Thirteen Years of Updates, in the Order They Landed
GTA Online launched on October 1, 2013, and Rockstar has added major content updates ever since. The biggest so far include Heists in 2015, The Cayo Perico Heist in 2020 and, most recently, The Kortz Center Heist in July 2026.
This list covers the major content updates in the order they were released, with the month, year and headline content for each one. Smaller patches, weekly events and drip-fed vehicles are not listed individually.
Thirteen years is a long life for any online game. Reading the updates in order shows how GTA Online grew from a simple mission-based mode into the business-and-heist empire it is today.
Key Takeaways
- GTA Online launched on October 1, 2013, and its first content update, Beach Bum, followed on November 19, 2013.
- Heists arrived on March 10, 2015, and almost every major update since has added a business, a heist or both.
- The Cayo Perico Heist (December 2020) added a whole new island and the first fully soloable heist.
- Expanded & Enhanced launched on March 15, 2022 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, adding the Career Builder for new characters.
- The most recent major update at the time of writing is The Kortz Center Heist, released on July 14, 2026.
1. 2013–2014: The Early Years
GTA Online itself opened on October 1, 2013, two weeks after Grand Theft Auto V. The launch version had missions, races, deathmatches and properties, but none of the businesses or heists players know now.
The first content update was Beach Bum on November 19, 2013, adding beach-themed vehicles, weapons and clothing. December 2013 brought the Deathmatch and Race Creators, the Capture mode and the Holiday Gifts update.
2014 settled into a steady rhythm. The Valentine's Day Massacre Special arrived on February 13, followed by the Business Update on March 4 and the High Life Update on May 13, which added high-end apartments and let players own two properties at once.
The rest of 2014 brought I'm Not a Hipster (June 17), the Independence Day Special (July 1), the San Andreas Flight School update (August 19) and the Last Team Standing update (October 2).
The year closed with Festive Surprise on December 18, 2014. These early updates were small by modern standards, mostly vehicles, weapons, clothes and jobs, but they set the pattern of free content drops that continues today.
2. 2015–2016: Heists, Executives and Bikers
Everything changed on March 10, 2015, when the Heists update finally delivered the mode Rockstar had promised since launch. Five multi-part heists for crews of four set the template that later heists still follow.
2015 continued with Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1 (June 10) and Part 2 (July 8), the last update released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. Freemode Events followed on September 15, moving activities into the open world without lobbies.
Lowriders arrived on October 20, 2015, opening Benny's Original Motor Works, and the Halloween Surprise on October 29 added the Slasher adversary mode. The year ended with a giant: Executives and Other Criminals on December 15 introduced Organizations, VIP status and Super Yachts.
2016 built directly on that foundation. Further Adventures in Finance and Felony (June 7) turned VIPs into CEOs, adding Offices and Special Cargo Warehouses. Cunning Stunts (July 12) focused on stunt races.
Bikers landed on October 4, 2016, adding Clubhouses and the first MC businesses. Import/Export closed the year on December 13 with the Vehicle Warehouse and Special Vehicle Work.
By the end of 2016 the modern GTA Online shape was in place: register as a boss, buy a property, run its business, and save for the next one. Our guide to GTA Online heist payouts tracks what the heists from this era and later pay today.
This era also changed how often big updates arrived. The early years brought many small drops, but from Heists onward Rockstar settled into fewer, larger updates, each built around one headline feature. That rhythm of two or three major drops a year is still the pattern today.
3. 2017–2019: Bunkers, Nightclubs and the Casino
2017 opened with Cunning Stunts: Special Vehicle Circuit on March 14, then Gunrunning on June 13 added Bunkers and the Mobile Operations Center. Smuggler's Run followed on August 29 with Hangars and air-based smuggling.
The Doomsday Heist arrived on December 12, 2017: a three-act story heist run from the Facility, and still one of the biggest single updates the game has received.
2018 brought the Southern San Andreas Super Sport Series on March 20, then After Hours on July 24. After Hours added Nightclubs, the Terrorbyte and the Oppressor Mk II, and it quietly became one of the most important updates ever for making money.
Arena War closed 2018 on December 11 with gladiator-style vehicle combat in the Maze Bank Arena. It was popular with its fans, even if it never became a money-making staple.
2019 belonged to the casino. The Diamond Casino & Resort opened on July 23, adding the resort itself, penthouses and casino games. The Diamond Casino Heist followed on December 12, run from a new property type, the Arcade.
Looking back, the pattern of these three years is clear. Each update added a permanent piece of the economy: a production business in the Bunker, a passive hub in the Nightclub, a repeatable heist in the Arcade. Players who bought in early were building the foundations that money-making still rests on.
