In the past few years, Grand Theft Auto Online has been full of grand theft with plenty of other wacky content thrown into the mix, but the whole "auto" portion of the equation fell to the wayside. Los Santos Tuners is here to solve that issue whilst delivering the biggest DLC the game has seen all year. Here's everything we know about the newly announced update.
First of all, the most important bit — you won't need to wait long to jump into GTA Online: Los Santos Tuners. The update is slated to launch on the 20th of July, which is next Tuesday. This means the DLC isn't far away, but it also means you don't have a lot of time to save up some GTA$ in case you are not sitting on a pile of cash by default. So what's in store for us with Los Santos Tuners, anyway?
Los Santos Tuners was teased some time ago by Rockstar as a "car meet DLC" allowing for peaceful automobile enthusiast events that cannot be interrupted by griefers or any of the other violent chaos rife in GTA Online lobbies, with a side order to multi-part robberies. Now we know exactly what shape all of this will take.
The Los Santos Tuners update brings the LS Car Meet to GTA Online, a new dedicated virtual instance designed for car fans to meet, socialize, race, show off their vehicles, earn valuable automotive rewards, hang out and meet up with NPCs who have the scoop on the latest lucrative opportunities, all in a safe space free of the game's usual violence.
Visit an unassuming warehouse building near Cypress flats, sporting a telltale DIY finish line across the nearby road to get into the LS Car Meet. In here, players won't be able to brandish weapons, inflict damage to each other, to NPCs or to objects. This means the police won't descend upon you, players won't end up killing each other, and the LS Car Meet is also impervious to outside attacks.
To access this underground club — literally, it has a subterranean test course — you'll need to progress across a new Reputation track with various ranks that offer different benefits. Basic access to LS Car Meet, the Test Track and the first set of Test Rides is free, with players having ways to progress with the Reputation track without dropping cash.
However, if you put down a one-time payment of GTA$50,000, you'll gain LS Car Meet membership. This privilege grants you access to the Prize Ride Challenge system through which you can earn valuable Prize Rides, and you'll be able to make purchases in the Merch Shop and Tattoo Shop. The modding area is also exclusive to members, and offers new ways to customize your rides. If you feel like the LS Car Meet's décor is cramping your style, as a member you can issue a Private Takeover to change the ambiance.
If you're keen on proving that your prized ride doesn't just look good but can tear up concrete too — and that you have the driving skill to match — then the Test Track offers plenty of opportunities. Head-to-Head races, Time Trials and Scramble are all non-contact races taking place on the Test Track allowing you to increase your Reputation and earn Car Meet rewards.
If you want to raise the stakes, leave the safety of LS Car Meet behind for the Street Race Series, a new breed of race which is about what you'd expect from the name — you'll be tearing up the asphalt of the city and countryside instead of a dedicated course.
Another brand new race type is also hitting GTA Online with the Los Santos Tuners DLC. The Pursuit Series will drop checkpoints great distances from each other throughout the game map while siccing the police on your tail, forcing places to find new and creative paths from one checkpoint to the next. Meanwhile Sprint is a shorter, zippier Freemode race with LS Car Meet always serving as the starting point.
In the Car Meet community, Rep is everything — you can increase your Reputation among the car enthusiasts in a number of ways, all of which revolve around the new content. Simply hanging out in LS Car Meet often will increase your Rep, but the best way to gain recognition is by participating in and winning races. Daily log-in rewards can also give you Reputation bonuses.
All the new content you can buy with the addition of Los Santos Tuners is in some way tied to Reputation. You unlock items with Reputation, or knock down their price a notch if you are high enough in rank. Items aren't the only thing tied to Rep — some new Races are only available to veterans, and the top dogs get to organize their own car meets.
Of course, you can't have a car meet DLC without new cars — when GTA Online: Los Santos Tuners launches on the 20th of July with 10 new cars, and 7 more are hitting the game as drip feed in the coming weeks throughout the summer. The launch lineup includes vehicles like the Karin Calico GTF, the Karin Futo GTX, the Annis Euros and more.
Car meets have been happening in GTA Online since the very beginning even without a dedicated DLC — Los Santos Tuners is just going to make things a lot more convenient for everyone. In the leadup to the release of the update, all players who log into GTA Online will unlock the Los Santos Customs Tee, while taking part in an Impromptu Race will unlock the Los Santos Tour Jacket. The Los Santos Customs Coveralls can be yours as well for simply selling any vehicle in an LS Customs.
Rockstar is gearing up to reveal more about Los Santos Tuners in the coming days, including giving players a better look at the multi-part robberies being added, which sound a lot like a new riff on the ever popular heists. Stay tuned for more info on GTA Online: Los Santos Tuners!
