A few choice Snapmatic photos from the Independence Day Special, compliments of community members MILKFED, Sabotage_OG_187, SilverFox1, ChaosofDestiny and Deltakeks.

There is less than one week left to get the limited-time content made available as part of the GTA Online Independence Day Special. So if you have yet to acquire vehicles like the Sovereignmotorcycle and the Liberator monster truck, weapons like the Musket and Firework Rocket Launcher, or any of the patriotic tees and masks in-game then now's the time. The seven new properties, the ability to ride the Ferris Whale and the Leviathan Roller Coaster, and the 17 new Jobs will all remain open permanently.

For those who've asked, the Firework Rocket Launcher along with its ammo will be available again during future holidays and other special events when fireworks are traditionally let off. At the beginning of any holiday or special event where fireworks are available, players who purchased the Firework Rocket Launcher previously will receive one free full refill of ammo per qualifying event in order to make sure you can properly celebrate.

And stay tuned for future GTA Online updates to be announced on the Newswire, including some bonus double RP later this week to help send off the Independence Day Special in proper patriotic style.

Get ready to light up the skies with your all-new Independence Day Special fireworks, stars-and-stripes tees, and monster truck mayhem in a special 4-day Social Club Event this weekend, Thursday July 3rd through Sunday July 6th. San Andreas will be celebrating the birthplace of freedom with big RP & GTA$ bonuses, patriotic discounts at Ammu-Nation, giveaways and lots more - all as part of the Grand Theft Auto Online Independence Day Event Weekend.

GET DOUBLE GTA$ AND DOUBLE RP WHEN PLAYING IN THE INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL EVENT PLAYLIST

The "Independence Day Special Event" Playlist is a special selection of some of the brand new Rockstar-created Jobs published this week including specific Races for new vehicles like the Sovereign motorcycle and the super-sized Liberator monster truck. This weekend only (starting this Thursday), this Playlist will score you Double GTA$ and Double RP. To access the Playlist, just go to Online > Playlists > Rockstar Created in the GTA Online Start Menu and select "Independence Day Event" from the options listed. Alternatively, hit the Event button in the GTAV loading screens to launch straight into the Playlist.

75% OFF AIRSTRIKES

Merryweather Security is also getting in on the celebrations with a 75% discount on Airstrikes all weekend. So if some left-leaning Belgian beer drinker asks for sparkling water at your Blaine County BBQ, you can call in cut-rate backup from friends in very high places. To call in an Airstrike, call Merryweather from your in-game phone, select 'Airstrike' and then drop a flare at your target position.

25% OFF HEAVY AMMO (FOR RPGs, GRENADE LAUNCHERS AND MINIGUNS) - COURTESY OF AMMU-NATION

The good folks at Ammu-Nation believe that all Americans should have access to military-grade weapons without a 'defense budget' price tag. All weekend, they're offering 25% off ammo for RPGs, Grenade Launchers and Miniguns, because packing enough personal firepower to wipe out a small nation is a right, not a privilege.

FREE PEGASUS DELIVERIES FOR EZ ACCESS TO THE LIBERATOR MONSTER TRUCK

Pegasus Lifestyle Management salutes your independence by giving you the freedom to call in any oversized vehicle at absolutely no charge. Take advantage of the weekend-long offer to get to grips with the brand new Liberator monster truck, and spend 4th of July Weekend crushing cars into the ground like you'd crush beer cans against your own head.

#INDEPENDENCEDAY SNAPMATIC CONTEST

However you're commemorating the Fourth of July this weekend, we want to see those Snapmatic pics showing your love for Old Glory. Whether you're rolling over foreign compact cars in the Liberator monster truck or setting off some fireworks in the yard of your new Paleto Bay abode, share your most creative, amusing or beauteous patriotic snaps for a chance to win GTA$1M and an AMERICA vanity license plate for your in-game vehicle.

To make your shots eligible for entry, simply log in to Social Club and tag them #INDEPENDENCEDAY between now and the end of Sunday.

