GTA 5 Online Releases Huge Update Alongside Patch Notes

Rockstar Games has released the new GTA Online Los Santos Drug Wars update, one of the biggest updates to the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X game this year. And as you would expect, Rockstar Games via Rockstar Support has provided the official patch notes for the update which reveal and detail everything said update does.

While Rockstar Games has provided the patch notes for the update, it has not provided any information about the various file sizes, which means we don’t have any information about how long the update may take to download. That said, there’s a ton of new content, features, and improvements so expect a longer download than normal.

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Below, you can check out the aforementioned patch notes for yourself:

New Content in Grand Theft Auto Online

The Los Santos Drug Wars update adds new Story Missions, Freemode missions, a new business for players to manage as well as a range of experience improvements — including visual, economy, and creator updates.
The Freakshop:
- A new social space has been added, allowing players to launch new First Dose Story Missions, store and modify their new Acid Lab Business, purchase and modify Mk II weapons, as well as other social activities
- Six new 1-4 player Story Missions have been added
- Five new Fooligan Jobs are available through the new phone contact “Dax” after completing First Dose – Welcome to the Troupe
Acid Lab:
- Once players complete the First Dose and steal the necessary lab equipment, they can install it in the rear of the new MTL Brickade 6×6 vehicle and unlock access to a new Acid Lab business
- Players will be able to request and drive their Acid Lab while in Freemode
- This Acid Lab will operate in line with existing businesses, launching source missions to gain supplies that will be turned into Acid product for players to sell
- Acid Labs can be given custom names
- Includes the Maibatsu Manchez Scout C, which can be requested in Freemode and is used to deliver Acid Product
Vehicles:
- Eight new vehicles (including the Mobile Acid Lab) have been added:
  - Överflöd Entity MT (Super) – with HSW Upgrade available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only
  - Declasse Tulip M-100 (Muscle)
  - Zirconium Journey II (Van)
  - BF Surfer Custom (Van)
  - Annis 300R (Sports) – with Imani Tech
  - Declasse Tahoma Coupe (Muscle) – Available for all players to claim for free from December 16 through December 18 as part of The Heists Challenge Reward, then available to purchase for the standard price starting on December 19
  - MTL Brickade 6×6 (Acid Lab)
  - Manchez Scout C (Motorcycle)
Cosmetics:
- Hundreds of pieces of male and female clothing and accessories have been added to clothing stores
- A new female hair style has been added
- 39 Unisex tattoos have been added

Experience Improvements

Contacts can now be hidden from the phone through a new Phone Contact Favorites option in the Interaction Menu
All Agatha Baker Casino Story Missions at The Diamond Casino & Resort can now be launched with one player
Bicycles can now be requested from the Mechanic
Reduced the time taken for newly purchased vehicles to be delivered
The ‘hide all’ option in each Map Blip Options category has been reintroduced
Players no longer need to complete Hao’s Intro Race to access the HSW Upgrade Service and mods (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only)

Visual Updates

Ray-traced reflections have been added to Fidelity Mode for both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, adding detail and contrast to the game world. This allows for vehicles, characters, and more details to be shown on reflective and glossy surfaces

Economy Updates

GTA$ and RP rewards for Smuggler’s Run Sell Missions have been tripled
- Participation rewards for these missions have also been increased
The High-Demand Bonus has been applied to Vehicle Cargo Sell Missions

GTA+ Updates (PS5 / Xbox Series X|S only)

GTA+ bonuses and Gameplay Accelerators– Match and Heist bonuses available to GTA+ Members will now be displayed on Landing Page tiles
Improved visibility of Bonus Payouts – GTA+ members will now see the bonuses they are receiving as a result of being a Member at the end of activities

Creator Updates

HSW Creator (PS5 / Xbox Series X|S only)

Players now have the option to create HSW Races, a race type limited to HSW vehicles

Existing Races can also be converted to HSW Races
HSW vehicles are available in all Races that have the HSW capable vehicles selected, with an option to disable HSW mods in the lobby before the race
In HSW Races, the stock vehicles that are available will have HSW mods applied to them, rather than applying them yourself in Freemode

Race Creator

The RC Bandito is now available as a special vehicle type in the Race Creator
Wrench health pickups are now able to be correctly collected when the vehicle appears to be damaged
PS5 / Xbox Series X|S Only: Players can now place up to 300 props in the Race Creator

Deathmatch Creator

The Deathmatch Creator is receiving updates to Play Area, Eligibility, Spawning, Scoring, and other general updates

