top of page
Search

How To Start The Michael Mission In GTA Online: Complete Guide to “Home Sweet Home” in the Safehouse in the Hills Update

  • Writer: Iqbal Sandira
    Iqbal Sandira
  • Dec 10
  • 5 min read
ree

The Safehouse in the Hills update finally brings one of GTA 5’s most iconic characters back into the spotlight. Michael De Santa has officially returned to Los Santos in GTA Online, and Rockstar didn’t make it a simple phone call or cutscene cameo. To reunite with Michael and play his new mission, players must meet several requirements, spend serious in-game money, and complete a full chain of setup missions.


This guide explains How To Start The Michael Mission In GTA Online step by step, without assumptions or fluff. If you follow this correctly, you’ll unlock the mission Home Sweet Home, fight alongside Michael himself, and earn a $500,000 payout on your first completion.


Overview: What Is the Michael Mission in GTA Online?

  • Mission name: Home Sweet Home

  • Character involved: Michael De Santa

  • Update required: A Safehouse in the Hills

  • Reward: GTA$500,000 (first completion only)

  • Replayable: Yes (but no repeat bonus)

Michael’s mission is not available to everyone by default. Rockstar intentionally gated it behind luxury property ownership and a mini-heist arc involving Avi Schwartzman and the autonomous KnoWay taxi network.


If you’re asking How To Start The Michael Mission In GTA Online, understand this clearly:

👉 You cannot shortcut this process.👉 You cannot start it without owning a mansion.👉 You must complete all KnoWay Out missions first.


Step 1: Buy a Mansion (Mandatory Requirement)

The biggest barrier to starting the Michael mission is property ownership. You must own one of the Prix Luxury Real Estate mansions introduced in the Safehouse in the Hills update.

Available Mansions

You can purchase any one of the following:

  • The Tongva Estate

  • The Vinewood Residence

  • Richman Villa

Cost

  • Each mansion costs $9.5M – $11M+ GTA dollars

  • Discounts may apply if you completed earlier New Listings missions, but it’s still extremely expensive


Why This Matters

  • Michael and Amanda De Santa are now your neighbors

  • Your mansion is the physical location where the Michael mission takes place

  • Without owning a mansion, Home Sweet Home will never trigger

After buying the mansion, visit it once to trigger a short cutscene introducing Michael and Amanda. This confirms your eligibility for later steps.


Step 2: Locate Avi Schwartzman (The “A” Icon)

Once you load into GTA Online after the update, open your map.

Look for a new “A” icon:

  • This icon represents Avi Schwartzman

  • Avi returns from earlier Heists content

  • He is the mission handler for the KnoWay Out operation

When you reach the marker:

  • A payphone will be ringing

  • Interact with it to speak with Avi

  • This starts the KnoWay Out mission chain


Step 3: Complete All 5 KnoWay Out Missions

This is the longest part of unlocking Michael. You must complete all five KnoWay Out missions. They function like a mini-heist with setup stages.


Required Missions (In Order)

  1. Negative Press

  2. Inside Job

  3. Trash Talking

  4. Tunnel Vision

  5. A Clean Break


How It Works

  • After finishing each mission, a new “A” icon appears elsewhere on the map

  • You must travel to it and answer the payphone again

  • There is no skipping or stacking missions


Key Notes

  • You can complete these missions before buying a mansion

  • But Michael’s mission will not unlock until you own one

  • Each mission pays decent cash, helping offset the mansion cost

Narratively, these missions involve dismantling a fleet of autonomous KnoWay taxis that are secretly building a surveillance grid across Los Santos.


Step 4: Wait for Avi’s Call (Yes, RNG Is Involved)

After completing A Clean Break, you are technically eligible—but the mission does not start immediately.

Here’s the frustrating but important part of How To Start The Michael Mission In GTA Online:

  • Avi must call you on your in-game phone

  • The wait time is random

  • It can take:

    • 5 minutes

    • 30 minutes

    • Over an hour

What You Should Do

  • Stay in free roam

  • Drive around Los Santos

  • Avoid switching sessions excessively

  • Make sure you are not in another job

Eventually, Avi will call and send you a Job Invite.


Step 5: Accept the Mission “Home Sweet Home”

Once Avi calls:

  • Accept the Job Invite

  • The mission Home Sweet Home begins

At first, you’ll be directed toward a van. Halfway there, everything goes wrong.


Mission Trigger Event

  • Avi warns you that KnoWay mercenaries have breached your mansion

  • Your AI assistant confirms intruders are inside

  • You must return to your mansion immediately

This is where Michael enters the picture.


Step 6: Play the Michael Mission (Home Sweet Home)

What Happens in the Mission

  • A massive shootout erupts inside your luxury mansion

  • Michael De Santa joins you in combat

  • You fight room-to-room clearing mercenaries

  • At one point, you even get to use Michael’s slow-time Special Ability

Michael is not just a passive NPC. He actively fights, comments on the chaos, and reacts to the destruction of his former lifestyle mirrored in your new mansion.


Narrative Notes

  • Michael asks you to keep his involvement secret from Amanda

  • The mission strongly hints at future GTA Online DLC involving Michael

  • This is one of the most story-driven missions GTA Online has received in years


Rewards for Completing the Mission

First Completion

  • $500,000 GTA dollars

  • One-time payout only

Replay Value

  • You can replay the mission

  • You will not receive the $500,000 again

  • Replay is mainly for fun, story, and combat experience


Common Mistakes That Prevent the Mission from Starting

If you’re stuck and wondering why the mission won’t trigger, check these:

  • ❌ You don’t own a mansion

  • ❌ You haven’t completed all five KnoWay Out missions

  • ❌ You’re ignoring Avi’s payphone icons

  • ❌ You’re session-hopping too aggressively

  • ❌ You’re waiting inside interiors instead of free roam

The mission will not auto-start. Avi’s call is mandatory.


Is the Michael Mission Worth It?

From a pure cost-benefit perspective:

  • The mansion costs far more than the $500,000 reward

  • This mission is not a money-making strategy

However, from a content perspective:

  • Michael’s return is one of the biggest GTA Online narrative moments since The Contract

  • The mission adds depth, nostalgia, and future story hooks

  • It confirms Rockstar is still investing heavily in GTA Online’s legacy characters

If you care about story, characters, and GTA lore, Home Sweet Home is absolutely worth doing.


Final Summary: How To Start The Michael Mission In GTA Online

To unlock Michael De Santa’s mission, you must:

  1. Buy a Prix Luxury Real Estate mansion

  2. Find Avi Schwartzman (A icon)

  3. Complete all five KnoWay Out missions

  4. Wait for Avi’s phone call

  5. Accept the mission Home Sweet Home

  6. Defend your mansion and fight alongside Michael

  7. Collect $500,000 and story teasers for future DLC

That’s the complete, no-nonsense answer to How To Start The Michael Mission In GTA Online.


Comments

bottom of page