Yes, There Is a Yeti — but Only in Season
GTA Online really does have a Yeti, and hunting it is a proper little quest: a mysterious text, five grisly clues scattered through Raton Canyon, a night-time fight in the snow, GTA$100,000 in total rewards and the Yeti Outfit for your wardrobe.
The honest catch is availability. The Yeti Hunt is holiday event content — it debuted in December 2023 and returns in festive event windows rather than running all year. If the hunt is not live when you read this, nothing is broken; you are simply out of season.
This guide covers the full chain as documented by the guides that mapped it at launch: how the hunt starts, where each of the five clues sits, how the fight works, and what you earn — so you are ready the next time the snow falls.
Key Takeaways
- The Yeti Hunt debuted with the December 2023 holiday event and returns in festive windows, including Christmas 2024 and the December 2025 season.
- A text from Tanner starts the hunt and marks a search circle in Raton Canyon, in the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness.
- Five clues — a dead deer, body parts, a wrecked car, a bloodied tent and a torn shirt — each pay GTA$10,000 and 1,000 RP.
- The Yeti appears only at night, between 21:00 and 06:00 in-game, after all five clues are found.
- Defeating it pays GTA$50,000 and unlocks the Yeti Outfit, found in your wardrobe under Outfits: Festive.
1. When the Yeti Hunt Runs
Rockstar's Newswire post of 21 December 2023 introduced the hunt plainly: "Find the five clues that lead to the Yeti and defeat the mythical creature by January 3 to unlock the Yeti Outfit." It was the headline hunt of that year's holiday event.
It has returned since. Rockstar's festive post of 19 December 2024 brought it back for Christmas 2024, and the hunt appeared again in the December 2025 holiday window, listed in Rockstar's seasonal round-up among the returning holiday modes.
The pattern is clear: this is Christmas content, in the same seasonal family as the events covered in our GTA Online Halloween events guide, just at the opposite end of the calendar. Expect it in the festive window, never promise it in July, and check the current event week before setting out.
2. Starting the Hunt: Tanner's Text and the White Circle
The hunt starts near the hunt area itself. Travel to the north of the map — Raton Canyon, in the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness, in the country north of Fort Zancudo — and you receive a text from a hunter named Tanner about a strange beast that nearly killed him.
Accepting his lead marks the search area on your map with a large white circle. Everything in the hunt happens inside that circle: the five clues are hidden within it, and the Yeti stalks the same ground.
There is no cost, no property requirement and no rank gate reported by the launch guides. If Tanner's text does not arrive, the likeliest explanation is the simplest one: the event is not currently live.
3. The Five Clues, One by One
The clues can be investigated in any order, and all five sit in the northern part of Raton Canyon inside the circle. As you near one, a heartbeat-like audio cue begins to sound — follow the drone and it leads you in.
The dead deer lies at the far western end of the canyon, down by the river and the ravine, against the rocks. You may need to climb or swim down to it carefully.
The body parts rest under a felled tree near the road, west of the circle's centre, below a bend. The wrecked car sits under a small bridge to the east, where it tumbled off the road above.
The bloodied tent is pitched on a hill among the trees in the north-western part of the circle, with camping gear outside it. The torn, bloodied shirt lies in a ditch beside another wrecked car, just north of the circle's centre, near where a spring feeds the river.
Walk up to each clue and use the investigate prompt. Like the fixed scenes in our GTA Online collectibles locations guide, each site is permanent once you know the ground — the challenge is the searching, not the interacting.
4. Clue Rewards and the Heartbeat Cue
Every clue pays GTA$10,000 and 1,000 RP on investigation, so the search alone is worth GTA$50,000 before you ever see the creature. Few festive activities pay you this well for a walk in the woods.
The heartbeat cue does the guiding. It fades in as you approach a clue and strengthens as you close the distance, which turns the hunt into a game of hotter-and-colder across the canyon.
Hunt the clues in daylight. The terrain is steep, the river is cold, and everything about the search is easier when you can see — the night is reserved for the fight itself, on your terms.
5. The Night Fight: 21:00 to 06:00
With all five clues found, the Yeti can appear — but only at night, between 21:00 and 06:00 in-game time. Return to the circle after dark and it will come for you, marked with a red skull icon as it charges.
