Rockstar and Grand Theft Auto Online sure like to celebrate. Over the past year, Rockstar's released no less than three holiday-themed DLC packs for Grand Theft Auto 5's multiplayer mode. Last winter's Holiday Gifts blanketed Los Santos in a Christmas snowfall. The Valentine's Day Massacre Special celebrated true love (and one of the bloodiest events in American mob history) with a slew of classic gangster weapons and apparel. Most recently, The Independence Day Special gave players a musket, fireworks, and some of the most patriotic redneck-chic apparel imaginable.
Well, it's the holidays again, and this time Rockstar's truly getting into the spirit of the season. Yes, that means gamers get stuff. So, so much stuff. Grand Theft Auto Online's Festive Surprise rolls out today as part of GTA V Title Update 1.19 (1.05 for the PS4 and Xbox One versions), and includes a ton of new vehicles, weapons, clothing options, and even a few bug fixes.
The biggest change to Grand Theft Auto Online is the ability for players to own a third property, letting them store more cars and bikes. Rockstar's also adding 30 new tattoos, and there'll be two new weapons for sale at Ammu-Nation: a "homing launcher" and proximity mines. Most of the bug fixes look like they're exclusive to the current-gen versions of Grand Theft Auto 5, fixing minor animation errors, hovering cars, and some map glitches.
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The holiday-specific content is a lot more fun. Rockstar promises that snow will return to San Andreas "on a few special days this holiday season." Even better, the unusual weather also means that gamers can participate in competitive, online snowball fights. Four holiday-themed vehicles - the Hot Rod Christmas Ratloader, the Slam Van, and new Massacro and Jester sports cars - are new permanent additions to Grand Theft Auto Online's fleet of automobiles.
Unfortunately, some of the best new content disappears after the holiday season. From now until January 5th, players will have pajamas, ugly Christmas sweaters, and more added directly to their wardrobes, free of charge. This includes a gingerbread-man mask, which is somehow incredibly adorable and deeply unsettling at the same time. Players who log in on December 25th will receive in-game gifts, while anyone who plays on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, or New Year's Day also gets some fireworks to play with.
That's a lot of content, and there's so much going on around this time of year - including, but not limited to, other gaming-related holiday celebrations - it'll be the rare player who gets the time to enjoy all of Grand Theft Auto Online's new goodies.
Advice? Skip the family parties. After all, this is Grand Theft Auto.
Source: Rockstar Games