Play Area

Active play areas will now display visually when they are shrinking
Shrink Time
- The time to control shrinking play areas is now set to minutes and seconds, this was previously set to seconds
- An option has been added to shrink the play area over the duration of a Deathmatch.
Shrink Conditions
- A new option has been added to swap between time remaining and time elapsed to delay the start of the play area shrinking
- Team Score and Players Remaining have been added as new conditions to start shrinking the play area
When setting the size that the play area will shrink to, a visual representation of the final size is now displayed in the Creator
A new option has been added to each play area that makes out-of-bounds spawn points invalid for player spawning. This keeps players spawning within their active play area throughout the Deathmatch, rather than respawning and being out of bounds again
A new cylindrical shape has been added for play areas. Players can set the height and radius for this as they wish, and spherical bounds are also still available for use

Modifier Set Eligibility

Eligibility will see the addition of new conditions to check and the ability to become scalable with lobby options through the percentage check
Conditions
- New condition – Lives
  - A Modifier Set can be applied to players based on the number of lives they have remaining
- New condition – Killstreak
  - Kills earned within a single life can be used to trigger a Modifier Set change. The Modifier Set is lost on death and players change back to their most relevant modifier
A new Comparison Type option has been added, allowing players to check a percentage or a specific value for the Condition set. Available for Score, Time, and Lives Conditions
- This also allows the use of the lobby settings to change these values and the condition check to scale with them
- This was previously only specific values

Spawning

Limit Spawn Protection Time – A new option has been added to Combat Settings to control the amount of time players are invulnerable after respawning
Modifier Restrictions – A new menu has been added to Spawn Point placement to allow you to restrict players from spawning at that spawn point if they have a specific Modifier Set active
When respawning, players will now have the last weapon they were using equipped if it is still in their inventory
When making a Deathmatch that only has one life available, the number of spawn points required only needs to match the number of players that can join the Deathmatch

Modifier Set – Scoring

Death Score – Players can now set score to receive on death within a Modifier Set
- +/- score when dying
- As well as +/- score when dying to melee or a set weapon group as a bonus
  - For example, you can leave Death Score at 0 but set Melee Death Bonus to -1. In this case players with that Modifier Set active will lose 1 point when being killed with a melee weapon

Creator

The Maximum number of Modifier Sets is now 25 (up from 11), allowing players to add even more customization to their Deathmatches
Team/Free for All only options are now greyed out when locked to a specific type of Deathmatch. This is to help reduce the number of potentially available options. So, if a player locks their Deathmatch to Free for All, Team-related options will become greyed out and unable to be used
Added an option to clear settings from the Default Modifier Set in the Manage Modifier Set menu
Modifier Sets can now have a name given to them, from a selection of 58 preset descriptive names
- This is done in the Manage Modifier Set menu, press X/Square/Del on the Modifier Set in the Modifier Sets menu
Option to select a Modifier Set to test in Test Mode
- Selecting this will stop your Modifier Set from changing during the test
Forced Test Modifier Set – A new option has been added to the test menu that allows players to select a specific Modifier Set to be used when entering test mode. When using this option, players are locked to using that Modifier Set for the entire test. Modifier Sets will not change when using this option
Disable Friendly AI – A new option has been added to the test menu that allows players to enter a team deathmatch test on their own. This will allow players to test their Modifier Set transitions without friendly AI also contributing to things like score that may cause a Modifier Set change.
A HUD element has been added to test mode that shows the players’ current Modifier Set, so they can easily tell which Modifier Set they are currently playing with while testing
The damage modifier option for Throwables within a Modifier Set has been removed

Ambient Settings

Lock Shops – A new option has been added to prevent players from entering shops when playing Deathmatches