4. 2020–2022: A New Island, Tuners and the Enhanced Era
After the Los Santos Summer Special on August 11, 2020, Rockstar did something it had never done before. The Cayo Perico Heist on December 15, 2020 added an entirely new island location, the Kosatka submarine and the first heist designed to be fully playable solo.
That update reshaped the game's economy for years. Our full guide to the Cayo Perico Heist covers how it works today.
Los Santos Tuners arrived on July 20, 2021 with the LS Car Meet and the Auto Shop. The Contract followed on December 15, 2021, bringing back Franklin Clinton, adding the Agency, Dr. Dre's VIP Contract and Payphone Hits.
On March 15, 2022, GTA Online launched for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as part of Expanded & Enhanced. The new versions added Hao's Special Works and the Career Builder, which gives new characters a funded business start.
The Criminal Enterprises followed on July 26, 2022. Rather than adding one new business, it expanded all the existing ones and let players run business work in Invite Only sessions for the first time.
Los Santos Drug Wars closed 2022 on December 13, adding the Fooliganz story strand, the Acid Lab business and the First Dose missions, with the Last Dose follow-up arriving in March 2023.
5. 2023–2026: Mercenaries, Mansions and the Kortz Center Heist
San Andreas Mercenaries landed on June 13, 2023, adding LSA Operations with Charlie Reed. The Chop Shop followed on December 12, 2023, adding the Salvage Yard, vehicle robberies and the Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid strand.
Bottom Dollar Bounties arrived on June 25, 2024 with the Bail Office and Dispatch Work. In October 2024, that update's Halloween follow-up added the Ludendorff Cemetery Survival in North Yankton.
Agents of Sabotage closed 2024 on December 10, adding the Garment Factory and the FIB Files. Oscar Guzman Flies Again followed on March 4, 2025, built around the McKenzie Field Hangar.
Money Fronts arrived on June 17, 2025, adding money-laundering fronts: the Hands On Car Wash, Smoke on the Water and Higgins Helitours. Its August 2025 follow-up added the Cayo Perico Survival mode.
A Safehouse in the Hills landed on December 10, 2025, adding purchasable mansions and bringing Michael De Santa back. The mansions also set up the game's next heist.
That heist is The Kortz Center Heist, released on July 14, 2026 with Title Update 1.73. It also rebalanced older heist payouts and added a weekly first-completion boost, which our weekly reset guide explains.
Thirteen years in, the updates keep coming. Whether the pace holds once GTA 6 arrives is a question only Rockstar can answer, but nothing in the recent update history suggests a game being wound down.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the first GTA Online update?
Beach Bum, released on November 19, 2013. It added beach-themed vehicles, weapons, clothing and jobs, and it started the pattern of free content updates that GTA Online still follows.
When did heists come to GTA Online?
The Heists update was released on March 10, 2015, roughly a year and a half after launch. It added five heists for crews of four, including the Fleeca Job and the Pacific Standard Job.
What is the biggest GTA Online update ever?
By most measures it is between The Cayo Perico Heist, which added a new island, and The Doomsday Heist, which added a three-act story heist. Cayo Perico is usually named the most significant because it changed how the whole game is played solo.
How many updates has GTA Online had?
Dozens of named content updates, plus hundreds of weekly event updates. This list covers the major content drops only, which is why smaller releases like individual vehicle weeks do not appear.
When was GTA Online's Expanded & Enhanced version released?
March 15, 2022, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It added Hao's Special Works, the Career Builder for new characters and improved performance and graphics options.
What did The Criminal Enterprises update add?
Released on July 26, 2022, it expanded the existing Executive, Biker, Gunrunner and Nightclub businesses, added Operation Paper Trail, and allowed business work to be run in Invite Only sessions.
When did mansions come to GTA Online?
Mansions arrived with A Safehouse in the Hills on December 10, 2025. The update added three purchasable Prix Luxury mansions and brought back Michael De Santa.
What is the latest GTA Online update?
At the time of writing, the latest major update is The Kortz Center Heist, released on July 14, 2026. It added a museum heist for mansion owners with the Art Studio, and rebalanced several older heist payouts.
Are GTA Online updates free?
Yes. Every content update listed here was free for anyone who owns the game. Rockstar earns from Shark Cards and GTA+, not from selling the updates themselves.
Why are some updates not on this list?
This list covers the major content updates only. Seasonal returns, weekly bonus events, individual vehicle releases and small patches are left out so the list stays readable; their absence does not mean they did not happen.
Summary
GTA Online's update history is the story of a mode that outgrew its original design several times over. What began with beach clothes in 2013 became businesses in 2016, a casino in 2019, a new island in 2020 and mansions in 2025.
The order matters because each era explains the next: you cannot understand today's money game without the updates that built it. And with a new heist landing as recently as July 2026, the list is not finished yet.