See full rules and eligibility details.

THE ROCKSTAR BROADCAST "INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL" LIVE STREAM: AMERICA VERSUS GREAT BRITAIN - THE REMATCH

Join us at 2pm ET this Thursday July 3rd for the revolutionary Rockstar Games Official Event Weekend Live Stream, showcasing a grudge match nearly 240 years in the making: it's America VS Great Britain - The Rematch. The US team will be represented by special guest Lui Calibre playing alongside our own Rockstar NYC devs - while the UK team will be represented by the one and only GTA V O'Clock Crew playing live from London - all hosted and commentated by Lazlow and the rest of the Rockstar Broadcast studio team. We'll be battling through a Crew Head to Head playlist featuring all new Jobs from The Independence Day Special. As always, we'll be streaming the show across the Social Club Events page, the Rockstar Games Twitch Channel and our YouTube Channel page. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on Twitch and Twitter to get the word as soon as we go live. Join us in the chat, and show your support, whether Yank or Redcoat.

INDEPENDENCE DAY GEAR GIVEAWAY SWEEPSTAKES

We'll be giving away five (5) exclusive prize packs of suitably patriotic and rare GTA gear in the Independence Day Gear Giveaway Sweepstakes. Each pack will include a GTAIV Aluminum Bat, Patriot Beer cup, GTAIV foam finger, Statue of Happiness figurine, plus a GTAV Los Santos Lifeguard tee and a Vice City beach ball. Ten (10) runners-up will each get GTAV tee and stickers. You can enter to win right now through Sunday at http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/events. See Official Rules.

The High Life Update is here – you can now download the latest update to Grand Theft Auto Online featuring tons of brand new content along with some exciting features added to the game experience.

The High Life Update gives you the chance to live large in Los Santos with the ability to own two properties at any one time, and the addition of five opulent new apartments. Add to your real estate portfolio with hot new listings at Eclipse Towers in Vinewood, Richards Majestic in Rockford Hills, Tinsel Towers in Little Seoul, 4 Integrity Way in Downtown, and Del Perro Heights by the beach. As always, just drive up to the new property location sale and follow the prompts, or head to Dynasty8realestate.com to look for your next purchase.

Now that you can store vehicles across two apartment garages, you’ll be looking to put something new and shiny in them and The High Life Update offers a trio of luxury cars and a blistering new motorbike to add to your collection. The Enus Huntley S (SUV), Dewbauchee Massacro (Sports), Pegassi Zentorno (Super) and Dinka Thrust (Motorcycle) are all now available to purchase from Legendary Motorsport. Remember, these vehicles can also be accessed from any garage in Story Mode, adding a new spin to your mission replays.

And because success breeds jealousy, the powerful Bullpup Rifle is now available in Ammu-Nation to help you protect your assets.

Gear up with the all-new vehicles and weaponry to take on brand new Rockstar-created Jobs in GTA Online, including 8 new Contact missions listed below. These new Jobs will be available to play later today (check the Rockstar Newswire for updates) and stay tuned as there are even more being published soon including Capture, Survival, TDM and Last Team Standing mode Jobs.

Contact: GTA Today | Artificial Scarcity | Crime Scenester | Hit ‘Em Up | Master Data | Handle with Care | On the List | Denial of Service
Land Race: Stock Market Crash | Loss Leader | Home In The Hills | Thrusting Motion

High Life also introduces many new game features and enhancements including some updates directly based on feedback from you, the GTA Online community (remember to keep your feedback coming to GTAOnline@rockstargames.com where we’re always reviewing your input for consideration).

·         With the new Mental State stat, we are keeping track of your behavior. If you seem to enjoy attacking pedestrians and terrorizing other players, then your blip will start to turn red on other players’ maps. The redder the blip, the more psychotic the player; the whiter the blip, the friendlier they are.
The actions you take will have varying effects on your Mental State. For example, killing another player will turn your blip red faster than blowing up a car or taking out a random pedestrian. Killing a player with a white blip will push your Mental State into the red faster than killing more psycho players, while taking out full-on psycho players won’t cause your own Mental State stat to increase at all.
Mental state also factors into matchmaking - you’ll automatically join Freemode sessions containing people more ‘compatible’ with your play style, and if a red-blipped lunatic does enter your session, you at least have fair warning!
 
