Rockstar Games has revealed that GTA Online is set to receive significant new updates, ranging from quality of life improvements to entirely new content. Many will likely be excited at the news, as the nearly decade-old game continues to be played all over the world.GTA Online saw a major content addition fairly recently with the release of the Dr Dre collab The Contract DLC. In addition to introducing the player to new Dr Dre music, the release showcased the return of GTA 5 protagonist Franklin, and detailed some of what's transpired between the end of GTA 5 and the current day in GTA Online.RELATED: GTA Online Clip Shows NPC Deliberately Crashing Into The Player's CarFollowing the GTA Online Heists Challenge, Rockstar Games released an official news bulletin detailing some of its plans for the very near future. According to the post, many quality of life improvements are being added to the game, which includes several changes that have been requested by fans, according to Rockstar. This includes the ability to only show certain contacts on one's phone, being able to launch any kind of business sell missions in all session types via a Terrorbyte, and several sell missions will see boosted payouts, while Shark Cards will provide more GTA$ for the same cost as before. The PS5 and Xbox Series X will also gain ray-traced reflections.

However, the most exciting news follows these smaller updates. Rockstar notes that the next GTA Online update will arrive on all systems later in December. While the company is remaining somewhat tight-lipped about exactly what it will entail, the post teases that it's the "first installment of a massive multi-part update" that will cover Blaine County and Southern San Andreas, featuring some "familiar faces" and some new ones, as well. In addition, the game will see new vehicles, events, and Contact Missions. The full list of updates announced thus far follows:

General Improvements

  • Players can select which Contacts to display or hide via the Interaction Menu.
  • The Benefactor Terrorbyte can be used to launch Business Sell Missions in all Session types.
  • Agatha’s Casino Story Missions can be completed solo.
  • PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are getting ray-traced reflections in Fidelity Mode.

Vehicle Updates

  • New vehicle purchases will arrive in garages more quickly.
  • Select Custom Weaponized Vehicles can now be used in Races.
  • Bicycles can be retrieved via the Mechanic.
  • PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S players can access to Hao’s Special Works without completing Hao’s introductory race.

Economy Updates

  • Vehicle Cargo Sell Missions will receive a High Demand Bonus when run in public sessions, and Smuggler's Sell Missions will have tripled payouts.
  • Effective immediately, all Shark Card denominations have been boosted by 20–25% when purchased in GTA Online or via platform stores.

Fans of GTA 5 and GTA Online will have to wait and see who these familiar faces are that are returning. Prior rumors have indicated that GTA 5's Michael could potentially return in GTA Online, though nothing concrete has been stated by Rockstar itself. Although GTA 6 is already in development, it seems like GTA Online still has plans to remain active and exciting for its players for quite some time. Given that GTA games have referenced characters and stories from prior games, it's possible that GTA Online may also be used to help lay the groundwork for the sequel. Players will want to stay tuned for the announcement of the update's release.

GTA Online is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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