Game Stability and Performance

Fixed multiple crashes that occurred in GTAV

Matchmaking & Networking

Fixed issues that affected network stability in GTA Online

Content

Fixed an issue that resulted in CEOs not receiving money when completing Security Contract – Asset Protection
Fixed an issue that resulted in the GPS route not appearing during The Contract – High Society Leak
Fixed an issue that allowed players to modify bicycles inside the Avenger
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to mod their Thruster vehicle inside the Facility
Fixed text issues that appeared during Biker – Customer Bike Delivery
Fixed a texture issue present on Nightclub Troublemakers
Fixed an issue preventing players from progressing after destroying the final signal jammer during ULP – Asset Seizure
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being able to enter a survival lobby when attempting to launch a ULP mission
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to leave the High Stakes Roulette table
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to enter their garage after purchasing a new vehicle
Fixed an issue that resulted in Franklin appearing twice after completing Security Contract – Recover Valuables
Fixed an issue that resulted in enemies not pursuing the player during Security Contract – Vehicle Recovery
Fixed an issue that allowed griefing during Security Contract – Vehicle Recovery
Fixed an issue that resulted in players not progressing after killing all of the hitmen during Security Contract – Rescue Operation
Fixed an issue that resulted in the player’s location being displayed incorrectly on the mini-map while inside the Casino parking lot during Data Leak – Nightlife Leak
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to see where to deliver the phone during Data Leak – High Society Leak
Fixed an issue that resulted in players not progressing after killing all targets during Payphone Hit – Hit List
Fixed an issue that resulted in the target’s helicopter being destroyed abruptly during Galaxy Yacht – D-Day
Fixed an issue where players couldn’t launch activities after completing Prison Break – Finale
Fixed a UI prompt issue when players entered their Thruster inside the Facility
Fixed an issue that that resulted in players not progressing after defeating all enemies during The Doomsday Scenario – Finale
Fixed an issue that resulted in Agent ULP not moving during The Bogdan Problem – Setup – Rescue ULP
Fixed an issue that resulted in players’ torsos disappearing whilst opening Van der Linde treasure chests
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being kicked from arcade machines unexpectedly
Fixed an issue that resulted in players getting stuck in lobbies if the host quits
Fixed an issue that resulted in players not receiving directions to Buzzard locations during Cayo Perico – Disruption – Backup Response
Fixed an issue that resulted in players falling through the map when being caught during Cayo Perico – Scoping – DJ
Fixed an issue that resulted in players getting stuck in an infinite loading screen after completing Lowriders – Point and Shoot
Fixed an issue that resulted in scores being given incorrectly during Judgement Day matches
Fixed an issue that resulted in the timer not decreasing when the runner manually respawns in The Vespucci Job (Remix) II
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to purchase a customer’s Bike from another player’s Clubhouse
Fixed an issue that resulted in Motorcycle Clubs being unable to launch the same Contract missions at the same time
Fixed an issue preventing players from picking up LD organics collectibles while on Freemode missions
Fixed an issue that resulted in the doppelganger spawning while spectating another player
Fixed an issue with the container door that prevented progression in Special Cargo – Underwater Cargo
Fixed an issue prevent players from entering enemy boat vehicles during Special Cargo – Underwater Cargo
Fixed an issue that resulted in players losing control when another player joined as a spectator in ULP – Cleanup
Fixed audio issues with footsteps during ULP – Extraction
Fixed an issue that resulted in players not being able to see where the tech pickup was if a player died while carrying it during ULP – Intelligence
Fixed an issue that resulted in players not progressing if they quit while in spectator mode after dying in Survival – Industrial Plant
Fixed an issue that resulted in players not being refunded a bullet for getting a kill in Big Shot VI
Fixed an issue that resulted in players getting stuck in a lobby when entering ULP – Counterintelligence
Fixed an issue that resulted in a significant delay before the mission briefing dialogue began when playing ULP – Intelligence

Properties

Fixed an issue that resulted in players getting stuck in a loading screen after entering the Mobile Operations Center
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to launch missions from the Terrorbyte while in a private session
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being able enter Franklin’s house from the roof
Fixed a misleading prompt seen when attempting to store a new vehicle in a full garage that could result in players unknowingly deleting owned vehicles
Fixed an issue that resulted in bar patrons not spawning inside a Clubhouse after completing a Resupply mission
Fixed an issue that resulted in some available Contracts not appearing when inside the Clubhouse
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being warped outside of their office and falling to their deaths when trying to sit at the computer
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being stuck between Casino guests
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being stuck in the gunner seat of the Half-Track vehicle when another player drove it into their Agency
Fixed an issue that resulted in players purchasing certain mods for the Declasse Lifeguard while inside the Mobile Operations Center or Avenger despite them having no effect
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being stuck inside an Auto Shop after accepting an invite to an invite only session
Fixed an issue that resulted in players’ personal vehicles disappearing from the LS Car Meet when another player starts a private takeover
Fixed an issue that resulted in players entering a broken instance of the LS Car Meet
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to sit next to each other inside the Agency
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to stop drinking whiskey from the bar inside the Clubhouse
Fixed an issue with lighting reflections inside the Luxury Autos Showroom

