With Red Dead Redemption 2 having stolen the spotlight this past week, speculation about a possible Halloween DLC for GTA Online has been fairly light, though we did our part in fuelling discussion. As such, today's announcement regarding the upcoming Halloween Specials took most players by surprise — more so than last year's Halloween "Surprise", in any case.
The new DLC will launch on the 28th of October, meaning this Friday. Halloween Specials is bringing a sufficiently spooky bike to the game, which is already overflowing with hogs following the Bikers update and its expansion. The new LCC Sanctus rocks a skull shaped headlight and wheels with a spider-web motif.
The new sinister ride isn't the only addition Rockstar has planned for Halloween. A new Adversary Mode will also debut on Friday. While the name of the "Lost vs Damned" is an allusion to one of GTA IV's DLCs, the Adversary Mode is focused on a conflict between angels and demons as opposed to bikers. In order for it not to be a simple TDM with fancy costumes, a 60-second day/night cycle is also implemented, which will buff the teams one after the other.
As could be expected, last year's content will be making a comeback too. The limited edition items added to GTA Online by the Halloween Surprise, such as the Franken Strange and the Lurcher (which can be acquired another way too), as well as a number of cosmetic items, will be back on sale for a limited time, and a new bonus week with a Halloween theme will be kicked off.
However players won't have to wait until Friday for new content — Rockstar added a treat to GTA Online which is already available. The new Pegassi Vortex ($365,000 from Southern San Andreas Super Autos) is a blend between newer street fighter designs and classic café racers. The shop description for the Vortex is as below:
The Vortex has its feet planted firmly in the café racer tradition, its head stuck firmly up the ass of contemporary streetfighter chic, and the less said about what it's doing with its hands the better. It's a synthesis that's going to change the world and your underwear forever.
We'll need to wait a bit before the community reaches a consensus about the performance of the new bike, however its stats seem to indicate that instead of a new top performer, the Vortex is a flashy jack-of-all-trades while being a master of none. If you like the design, it will be more than suitable for Freemode.
The tail end of October doesn't only mark the approach of Halloween however. GTA Online is celebrating it's third anniversary, and Rockstar wanted to mark this event with some neat discounts and a cash giveaway. Any player who logs in to GTA Online on Xbox One, PS4 or PC between now and the 31st of October will receive a commemorative $250,000 gift, to be deposited until the 4th of November.
Rockstar is also celebrating the three year run of GTA Online by cutting the price on one vehicle from every update the game has received throughout its lifespan, as well as some cosmetic items from certain DLCs. All items listed below are discounted by 30% until the 7th of November.
BY LAND
- Grotti Turismo R (Super) - The Business Update
- Grotti X80 Proto (Super) - Further Adventures in Finance and Felony
- Pegassi Zentorno (Super) - The High Life
- Progen T20 (Super) - Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2
- Annis RE-7B (Super) - Cunning Stunts
- Bravado Banshee (Sports) - Drop Zone
- Lampadati Furore GT (Sports) - Last Team Standing
- Voodoo Custom (Muscle) - Lowriders
- Willard Faction Custom Donk (Muscle) - Lowriders: Custom Classics
- Benefactor Dubsta 6x6 (Off-Road) - I'm Not a Hipster
- Vapid Liberator (Off-Road) - Independence Day Special
- Albany Roosevelt (Sports Classics) - Valentine's Day Massacre Special
BY AIR
- Western Company Besra - The San Andreas Flight School
- Buckingham Valkyrie - Heists
- Buckingham Luxor Deluxe - Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1
BY SEA
- Pegassi Speeder - Beach Bum Update
- The Aquarius - Executives and Other Criminals
WEAPONS
- Heavy Shotgun - Last Team Standing
- Marksman Rifle - Last Team Standing
CLOTHING & TATTOOS
- Outfits: Hipster - I'm Not a Hipster
- Outfits: Finance & Felony - Further Adventures in Finance and Felony
- Tattoos — Lowriders
- Tattoos — Lowriders: Custom Classics
A new Premium Race has also been designated. Through the 31st of October, The best racers of GTA Online will take to "Nightlife" locked to Bikes. Only the first three finishers take home a money reward, with first place winning a whopping 100k. That said, all participants will benefit from a triple RP bonus.
While GTA Online will obviously struggle to make a media splash with its third birthday in the wake of RDR2's massive reveal, this new bike, promos and upcoming Halloween DLC will do much to help it stay relevant. Plus, there has been a few other things going on around Online — stay tuned to our site for up to date coverage on all the news.
Which anniversary discount will you make use of?