·         Non-Contact Races are now an option. When you create a Non-Contact race, other racers appear as semi-transparent and collisions with them are disabled (although you'll still be able to collide with non-player traffic, structures and other scenery).

·         You now have the option to Friend Spectate – if you and a friend are in separate GTA Online sessions you can now choose to spectate that player through the Friends menu.

·         New player toasts and celebrations: Switch out your salute for jazz hands, a face palm, a slow clap and more. There are also paired toasts for celebrating with a friend, like a backslap, or a solid, manly handshake.
 
·         New clothing: It can be hard work finding the perfect ensemble to really make your character stand out, so we’ve done some of the hard work for you and put together some stylish outfits. Hit the town, dressed to the nines with an array of classy new suit sets available with a pret-a-porter jacket, trousers, suit vest and shoes.
 
·         10 additional vehicles from Story Mode are now available for the first time in GTA Online – these will be marked on the car sales websites as new in the High Life Update so you can find them easily atsouthernsanandreassuperautos.com and legendarymotorsport.net:

§  Bravado Banshee Topless

§  Inverto Coquette Topless

§  Vapid Dominator Ocelot F620

§  Schyster Fusilade

§  Maibatsu Penumbra

§  Ubermacht Sentinel XS

§  Ubermacht Sentinel (Convertible)

§  Grotti Stinger Topless

§  Coil Voltic Topless


Today’s update 1.13 also includes some improvements and fixes including:
·         Based on feedback from the stunting community, the changes to bike physics in a recent Title Update have been reverted.
·         Fixed an exploit where players were able to shoot in their garages.
·         Fixed an issue where players would occasionally not be able to reclaim a vehicle despite it being insured.
·         Fixed an issue where the water cannon on the Fire Truck did not work correctly.

For the full list of fixes, you can view Title Update notes at the Rockstar Support site.

To download today's free update, fire up your connected PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, start GTAV and download the automatic update (1.13) when prompted (Xbox 360 players will also be required to download an additional compatibility pack upon entering GTA Online).

Also stay tuned here at the Newswire for details on the High Life Weekend Social Club Event starting this Friday, with in-game bonuses, a special Rockstar-hosted live stream, rare gear sweepstakes and more.

Congratulations to the #CaptureWeekend Award selections, the first four GTA Online Capture Jobs to be recognized as Rockstar Verified. Chosen from among the scores of creations submitted by fans following the release of the GTA Online Capture Creator Update, these Creators each receive a cool GTA$1,000,000 plus an exclusive in-game CAPTURE license plate and the opportunity to join us on a future Rockstar Games live stream broadcast to play through and talk about their creation. Here are all the details on these new additions, which are now playable across both platforms and easily accessible from any GTA Online session:

Contend: Corrupt Cops - Created by JuzSlayin
Competing Police divisions race across the banks of Procopio Beach in Paleto Bay to take on a large gang of knife-wielding Ballas and confiscate their goods as "evidence". The fun you'll have launching vehicles off ramps to crash down on to the unsuspecting heads of these purple-clad gangbangers cannot be understated, but make sure you don't stop to take in the scenery when you're collecting the bags - the Ballas numbers are high and they certainly know how to close the distance between the end of their blades and the center of a corrupt officer's ribcage.

GTA: That’s My Rhino - Created by RikkiVercetti
Here, two groups of pilots in a flock of P-996 Lazers square off over The Alamo Sea in hot pursuit of a single Rhino Tank. Whether you are flying in from Grapeseed in the north or the Grand Senora Desert in the south, you'll want to be mindful of the armed ground level mercs guarding the tank that won't take too kindly to your incursion. The Creator of this Capture, RikkiVercetti is a member of the Creator’s Core Club Crew and has created a total of 37 Jobs so far.

