The amount of care and attention that Rockstar Games pays to GTA Online in Grand Theft Auto V continues. The developer announced a new update for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game that brings public multiplayer events to the online space called Freemode Events, which are coming in a September 15 update.
“Freemode Events in Grand Theft Auto Online are a new advancement in open world gameplay, giving players access to a range of seamlessly integrated games and challenges in GTA Online’s Freemode,” Rockstar explained in a news post. “Taking full advantage of the latest generation of consoles and PC hardware, there are no menus, lobbies, or load times – just an open Freemode session filled with Friends, Crewmates, rivals, and randoms where spontaneous and chaotic new games and challenges will appear.”
The #GTAOnline Freemode Events Update is coming next week Sept 15. Watch the new trailer: https://t.co/SZPuF3WBDz pic.twitter.com/uwRi9zjkR6
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) September 10, 2015
These Freemode Events will kick off approximately every 12 minutes in the GTA Online open world. Players will be alerted with a countdown clock when an event is about to take place. They can then decide whether to participate, spectate, or do something else. Completing the events does, of course, reward GTA$ and reputation.
There will be a multiple of Freemode Events available, and players can customize their sessions to decide “exactly which ones will happen.” There are different variations on racing, stunt challenges, PVP, and more.
The accompanying video at the top of this article demonstrated some of the Freemode Events being added to GTA Online .
“Penned In” is a mix of racing and demolition derby as players must race vehicles while staying within a moving zone. Getting knocked out of the zone or not just not keeping up for a set period of time results in the explosion of the player’s vehicle.
“King of the Castle” is a spin on the traditional King of the Hill multiplayer mode, where players must capture and defend a point on the map.
Meanwhile, “Moving Target” features players trying to defend a souped up armored car against other players, while “Hunt the Beast” is a twist on VIP mode, where one player is turned into a “faster, stronger, beastly character who must escape relentless pursuers.”
Freemode Events are not the only new feature coming to GTA Online in the September 15 update. A pair of new adversary modes will arrive as well.
Hunting Pack: You are part of a team tasked to deliver a priority vehicle rigged to explode if it drops below a minimum speed, while your opponents race, ram, and batter to take it down.
Cross the Line: Heavily-armed squads face off across a neutral zone – with the goal of having all team members strategically penetrate their opponents territory to claim victory.
The previously announced Rockstar Editor for the PS4 and Xbox One will also be included. This is the feature that will allow players to shoot and edit their own videos in-game. It launched with the PC version of GTA V and will now finally be available for consoles.
[Images via Rockstar Games]