here's how to buy it, operate it, and avoid wasting shots or GTA$.
Visit The Music Locker, the nightclub beneath The Diamond Casino & Resort, and meet Miguel Madrazo to begin the Cayo Perico introduction. Then open the in-game internet and find the Kosatka on Warstock Cache & Carry. The submarine's standard list price is GTA$2,200,000 before optional equipment and any active promotions.
Once purchased, request your Kosatka through the Interaction Menu → Services → Kosatka. The submarine appears offshore. Reach it by boat, use the available dinghy service, or travel in one of your other vehicles. Enter the submarine and locate its main command area.
In the Warstock Kosatka purchase or renovation options, select Guided Missiles. The established non-discounted price is GTA$1,900,000, making the usual minimum outlay for a Kosatka equipped with guided missiles GTA$4,100,000. If you already own the base submarine, you only need the upgrade; use Warstock's renovation option rather than buying another sub.
| Purchase | Standard GTA$ price | Do you need it to fire Kosatka guided missiles? |
|---|---|---|
| Base Kosatka | 2,200,000 | Yes |
| Guided Missiles | 1,900,000 | Yes |
| Sparrow helicopter | 1,815,000 | No; helps with transportation and heist prep |
| Sonar Station | 1,200,000 | No; used for underwater detection and caches |
| Weapon Workshop | 350,000 | No; used for personal weapon customization |
Price note: These are established base prices, not a claim about a temporary event-week sale. Check the in-game Warstock listing before paying. There is no Kosatka "Missile Lock-On Jammer" or "Remote-Controlled Submarine" upgrade that improves guided-missile accuracy; those claims should not be confused with other vehicles' equipment.
With the Kosatka at the surface, go to the command area and look for the two Guided Missile Systems seats near the sonar equipment. They are not the periscope. Approach an available chair and follow the on-screen interaction prompt to take control of the launcher. If the submarine is underwater, surface it first: guided missiles cannot be launched while submerged.
Choose a direction with open sky and enough room above the water. You do not need to line up a red lock-on reticle, and the Cayo Perico planning table is not the launcher. The screen prompt will show the action to launch on your platform.
Fire from the missile console. The camera switches to the missile's forward view, and you can pilot its flight path with your regular steering controls. On PC, use the displayed mouse or control prompts; on PlayStation and Xbox, use the controller prompts shown in the missile view. Bindings can differ depending on settings, so it is more reliable to follow the in-game display than a table of universal keys.
Turn early, not at the last second. The missile has a relatively wide turning arc, so trying to whip around a moving helicopter at close range is less effective than intercepting where it is going. Direct contact with a target triggers the explosion. Ending missile control also destroys the projectile, so avoid leaving the camera until you intend to stop the run.
| Mechanic | What to expect | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | Manual, camera-guided flight | No automatic target tracking |
| Distance | Approximately 4 km (2.5 miles) from the submarine | Launch from a useful position near your intended area |
| Reload | About 60 seconds per station after the previous missile ends | The two seats have separate cooldowns |
| Submarine depth | Launch only while surfaced | Do not remain submerged expecting the launcher to work |
| Water contact | Missile explodes when it touches water | Poor choice against underwater targets |
| Ammo supply | No stock of 20 missiles to refill at the Weapon Workshop | Wait for the station cooldown; do not buy imaginary refills |
The approximate distance and cooldown figures describe the weapon's observed mechanics and may be adjusted by future updates. The missile can also be intercepted, and armored targets may survive a hit. Because the two missile stations operate independently, moving to the other chair can sometimes let you launch again sooner, though changing seats still takes time.
Guided Missiles are optional for Cayo Perico. They can be entertaining in free roam and sometimes useful around open-world activities, but they do not let you bombard El Rubio's compound during the finale or skip the heist's required preparation steps. The base Kosatka provides the planning room required for the heist.
For a new player focused on repeated Cayo Perico preparation missions, the Sparrow often deserves priority over the GTA$1.9 million guided-missile upgrade because it speeds up travel between objectives. The Sparrow's own weapon upgrade is a separate system; owning Sparrow rockets does not unlock the submarine missile seats, and vice versa.
Rockstar's official Cayo Perico Heist page explains the heist's starting sequence. Its Kosatka release notes identify Guided Missiles, Sonar, and the Weapon Workshop as distinct submarine customization options.
No. The Kosatka's periscope or helm weapon is a separate anti-aircraft missile system. The optional Guided Missiles equipment gives you a first-person, manually controlled missile launched from a dedicated chair.
No. The guided-missile seats have a cooldown; there is no 20-round inventory or GTA$10,000 reload purchase for this system.
No. Surface first, fire, and then use the submarine's other defenses or reposition when appropriate. For a reliable first shot, prioritize an open-water launch position, a nearby surface target, and smooth steering rather than chasing every aircraft on the map.
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