Guides agree it is fast and hits hard, faster than a player on foot. Bring a powerful automatic weapon or explosives, keep moving, and use the terrain and any vehicle you brought to keep distance between its charges.
The fight is entirely soloable, which makes the hunt one of the better festive earns for lone players — it sits naturally alongside the activities in our guide to how to make money solo in GTA Online whenever it is in season.
If dawn comes mid-fight, the window closes. Wait for the next night rather than wandering the canyon at noon — the Yeti keeps office hours, and they are strictly nocturnal.
6. The Yeti Outfit and the Full Payout
Defeating the Yeti pays GTA$50,000, bringing the hunt's total to GTA$100,000: fifty from the five clues, fifty from the kill. The money lands without any property, delivery or cooldown attached.
The lasting prize is the Yeti Outfit — a full white-furred creature suit, unlocked the moment the Yeti falls. You will find it in any wardrobe under Outfits: Festive, which is also the honest labelling: this is a Christmas costume earned from a Christmas hunt.
Once unlocked, the outfit is yours permanently, including after the event ends. The hunt itself cannot be farmed — it is a one-time chain per character per appearance — so the outfit marks players who were there in season.
7. If You Missed It: What to Do in the Off-Season
If the hunt is not live, there is no workaround — no setting, session type or glitch summons the Yeti out of season, and you should be suspicious of any video claiming otherwise. The clues simply are not in the world until the event returns.
The creature content cupboard is not bare in the meantime. Our GTA Online zombies guide covers the game's official undead modes, which run to their own seasonal rhythm in the autumn.
Then, when the festive event lands in December, work the hunt early in the window. The chain takes under an hour once you know the canyon, and the Yeti Outfit will still be turning heads in lobbies long after the snow melts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Yeti Hunt live in GTA Online right now?
Only during festive event windows. It debuted in December 2023 and returned for Christmas 2024 and the December 2025 season. Outside those windows the clues are not in the world — check the current event week before travelling to Raton Canyon.
How do I start the Yeti Hunt?
Travel to Raton Canyon in the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness, in the north of the map near Fort Zancudo, while the event is live. You will receive a text from Tanner about a strange beast, and a white search circle appears on your map.
Where are the five Yeti clues?
All five are inside the search circle in northern Raton Canyon: a dead deer by the river at the western end, body parts under a felled tree, a wrecked car under a small bridge, a bloodied tent on a hill among trees, and a torn shirt in a ditch beside another wrecked car.
How much does the Yeti Hunt pay?
GTA$100,000 in total. Each of the five clues pays GTA$10,000 and 1,000 RP, and defeating the Yeti pays a further GTA$50,000.
When does the Yeti appear?
Only at night, between 21:00 and 06:00 in-game, and only after you have investigated all five clues. It approaches inside the search circle and is marked with a red skull icon.
How do I beat the Yeti?
It is fast and charges, so keep your distance and keep moving. Guides recommend powerful automatic weapons or explosives, using a vehicle and the canyon terrain to break its charges. The fight is soloable with a solid loadout.
Where is the Yeti Outfit in my wardrobe?
Under Outfits: Festive in any wardrobe or clothing store changing room. It unlocks permanently the moment you defeat the Yeti, and stays available after the event ends.
Can I repeat the Yeti Hunt for money?
No. It is a one-time chain per character for each appearance of the event — the GTA$100,000 and the outfit are earned once, not farmed. It returns with the festive event for players who missed it.
Do I need any property or rank to start the hunt?
No requirements were reported by the guides that covered the hunt at launch — no property, no business and no rank gate. You only need the event to be live and to reach the Raton Canyon area.
What is the heartbeat sound during the hunt?
It is the proximity cue for clues. An ominous heartbeat-style drone fades in as you approach one of the five clue sites and grows stronger as you get closer, guiding you to each scene.
Closing Thoughts
The Yeti Hunt is Rockstar's festive formula at its best: a small story told in five grim scenes, a genuinely tense night fight, GTA$100,000 and a ridiculous outfit to show for it. It only visits in season — so when the December event lands, take Tanner's text, work the canyon by day, and be standing in the circle when the dark comes down.