GTA: Payback Time - Created by MaximilianR18
"Just grab a bike and pedal! Even you ain't forgotten that." - BMXs will take you into the Vespucci Canals, but hopefully one of the prized vehicles will take you back out. With each squad aiming for different vehicles, the central head-to-head bloodbath that often occurs in GTA Captures will be minimized, but tough AI characters guarding the waterways will still give you ample opportunity for some trigger time, along with any confrontations with the opposition as you come back across the bridges with your bounty.

Contend: Adventure Team - Created by Organlegger
This epic relay to the top of Mt. Chiliad gives you a large variety of vehicle options to choose from, and once you get there, you're given a parachute to make your way back down to the Capture point. Savvy players might want to pair up in the Maverick heli to make those return trips a bit easier, but in the end a freefall leap of faith from the cliff side is still likely to be the fastest way down.

The latest round of Rockstar Verified GTA Online Jobs are now available for everyone to play on PSN and Xbox Live. If you're looking for new competitive and fun Races and Deathmatches to play, you can follow the links below to bookmark these on Social Club for easy access next time you boot up the game. And budding Creators, be sure to test these out to get the feel for what it might take to have your masterpiece become Rockstar Verified in a future update.

Beach Side Race - created by papa_salada
After a quick tour of the Vespucci Canals, motorbikes and ATVs can really open it up along the coastal road from Vespucci Beach North to the Pacific Bluffs in this Race. We think papa_salada has picked the perfect vehicle class for this track, as the two and four wheelers can use their fearsome top speed to get some serious airtime on the canal bridges and that tricky jump along the final straightaway.

Custom Freeway gymkhana - created by SaltedCracka
With eight races already under his belt, SaltedCracka’s experience with the Creator tools are on display here. This short technical race around the docks features neat changes in elevation, a well-placed jump that fits perfectly with the flow of the race and some narrow, tricky turns that require deft use of the brake pedal. SaltedCracka has set the default vehicle as the Sultan - an excellent choice for drifting around the corners. The description for the Job pinpoints the final turn as the opportunity to “take it all and be #1”. Sage advice.

From Weazel to Weazel - created by cionyes
This tour of Los Santos and Banham Canyon is a great example of how to place pickups in a GTA Race, and it's clear to see why even prior to Verification the race has been played nearly 2,000 times. Creatorcionyes hasn't just randomly peppered the course with pickups, instead choosing to place them in groups just before wide open avenues. This allows players to open the throttle, or open fire on the long straights and really make a play for first position. In the final dash through Banham Canyon opt for rockets instead of speed boosts to thwart the front-runners just in time to take the checkered flag back at Weazel Plaza.

Rush Hour - created by YouStupidFatFuk
Choose your vehicle carefully as tight handling is required to navigate the twists and turns on this long tour of the Los Santos highways. In what feels like a nod to "The Commute", one of the more popular races in GTA Online, the civilians of Los Santos aren't your only worry as up to 15 other drivers battle along the freeways. Expect a lot of paint to be traded along the way.

High Road - created by Spider-aka-Mr19
A thrilling and chaotic race that goes from Los Santos' town center up into the hills for some alternative agriculture before racing back to Hawick and a rendezvous with your friendly neighborhood "pharmacist". Keep an eye out for some magnificent views of the Vinewood sign as you ride north into the hills.

The Pad of Death - created by DatBread
An anarchic Deathmatch down at the Los Santos docks filled with an arsenal of powerful weapons, explosives and grenades. While there's a healthy dose of chaos, there's also enough cover to afford tactical play; the terrain is littered with trucks and containers to allow for some surprise attacks and melee kills. Top tip: watch out for campers on the highway overpass and be sure to grab a Sniper Rifle or RPG from the jetty to take them down.

