GTA Online typically updates every week on a Thursday at roughly 10am BST. On very rare occasions this isn’t the case, but normally only when major updates or expansions are released.
However, today is an exception, as the game has now deployed the annual Winter update, and we’re going to run over all the features that have been added.
Here’s what we know.
GTA Online Winter Update 2023: The Chop Shop – All Features Added
The brand new Winter update is here for the end of the year, and players will be able to check out The Chop Shop update from now, December 12, up until the New Year.
So, with the holiday season here, players have around 2-3 weeks to check out all the new content.
Speaking of content, here’s what Rockstar has had to say regarding the new update.
Stealing Season Is Coming Soon
This Winter’s GTA Online update heads straight into the heart of the Los Santos street crime landscape: stealing, stripping, and selling the most in-demand vehicles. Take on these new action-packed robberies on behalf of a familiar face who has ventured west — illustrious Liberty City real estate developer Yusuf Amir.
Yusuf still lusts after the finer things in life — chief among them adding to his collection of luxury import vehicles by any means necessary. With the help of his cousin Jamal, you’ll be charged with planning and executing intricate, high-stakes robberies under the cover of Red’s Auto Parts, a new purchasable salvage yard where you’ll call the shots. Sell the best of the best to Yusuf or salvage your boosted vehicles for parts — the choice, and the cash, is yours.
Drift Races
Racing fans get a slick new way to win with GTA Online’s new drifting modification for select vehicles and Drift Races Series. Drivers can test their skills at getting sideways in a series of new circuits, while a visit to the LS Car Meet will offer select vehicles the option of adding a drift tuning modification that brings the joys of drifting to Freemode.
Additional Features and Improvements
As we continue to take further advantage of the latest PS5 and Xbox Series console hardware, December’s update will add exciting new features for players on these newer systems including:
- Wildlife comes to Freemode: animals now rove the Southern San Andreas landscape across GTA Online on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles
- GTA+ Members will get access to The Vinewood Club Garage, a new vehicle storage facility with the capacity to hold 100 vehicles
- PS5 and Xbox Series players will be able to organize and manage vehicle collections more conveniently via the Interaction Menu, moving them between garages with ease
Plus, players across all platforms will receive a host of new experience improvements, including:
- A newly streamlined Interaction menu for easier navigation
- Increased LS Car Meet Reputation points for competing in Pursuit and Street Races
- New Specification Service at the LS Car Meet, allowing drivers to now purchase copies of another player’s Personal Vehicle on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC
- Custom description tags for each floor of the Eclipse Blvd. Garage
- Console voice chat now defaults to “Off”
- A small birthday gift for all players on their character’s birthday
The Salvage Yard
Behind the peeling facade of Red’s Auto Parts lies the untapped potential of a sophisticated robbery operation. Combined with your skills and Yusuf’s eye for exotic automobiles, the new Salvage Yard business serves as the perfect front. It’s low-key enough not to attract suspicion from the authorities, yet equipped with everything you’ll need to pull off breathtaking robberies of the most in-demand vehicles across Southern San Andreas.
Answer the call from Yusuf to get started. Owning the Salvage Yard cuts you in on Yusuf and his cousin Jamal’s plans for robberies, accessible from your Salvage Yard’s Planning Wall. Each one features a special target that requires thorough planning prior to successfully boosting it.
Once a vehicle is acquired, put your chop shop’s lifts to good use and break down the vehicles to be salvaged for valuable parts over time. Instant gratification is also always an option: sell off stolen vehicles for a lump sum by safely dropping them off at the docks to be shipped in a cargo container to Yusuf. Try not to scratch the paint job or wheel-wells on your way there.
There are five Salvage Yard properties to choose from, whether you’re operating remotely from Paleto Bay or getting valuable, central real estate in Strawberry. The Salvage Yard also features optional upgrades including Trade Rates, which extend your chop shop connections to a special discount when requesting destroyed vehicles from Mors Mutual or repairing vehicles in any custom shop. Upgrade the yard with a Tow Truck, allowing you to tow designated delinquent vehicles back to the Salvage Yard for another source of auto parts.
Bold New Robberies
Stealing this caliber of car in Los Santos will be no simple feat. Jamal’s operation involves robberies and a weekly rotation of target vehicles that Yusuf is fixing his sights on for his collection. Each robbery entails scoping out some initial intel, completing Preps and new Freemode Tasks, and culminates in a high-speed Finale.
While you’ll be able to recognize the target vehicle by its flashy customized license plate, these robbery plans will require a wide range of techniques and skills, disguises and undercover work, hacking and disabling countermeasures, as well as reliable driving abilities and split-second decision-making in the heat of the chase.
Salvage Yard Robberies — in addition to all the new activities in GTA Online: The Chop Shop — also come with their own slate of Daily Challenges, Pause Menu Awards, and Career Progress challenges for players on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, which can be found in the Career tab of the Pause Menu.
Introducing The Vinewood Club Garage
This update also brings exciting news for GTA+ Members on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, as The Vinewood Club’s latest premium offering is access to the expansive interior of their Club Garage: a spacious new location with additional room to store and display up to 100 Personal Vehicles.
This exceptional new perk joins The Vinewood Car Club curated vehicle showroom, where you can browse, test drive, and purchase from their vehicle selection. Visit The Vinewood Club’s convenient new Club Garage location in Pillbox Hill to scope out The Vinewood Club Garage for yourself and either move some of your current vehicles into a luxurious new home, or acquire some of today’s new rides for your collection and showcase them at this exquisite spot.
GTA+ Members can also get the new Declasse Impaler LX (Muscle) — available for free on The Vinewood Car Club’s podium or through the Southern San Andreas Super Autos in-game site — along with many more Membership benefits. Visit the GTA+ website for full details and to sign up.
New Drift Races and Handling Kits
Lean into those hairpin turns and over-rotate your tires in pursuit of the perfect amount of angle in Drift Races, utilizing specialized drift tuning kits for the new Fathom FR36 (Coupe) along with seven previously released vehicles.
Rather than just the usual race to the finish, this mode awards crucial Drift Points based on a combination of criteria, including bonuses for Precision Drift and your final racing position. String together a series of shorter swerving turns to build a multi-chain mega drift or push the limits to try and reach the ultimate status of Drift God.
Watch out for obstacles though, as love-tapping a lamppost could cost you your current multiplier. Whoever finishes with the most Drift Points wins. Drift Races are available to all LS Car Meet members, and take place across seven classic Los Santos destinations, including Legion Square, Vespucci Beach, the Vinewood Hills, Mirror Park, and more.
Call of the Wild: Animals in GTA Online
Los Santos has gone wild: Players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S should be on the lookout for animals roaming the land, sky, and seas around Los Santos.
New Battle Rifle Available
Is that the merry jangle of the Gun Van rolling into town? Rock up and check out the new Battle Rifle, the latest in precision shooting, fresh off the forge and into your arsenal. Also available at the Armory inside your Agency.
