Not all GTA Online updates are equal, and while there has been over 40 updates in the last nine years, not all of them have added something meaningful to the game. However, when a GTA Online update is good, it tends to be very good, adding new mechanics and game modes that can sometimes drastically change how the game is played.

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The Biggest GTA Online Changes By Year

Though it took a few months after launch for online to be added to GTA V, once it hit the game, the updates never stopped coming. The first update, titled “Beach Bum,” added a few new GTA Online vehicles, the SNS Pistol, Bottle weapons, and over 170 clothing items, along with a few other cosmetics like tattoos. It didn’t change the Online landscape, but it was a solid start for the game.

Just a month later, Rockstar updated the game with the “Content Creator” update, which allowed players to create their own game modes and missions, setting up the groundwork for much of what can now be seen in GTA Online’s custom match scene. Before the end of 2013, a capture mode was added to the game, as well as some festive clothing and the snow weather effect.

The next major update was 2014’s “High Life” update, which added some new vehicles, a weapon, and most importantly, grand apartments, which cost quite a bit of in-game currency, but some newly added missions could help players to earn a bigger paycheck. The “I’m Not a Hipster” update added a whole range of new content, with seven cars and a handful of missions being added to the game. That year’s “San Andreas Flight School” update focused on aerial gameplay, adding a few new air vehicles along with the Flight School missions.

The first DLC of 2015 is widely considered to be one of the biggest in the game’s long history. The “Heists” update finally delivered on a GTA Online game mode that was promised since launch, giving players the ability to plan out a complex heist and partake in a multi-stage robbery that spanned across several missions, culminating in an explosive and thrilling finale.

2015 also saw the “Ill-Gotten Gains” update release, which infamously added some extremely expensive weapons, clothing, and vehicles to the game, all of which were designed to be difficult to unlock. This DLC is often cited with starting the controversial GTA Online trend of forcing players to pour real-life cash into the game in order to obtain the best items. This year also introduced the intricate VIP and Bodyguard mechanics with the “Executives and Other Criminals” update, along with the ability to purchase super yachts.

2016 was an absolutely massive year for GTA Online updates, bringing a range of new mechanics and missions that are still beloved today. The “Further Adventures in Finance and Felony” update added Crate Missions, and was the game’s first real attempt to give non-paying players a way to unlock the more expensive GTA Online items in the game through simply playing the missions. The Weapon Locker feature was also added to the game, which gave players the option to store weapons they didn’t want to use, thus keeping the weapon wheel less cluttered.

The “Cunning Stunts” update brought Stunt Races to the game, along with Premium Races that gave the player a decent payout for a slightly higher intial investment. Soon after, the “Stunt Race Creator” update gave players the ability to create their own custom stunt race matches.

The final update of 2016, “Import/Export,” added another set of missions that were designed to give players a good chance of earning high payouts that would help further bridge the gap between paying and non-paying players. New 60-slot garages were also added to the game, along with a slew of new vehicles, some of which had unique mechanics like a muscle car that could deploy a parachute, and a buggy that has a ramp on the front.

The first major DLC of 2017 was the “Gunrunning” update, which gave players underground bases, mobile command centres, weaponized vehicles, and the ability to research weapon upgrades and attachments. This was followed by the “Smuggler’s Run” DLC, which focused on air vehicles once again. Hangars were added, as well as a new set of missions that tasked the player with smuggling and selling stolen goods.

It may have taken two whole years, but GTA Online’s “Doomsday Heist” update finally brought a new heist to the game. This update was pretty major at the time, adding an airborne headquarters in the Avenger vehicle, as well as an additional ten outfit slots, a vast selection of new vehicles, and even some new achievements/trophies.

2018 was a bit of a slow one for GTA Online, likely due to the imminent release of Red Dead Redemption 2. Only two major DLCs came out that year, the first of which was titled “After Hours,” and allowed players to earn money from their businesses passively while away from the game, and “Arena War,” which introduced career progression mechanics and seven new multiplayer game modes.

2019 was just as slow, adding again just two major DLCs. These were the “Diamond Casino & Resort” update, which added a casino and various casino-based mini-games, penthouses, and a handful of story missions, and “The Diamond Casino Heist” update, which gave players the opportunity to rob the new casino’s vault.

While 2020 wasn’t much better, with only a few updates bringing some new vehicles, F1 races, and missions, the year did end with the “Cayo Perico Heist” update, which is possibly the biggest update the game has ever seen. This update added a whole new landmass to GTA Online, including a brand new heist that the titular Cayo Perico heist that had different optional setup missions. The heist could even be played in solo, which many fans had been asking for for years.

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The Latest GTA Online Updates

The first GTA Online update of 2021, titled “Los Santos Tuners,” gave players a new area of Cypress Flats to use, turning it into a Car Meet. Here, players can use a test track and, via a paid membership, have access to a range of new vehicle vendors. Players can compete in races here to earn a new car every week, and can partake in multi-stage vehicle robberies.

The latest update to GTA Online, “The Contract,” marks a new era for the near decade-long game mode. This update takes a more narrative-focused approach, bringing back Franklin from GTA V’s campaign and having the player work for his organization. Along the way, players will meet Dr. Dre and help him recover his lost phone. This new emphasis on story-driven content has been fairly well received by fans, many of which have been wanting story DLC since the campaign’s initial launch back in 2013. Thankfully, Rockstar has confirmed that more story-based DLC is coming to GTA Online soon.

GTA Online is currently available on PC, PS4, Xbox One.

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