Grand Theft Auto Online remains one of the most popular aspects of 2013's Grand Theft Auto 5, receiving consistent updates throughout its life, including the Festive Surprise update, an annual event in which it snows in GTA Online. With the winter holidays approaching, the presence of snow in San Andreas adds a festive feeling to the familiar game world, and a new coat to change the aesthetic. A new look isn't all that comes from this update, as alongside the snow in Festive Surprise comes the annual re-releasing of winter themed content to GTA Online.
Since its first year online, GTA Online has received numerous content patches. These patches add things like new missions, outfits, vehicles, and weaponry. The Los Santos Tuners update to GTA Online added a slew of new content, and Festive Surprise is no exception. In addition to GTA Online's snowfall, players will also be given access to purchasing festive masks, such as Santa Claus and Snowman themed masks, as well as full costumes available through the clothing stores around Los Santos.
Each year during the Festive Surprise, the state of San Andreas is under a blanket of snow. Snow is fairly rare in Grand Theft Auto games, so its presence during the Festive Surprise is always a welcome change of pace compared to the normally warm climate GTA Online takes place in. The Festive Surprise tends to begin around the same time this year, so it's likely that this year will be the same with when the update drops.
GTA Online Snow Should Star Falling Around December 20th
Although Rockstar hasn't announced a concrete date for this year's Festive Surprise, GTA Online holiday celebrations always tend to happen around December 20th, with recent years of the event starting as early as December 18th, with the 20th being the absolute latest the update has ever dropped. The event (and snow in GTA Online) tends to last until the end of the first week of the New Year. This gives players plenty of time to log into GTA Online to access everything the event has to offer, as the time limit on the event isn't too tight.
GTA Online's Festive Surprise event brings with it festive Christmas sweaters, hats, scarfs, and even a pair of elf shoes. In addition to cosmetics, the update also covers the state in snow, allowing players to create snowballs. These limited time snowball "weapons" allow players to partake in snowball fights with one another, bringing some light-hearted havoc to the already plenty chaotic streets of Los Santos.
GTA Online makes a lot of money, and its likely this financial success can be attributed to regular updates and events for the fans. Grand Theft Auto Online regularly celebrates holidays, with special content available during Halloween, Valentine's Day, and St. Patrick's Day, but fundamentally changing the game world with a snowfall for the winter holidays is especially festive. Players looking forward to snowball fights and heists in matching Santa masks won't have to wait much longer, as the Festive Surprise is likely only a few weeks away.