Rockstar Games is clearly quite eager to end 2016 on a high note, flying in the face of the recently popularized internet meme that this year has been, to put it lightly, very, very bad. GTA Online has seen quite a bit of growth throughout 2016, and it seems that December will see the game expanded even further. But what exactly can we expect from these last few weeks?
Something we know for sure is that the game will be expanded with the Import/Export update, which is putting the "Theft Auto" back into GTA. Import/Export will focus on an all-new game mechanic wherein enterprising CEOs will be tasked with stealing unique, high-value vehicles in and around the city of Los Santos in order to trick them out and then sell them for a massive profit.
According to the official announcement, these missions will be akin to the crate selling missions from Further Adventures in Finance and Felony in terms of complexity. This won't be a simple as those Simeon requests where you hop into some car, drive it to the drop-off and get cash for it. These missions will require teamwork and skill to pull off.
The upcoming DLC will also be adding a number of smaller additions, such as specialized vehicle warehouses to store those stolen rides, as well as all new executive office garages which can fit up to an addition 60 cars beyond those which are currently sitting in your properties and garages elsewhere. This bonus buffs out the maximum number of vehicles one can own to a total of 120 + 10 bikes, more double of what it is now.
There seems to be some confusion among the community as to this feature, as many mistakenly believe that the vehicle warehouses are the same as the executive garages, meaning that the additional 60 slots are reserved for stolen rides that you need to sell as part of the new missions.
However, luckily, this isn't the case, and rather those executive garages act like a new kind of special property, like the executive offices and motorcycle clubhouses. Much like the 10 bike garage in the clubhouse adding new slots, these executive garages add to the other 6 properties you may own. 130 slots in total are bound to satisfy the needs of most players.
Further additions include a host of new specialized vehicles which will be required to complete those special vehicle stealing missions. Only one of these has been teased so far, which is a wedge-like vehicle that basically looks like a roll cage on wheels, designed to clear the road ahead in heavy traffic. Rumors allege that there will be a total of 25 new vehicles added to the game via the update, including things like an amphibious technical and a "smart-car" which has the ability to jump.
Even though these rumors come from a source that has proven itself trustworthy in the past, remember any news that comes from a source other than the Newswire much be taken with a pinch of salt. While these rumored vehicles would be pretty damn cool, keep in mind that wishful thinking rarely gets results.
We're sure the Import/Export update, being the last major GTA Online DLC of 2016, will contain a whole lot more content, such as new clothes, new tattoos, new weapons and very likely some new Adversary Mode, however, no info has been released about these additions.
We've also been seeing a trend of Rockstar running DLC "seasons" recently, such as in the case of Cunning Stunts and Bikers, wherein the major release is followed by 3-4 weeks of mini-updates that run in the same vein. These small expansions have produced great additions such as the Stunt Race Creator and the fantastic Deadline update, which added freaking light cycle battles from Tron as and Adversary Mode.
While under normal circumstances we'd be pretty sure that Import/Export would also be followed but by several weeks worth of smaller expansions, likely adding further specialized vehicles, in December, Rockstar's attention will be divided.
December, as well all know, is also the holiday season, and in the past GTA Online featured various festive updates during this period. Last year's Christmas period featured various additions, such as Christmas trees in every apartment, (throwable) snow covering the game map and more.
Seeing as the snow was very well received by players — to the point of changing their behavior — we're betting Rockstar will bring back the tradition this year as well, for both Christmas and New Year's eve. But what other bonuses can we expect from the celebrations?
Exclusive outfits and masks are more or less guaranteed, and we're sure that ammo for the fireworks launcher will also be available for purchase once more. We'll surely see some neat discounts on various in-game items throughout the Christmas period as well — filling up that new 60 slot executive garage will be a tad cheaper.
However, we can always hope for something more substantial, right? Rockstar never did give the festive season the Adversary Mode treatment that Halloween, Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving have gotten in the past. GTA Online could the expanded with a neat Christmas themed Adversary Mode.
One possible idea for this Mode would be a fort-based snowball fight, but with grenades. Each map would feature four heavily fortified locations, each with a flag. Four teams would be armed with nothing but grenades, and scoring points is done by stealing an enemy flag and returning to your base. The first team to reach a given number of points wins.
A different Adversary Mode could be set up around the theme of Santa. Each player is given a number of "presents" (bombs) which must be delivered to various targets. There will be more targets than bombs, and different targets would be worth different amounts of points. The farther away a target is, the more points it is worth. Players will need to decide whether they go for the low-yield targets nearby, or spend more time traveling to the high-value locations.
It would be neat if Rockstar also added an exclusive vehicle to the game with a festive theme. Valentine's Day got the Roosevelt, Independence Day has the Liberator, and Halloween has three unique rides. Maybe we could get something like a festive helicopter called the "Sleigh" or something?
Some fans are hoping for some kind of sale on Shark Cards during the festive season. Rockstar has a tendency to pretty often offer a special deal on Shark Cards wherein buying them will net you more in-game cash instead of being available for cheaper. This model would definitely work during December, as players are more eager to spend, and the additional in-game money is a great incentive.
What kinds of bonuses in GTA Online are you expecting in December?
