GTA Online heists arrive early 2015 with new weapons and vehicles

It’s safe to say that just about everybody dug Grand Theft Auto V last year. Part of that success was due to the game having three great leads, a vibrant world and no annoying cousin phoning you and wanting to enquire about an evening of ten-pin bowling. What the game also had, were bank heists. These were great missions, structured into several phases that required planning, teamwork and precision. And now, they’re finally headed online.

According to Rockstar, there’ll be around 20 hours of new gameplay split across “five unique strands” and 20 missions in the online heists. Besides the usual reward of cash from a successful heist that proves that crime does indeed pay, players who complete all five of these events will also get other rewards. They’ll get even more rewards, should they rob the bank in the new first-person mode.

“We never want to have to move a date but if something is delayed, it’s because it’s not at the level we expect of ourselves,” lead mission designer Imran Sarwar explained to IGN. “And while we’re not there yet, we’re getting close and Heists will be ready early in 2015.”

According to Sarwar, heists will work pretty much the same way that they did in GTA 5 Offline. “A series of multi-tiered missions featuring diverse prep work, a range of different types of gameplay and a big finale, where team coordination and playing your own distinct role could make the difference between success or failure,” Sarwar said.

We also wanted each one to have a unique thread that brought you back in touch with some of the characters from the story.

In order to take part in a heist, you’ll need to be at Rank 12 in the game, and a crew will also need four players. The heist leader will also need to own an expensive apartment for planning requirements, invite players, pick outfits and choose weapons. As you might have guessed, the heist leader is responsible for all costs for setting up a score then, and won’t be paid out a cut of the score until the heist is complete.

It’s been a while since GTA Online announced heists, with Sarwar explaining that creating the mode took more time than Rockstar originally envisioned, coupled with the current-gen ports of the game resulted in the delayed development. I’ve been waiting patiently for the mode, which could be the GTA Online equivalent of a raid boss mission or a Destiny strike.

Here’s a bunch of screens from AGB, to get you pumped for next year when Heists arrive.

Last Updated: December 17, 2014