The winter event in GTA Online is probably one of the most anticipated events in the game. Although it's still a while before winter comes to Los Santos, there's no harm in getting an upper hand on the details. That being said, the entire festive season is filled with free rewards, and there's a lot of snow. So you and your friends can ditch the guns for a while and engage in a less lethal game of throwing snowballs at each other.
Here's everything we know about the GTA Online Festive Surprise event in 2021.
Latest News
22 December 2021 -
Officially there's still no word on when GTA Online's Festive Surprise Christmas event will go live, but many would suspect it will go live tomorrow along with the new GTA Online Weekly Update. Given that Red Dead Online's Christmas event has gone live this week, it makes sense that GTA Online will also follow suit. Stay tuned for official confirmation on Thursday 23 December at around 10am GMT.
What Time Does GTA Online Festive Surprise Start?
14 December 2021 -
GTA Online The Contract DLC is now live but there doesn't appear to be any details on the impending Christmas event that will surely come to GTA Online in December. We suspect it could arrive next Thursday (23 December 2021) when the next event week starts.
13 December 2021 -
The new GTA Online DLC 'The Contract' launches tomorrow, stand by as we could get some (albeit, it might be only small) info about the 2021 Festive Surprise.
9 December 2021 -
Rockstar has announced GTA Online: The Contract, a new update featuring Franklin Clinton and Dr Dre. Bringing new cars, weapons, missions and businesses, that goes live on December 15th. There's a chance we'll get more Christmas info following this update's launch, and we'll keep you informed as/when that happens.
6 December 2021 -
Just to temper expectations, we don't think we'll get any news about the next GTA Online Winter Event this week. With the current event week prolonged to December 14, we imagine it could still be a while before we find out any info. Hang tight though, given the way Rockstar approached the Halloween event this year, we imagine they'll do something special for this year's Festive Surprise.
2 December 2021 -
The current GTA Online Weekly Update has just gone live and looks to be ending slightly later - on Tuesday December 14 no less - we suspect it has something to do with the new GTA Online Winter Update that is rumoured to be in the works. Do note, this is completely separate from the Festive Surprise event, but it's possible we could get more details on the games Christmas plans when this new DLC drops. Follow the link for more details.
22 November 2021 -
For those wondering When Is Snow Coming To GTA Online, it's likely going to be the same time as the festive surprise event, which as noted further down, is likely going to be around December 15th. Why is Snow important? It's not a massive deal if we're being honest, but it does play one important role if you want to know How to get the secret UFO Tattoo, as you can only get this tattoo when it's snowing. Follow the links if you want to know more.
GTA Online Festive Surprise Start Date And Other Details
Despite the popularity of the event, Rockstar Games has never stuck to a specific start date. The update usually arrives within the second or the third week of December.
And going by that calculation, expect the GTA Online Festive Surprise update to come to the game sometime around December 15th. This date is just speculation for now.
Since the event is called a Festive Surprise, you wouldn't be in the wrong to expect rewards and amazing discounts for as long as the event is on. Rockstar Games has always managed to throw in a few freebies for everyone. So expect the same this time around as well.
That being said, we're not really sure of what rewards to expect and what not to expect, but it'll be something good.
Other than that, like every year, we'll have snow in Los Santos again. So watch out for the roads because driving on snow isn't as easy as it looks.
Moreover, the city is going to be filled with Christmas-themed decorations so that's another thing you might want to look out for.
Interestingly enough, Dr. Dre could be a part of the GTA Online Festive Surprise as well. And there are rumours of a new heist as well.
There's a chance that all this could happen before the huge winter update too, but it's happening nevertheless.
And that's all we know about the GTA Online Festive Surprise. We'll keep updating this bit as and when we know more about it.
Read more: GTA Online Treasure Chests Locations On Cayo Perico Today
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!