Vehicles

Fixed an issue that resulted in suspension mods being available for purchase on the Blazer Lifeguard despite those mods having no effect on those vehicles
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being able to purchase Low grip Tires for the Duke O’Death or Insurgent vehicles despite the tires having no effect on those vehicles
Fixed an issue that resulted in Feltzer vehicles becoming dented after entering the Mobile Operations Center
Fixed an issue there the players’ custom Ardent vehicle was not available in Sports Classics Races
Fixed an issue that resulted in the Benefactor Stirling GT’s doors opening from the wrong axis
Fixed an issue that resulted in vehicles reaching a higher speed than expected after being damaged
Fixed an issue that resulted in some vehicles not appearing on in-game websites when sorting by price from low to high

Miscellaneous

Fixed an issue that resulted in players not being given credit for daily objectives despite participating in a Featured Series Job
Fixed an issue that resulted in weapons hidden inside a Gun Locker reappearing in the player’s inventory
Fixed an issue that resulted in the removal of Sea Races and Parachuting Jobs which prevented players from earning the ‘Numero Uno’ Achievement/Trophy
Fixed an issue that resulted in player hands being missing from weapon reload animations while in first person view
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being incorrectly told they have no existing GTA Online character and being taken to the Career Builder page
Fixed an issue that resulted in the ‘Subscribe’ prompt not updating to ‘Manage Subscription’ after a player became a GTA+ member
Fixed an issue that resulted in some stats being reset after rebooting the game
Fixed an issue that resulted in the Community Series not being present for Quick GPS in the Interaction Menu
Fixed an issue that resulted in Associates being unable to request a Dinghy via the Associate Abilities menu
Fixed an issue that resulted in Ammu-Nation blips appearing in unexpected locations on the map
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being able to continue purchasing Throwables after reaching max capacity
Fixed an issue that resulted in mods purchased for the Pistol Mk II would be unequipped while using the weapon workshop
Fixed an issue that resulted in Organization members not becoming assassination targets after being terminated
Fixed an issue that allowed players to launch an empty playlist
Fixed an issue that resulted in scrolling text on a blimp not moving until a race had begun
Fixed an issue with camera clipping while driving the Greenwood in first person
Fixed an issue that resulted in Meteorite snacks persisting longer than expected
Fixed an issue that resulted in players receiving no information as to why they could not accept an online invitation before completing the Story Mode Prologue

Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S

Fixed an issue that resulted in Xbox consoles shutting down during specific missions
Fixed an issue that resulted in Xbox system messages not appearing when accepting an invite to a user generated job if their privacy setting ‘You can see and upload community creations’ privilege was set to ‘Block’
Fixed an issue that resulted in players entering an unresponsive state after using the Quick Resume function while in the Creator
Fixed an issue that resulted in players not receiving an explanation for why their text is not used inside the Creator
Fixed an issue that resulted in players receiving no information as to why they could not access the Microsoft Store during a service outage

PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 5

Fixed an issue that resulted in blocked players’ Motorcycle Club emblems remaining visible on phone invites
Fixed an issue with PlayStation 5 specific audio corruptions
Fixed an issue that resulted in players without an active PS+ subscription not receiving invites to Online Jobs while in Story Mode or the Landing Page

Fixed an issue that resulted in only the top left quarter of the screen being displayed while playing in windowed borderless mode
Fixed an issue that resulted in the Output Monitor setting not functioning when using windowed mode on 4k monitors

PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X|S

Fixed an issue that resulted in player spawn locations not updating after being changed when exiting to the main menu
Fixed an issue that resulted in players getting stuck inside the Avenger during The Bogdan Problem – Finale
Fixed an issue that resulted in players briefly being able to use their weapons after leaving the party during Cayo Perico – Scoping – DJ
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to rotate and zoom their view while repairing a vehicle inside the Auto Shop
Fixed an issue that resulted in players becoming stuck on a loading screen after accepting an invite to another player’s Mobile Operations Center
Fixed an issue that resulted in text in the HDR calibration screen to be cut off when the language was set to Traditional Chinese
Stability improvements have been added for ray-tracing in applicable Graphics Modes

Editor

Fixed various issues that resulted in vehicle doors and trunks behaving unnaturally when viewed in the Editor
Fixed an issue that resulted in vehicle lights not being visible while exporting a video in the Editor

Creator

Fixed an issue that resulted in the Knife appearing in the wrong weapon category inside the Deathmatch Creator
Fixed an issue that resulted in AI enemies spawning in and doing nothing if too many modifiers were present inside custom Deathmatches
Fixed an issue that resulted in players being unable to place helicopter starting grids over water inside the Air Race Creator
Fixed an issue that resulted in the mini-map and pause menu map disappearing after testing an Air Race