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‘GTA Online: Smuggler’s Run’ gives a nod toward a classic Rockstar game

GTA Online: Smuggler's Run Trailer
Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer tie-in with

GTA V

, was originally released in 2013. While most multiplayer games see updates for the next year or two, GTA Online continues to supply substantial updates almost four years later. Smuggler’s Run is the latest DLC pack coming next week and it looks to reference an early classic from developer Rockstar Games.

Arriving Tuesday, Smuggler’s Run takes to the skies above Lost Santos and Blaine County. With a new range of planes, choppers, and ultralights, players can transport criminal cargo across the state. Serving as the headquarters for this new smuggling business are a number of expansive aircraft hangars. This is where players can keep their ever-growing fleet.

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Later this fall, another update will literally transform races to seamlessly take players across roads, skies, and seas. Akin to Mario Kart 8, these new checkpoints will instantly change a player’s vehicle class to match the portion of the course ahead. This makes custom races more dynamic than ever as players race from the water, onto land, and into the air. Pair this with the previous updates like Stunt Racing and Special Vehicle Circuit Races, players can create some unique races.

Aside from the new aircraft, there will also be a few new four-wheeled vehicles and competitive adversary modes. Timely holiday celebrations will also add special items for Halloween, the December holidays, and more.

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For a little bit of Rockstar Games’ history, Smuggler’s Run is a PlayStation 2 game in which players control a member of an international smugglers gang. Players must evade the United States border patrol, the CIA, and cutthroat rivals to deliver the illegal cargo. In the classic game, smuggling involved controlling a variety of off-road vehicles across unforgiving terrain. In GTA Online, smuggling takes to the skies for more daring acrobatics.

This is not the first time GTA Online has gone back to Rockstar’s roots to expand the multiplayer experience. In a previous update titled Tiny Racers, players took control of their vehicles from a top-down perspective. Not only does the perspective change alter the feel of a race, it also harkens back to early entries in the Grand Theft Auto franchise that played in this overhead view.

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We all love GTA 5 for letting us live out our more chaotic and destructive fantasies, but you aren't just limited to being a criminal in the world Rockstar Games has created. The single-player version is packed with content, but jumping online is where the possibilities really open up. Role-play servers, also called RP servers, modify the game and rules, with players expected to fully commit to whatever character they choose to embody. If you're a cop, you shouldn't be recklessly driving and shooting civilians, for example. You can't expect to randomly jump into an online lobby and have everyone follow the rules, though. You will need to join very specific RP servers to get the true experience. While we wait for GTA 6, here are the best role-play servers out there.

Note that all RP servers are accessed through either the FiveM or Rage MP clients. You will need to download them separately.
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Two GTA Online characters in body armor standing in front of a jail cell with a person in it.

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While the update doesn't have a release date or window yet, Rockstar Games introduced some details in a blog post published Wednesday. Arguably, the biggest addition is the ability to set up your own bounty hunting and bail enforcement business. You'll also be able to help Vincent out with a bunch of off-the-books missions across Los Santos.

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