Skip to main content

Rockstar adds user-created missions and holiday extras to ‘GTA Online’

rockstar adds user created missions holiday extras gta online
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re a dedicated GTA Online player then here are a couple of Christmas presents especially for you: Rockstar has announced both verified user-created missions and some holiday gifts for you to make the most of.

First of all, the gaming publisher has given its official stamp of approval to ten of the million-plus jobs designed by the GTA online community. The Rockstar Verified badge that these missions now have means that they can be played on either PS3 or Xbox 360, irrespective of which platform was used to create them.

The missions include a variety of off-road challenges, stunt jumps, rooftop races, deathmatch battles and prison brawls set in the San Andreas universe. If your own job didn’t make the cut this time, don’t panic — Rockstar has promised that it will be verifying more missions again in the future.

Secondly, the holiday-themed updates: you may have already noticed some snowfall in Los Santos during your Christmas gaming sessions, but there’s more to explore. You can pick up limited edition Santa hats, elf jackets, snowman masks and reindeer antlers at the clothing shops until January 5, while weapons such as grenades, tear gas and sticky bombs are half-price for the same period.

The in-game camera tool Snapmatic has also been given a festive upgrade, which is here to stay: there are a ton of new filters, borders and expressions to play around with, as well as a depth-of-field effect and a meme creator. If you ever get bored of causing mayhem, you can always pause for a well-framed selfie.

GTA Online has already earned a spot in our Best Games of 2013 round-up, and it should only get better as Rockstar pushes out updates.

Editors' Recommendations

David Nield
Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…
#RedDeadFuneral trends on Twitter as fans mourn loss of Red Dead Online
reddeadfuneral trends on twitter as fans mourn loss of red dead online

#RedDeadFuneral is trending on Twitter as fans memorialize Red Dead Online, the multiplayer online expansion of Red Dead Redemption 2.

On July 13, 2021, Rockstar Games gave Red Dead Online fans new content with the Blood Money update. Since then, the community has waited patiently for more substantial updates, but received next to nothing. On Wednesday, fans declared the game deceased, inviting each other to log into the game to drink at Valentine and Blackwater Graveyard and post screenshots of their characters dressed in black and paying their respects to the game on social media.

Read more
Nintendo Switch Online adds another classic Pokémon spinoff game
Ash and Tracy battle in Pokémon Puzzle League.

Pokémon Puzzle League will be available to all Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass subscribers starting on July 15.

The addictive spin-off puzzle title Pokémon Puzzle League combines elements from the Pokémon franchise with the gameplay from Panel de Pon, in which the aim is to arrange colored blocks to earn points. The game was the first to feature characters from the anime, such as Ash, Misty, and Brock. The crew will enter Puzzle Village where they will encounter other trainers, gym leaders, and members of Team Rocket and face off in puzzle battles.

Read more
Grand Theft Auto Online is in need of a serious cleanup
A CEO sits surrounded by piles of cash in GTA Online.

I've played Grand Theft Auto Online a lot since the game originally came out in 2013. I played it back then on my Xbox 360, then on my PS4, and now I'm playing it on my PC. I've invested hundreds of hours in the game and seen everything it has to offer. So believe that it's true when I say that as it is right now, GTA Online may be the most broken it's ever been due to a number of long-standing issues.

If you've been playing the game as long as I have, you're well-acquainted with these problems already. Since its launch, GTA Online has been far from perfect. But that hasn't stopped players (myself included) from flocking to it. The game is flat-out good and developer Rockstar knows that. That's why the game is now stand-alone and why the company is investing in it even further with a $6 monthly subscription service.

Read more