Grand Theft Auto: News & Events

GTA Online: New December DLC

The newest DLC for GTA Online has been released! Titled “The Chop Shop,” this DLC introduces a new business, new missions, new vehicles, a new weapon, as well as a returning fan-favorite character, Yusuf Amir from GTA IV! With all this content, there’s quite a lot to unpack, but I think I can manage.

New Content: Business + Missions

Firstly, I want to talk about the new business and the new missions. A new chop shop has been added to the game that lets you steal cars and either sell them or scrap them for parts. You can complete special missions which are essentially mini-heists, just like with the Autoshop. This new business won’t impact the money-making meta in the game (as that is still Cayo Perico), but it’s still great new content that I’m sure lots of players will love.

One thing that has not boded well with the community is the fact that you can only do each one of the three heists that have been added once every real-world week. Once you’ve done all three heists, all you can do is wait until next Thursday for them to refresh. While many people don’t like this, I personally think it’s good. It encourages players to do other content instead of replaying the missions again and again, which is already a big problem in GTA Online.

New Content: Police Vehicles + A New Weapon

As with all GTA Online DLCs, new vehicles have been added! Most of the cars are pretty much what you’d expect, but there are some cool ones that stand out. There’s a tow truck for example, which you can get as a business upgrade for your chop shop. But there are a couple of other vehicles Rockstar added which I think you’ll be really excited about…

For the first time ever we can now own police vehicles in GTA Online! Players can purchase an undercover cop car, a regular cop car, and a riot van. The community has been really happy with these additions, as many people have wanted cop cars to come to the game for a while. Expect to see these cars often at car meets once everyone gets the chance to buy them.

The new weapon to come to the game is called the Battle Rifle, and it can be purchased from the Gun Van for $497,500. I don’t expect this weapon to impact the meta much, it’s stats aren’t really that different or impressive when compared to some of the AR’s we already have in the game.

GTA Online: New Vinewood Club Garage

In addition to all the awesome stuff we got in the latest DLC, Rockstar has given members of GTA+ (their premium subscription service) access to an exclusive private garage that lets them store up to 100 vehicles! This is an absolutely MASSIVE garage, and it’s the biggest one ever in GTA Online history.

As previously mentioned, you need to have a GTA+ subscription in order to access it, which has some members of the community disappointed that Rockstar is doubling down on exclusive benefits for members of its paid subscription. I think it’s likely that Rockstar will continue to add content like this to it’s subscription service in the future, and that it will likely entice more players to subscribe.

GTA Online: New Drift Racing Game Mode + Drift Mods

Car fans in GTA Online will be excited to hear that there is now a brand-new racing mode added to the game! These are called Drift Races, and they are exactly what they sound like. They allow players to take custom vehicles that use drifting mods onto the race track, letting you compete with other players to become the DK (that’s Drift King, not Donkey Kong).

Yes, you hear me right: drifting mods! Players can now take their vehicles into the LS Car meet in order to deck out their rides with the hottest new mods. These allow you to properly turn your car into a drift vehicle, letting you really tear up the track as you turn around corners. I really love these mods, and I think it’s going to make a lot of people in the GTA Online car community very happy. Drifting has been in the game for a long time now, but now it feels a lot more official.

GTA Online: Animals Added to Current Generation Consoles

In a surprise twist, Rockstar has FINALLY added wild animals into the online sandbox of GTA Online. This exclusive feature has only come to the current generation of consoles, however, not the PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game. I hope that they will at least add it to the PC version of the game, but Rockstar has yet to even add the new content from the Expanded & Enhanced version of the game to PC, so this is unlikely, at least for the near future.

I feel that this will have little impact on the game as a whole. There was no new content added to supplement this addition (such as hunting missions), so it’s really just a cosmetic change more or less. It’s possible Rockstar may do more with animals in the future, but we’ll have to wait and see.

GTA VI: Trailer Released

After many years of waiting, the GTA VI trailer has finally been released! In the trailer, we got a great look at Vice City, showcasing not only the incredible new graphics but just how massive the city appears to be, with skyscrapers stretching far back into the fog. We also got a look at the surrounding swamplands and the Everglades. I think they both look absolutely stunning!

But more interestingly, we finally got our first official look at our two main protagonists, Lucia and Jason. As already established by past leaks, these two are in a relationship and the story is inspired by Bonnie and Clyde. The trailer allowed us to get more interesting details surrounding these two.

For example, the song played in the trailer–Love is a Long Road by Tom Petty–is all about relationships and the difficulties and struggles that come with maintaining them. This–combined with Lucia telling Jason that they need to trust each other–suggests that there may be some issues between the two of them and that the events of the story will put their relationship to the test.

What’s Coming in The Future for GTA?

With a series as massive as Grand Theft Auto, you’d be a fool to think Rockstar doesn’t have even more plans for their biggest IP in the future. For our next section, we’ll be listing everything that you need to be in the know about. Make sure to check back here often for regular updates!

Future GTA Online Updates

Currently, we have no word on whether or not GTA Online will be receiving another big DLC. But considering the fact that we won’t be getting a new GTA game until 2025, I think it’s likely that Rockstar will continue to release new DLC-sized updates in 2024. When we get word on what exactly we can expect from these new updates, you’ll be the first to hear about it!

GTA VI Coming in 2025

As stated in the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer, we won’t be getting the game until at least 2025, possibly later if the game gets delayed. There are rumors the game could be released in April of 2025, but this has not yet been confirmed. Regardless, 2025 is still a long ways away and we’ve got a lot of waiting to do before it arrives.

Additionally, only the PS5 and Xbox Series S|X versions of the game will be released. A PC port is yet to be announced, and we’ll likely be waiting even longer for that, possibly 2026 or even 2027. It’s a shame that Rockstar is doing this, but it isn’t really surprising. This is a process known as “double-dipping” where they are encouraging the players to buy the game once on consoles, and then get it again on PC when it releases years later.