Horseback Hell - created by Misterbocs007
Misterbocs007, a representative of the Payne Killers Public Crew, shows his considerable Creator skills with this Team Deathmatch at the Paddocks just off the Senora Freeway. Items and pickups are grouped together close to spawn points and behind cover. These reload points encourage respawning players to immediately re-enter the fray, while players who have survived a firefight can retreat to this cover to restock before the next round. For an extra kick, huge gas tanks litter the map - aim a few volleys from the grenade launcher in their direction for some satisfying multikills.

Lodge Battle - created by Su-per-cat
There's certainly a slasher flick feel to the locale for this Deathmatch - an abandoned lodge in a remote forest. We recommend playing this one at night with the rain coming down for the full effect. We've seen a lot of melee-weapon Deathmatches created in small flat enclosed spaces, but fencing around the Bayview Lodge makes for an altogether different proposition. For those who prefer more explosive weaponry, pick up one of the Grenade Launchers from either end of the oval enclosure and launch them indiscriminately towards the center, or grab an Assault Rifle in the middle and clamber on to the steep pitched roof to get a vantage on the battles below.

Woodbury - created by RussianConcussin
RussianConcussin has created a Team Deathmatch with a story all of its own... A small town in the Blaine County Wilderness has been fortified with barriers positioning one team as the conquering aggressor, and the other as the defiant defenders of their fortress. This is a game of territorial control and teamwork, particularly if the lobby leader follows RussianConcussin's recommendation to force players to start with knives and pick up more powerful weapons as they move through the map.

Long Haul 2 - created by Paradis_420
Get your Cheetah, Entity XF or Adder tuned up for the ultimate Supercar endurance test. There's almost no need to take your foot of the gas for the entire 12 minutes of this Race which is now the longest Rockstar Created or Rockstar Verified Job in GTA Online. The key to winning lies in the ability to maintain concentration, and to negotiate the traffic while still flying at top speed. Keep an eye on the minimap though, as your opponents will come hurtling past just as you've settled into your comfort zone.

We’ve got some great news especially for the large Social Club Crews out there who’ve long since hit the historic member cap ceiling of 300. We’ve now more than tripled the maximum member cap for all user-made Crews to allow for up to 1,000 people in your ranks.

So with the ability to seriously swell your Crew roster head count, it’s time for some heavy-duty rallying and recruiting and we’ll certainly be on the lookout to see who truly grows their army or consolidates forces amongst affiliate Crews. Be sure to use your Crew's profile page feed and in-game messaging features this weekend to set up a few lobbies to meet, greet, audition or orient your new Crew mates (remember that in GTA Online. you earn 10% more RP for Jobs completed with a Crew member). And with join requests likely to come raining down heavy and fast, Crew Leaders and Commissioners should make sure your Crew Hierarchy is in order to help deal with the new recruits.  

With Crew headcount now reaching four figures, it's also a perfect time to get familiar with the recently released Crew Head to Head Playlist challenge feature. To initiate a Crew Head to Head, you'll need to create a Playlist that does not contain Vehicle Deathmatches, Survivals or any Jobs that require more than 2 teams. Head to My Playlists in the Online menus and you will see the option to start a "Head to Head (BETA)" by clicking the right stick on your game controller. From the lobby screen you can go ahead and invite other players from your own Crew, Friend's Crew or from Skill Matched Crews. You'll need to have some cash in your wallet to set the wager - the minimum is $1000 - but the ultimate Crew bragging rights are worth much more.

We're also taking the occasion of this new Crew update to kick off the first Grand Theft Auto Online Crew vs Crew battle live stream this Friday February 7th at 2pm ET broadcasting from our official Twitchand YouTube channels. Tune in then to see us pit two bloodthirsty Crews against each other over the course of a curated Playlist of Rockstar Verified and Rockstar Created Jobs. Note that one Rockstar dev player will join each side to play in order to facilitate streaming and to keep things fair. We've already reached out to a few of the toughest Crews around (we'll be confirming the first matchup sometime this week) and will be contacting others soon. If you would like to be considered for the live stream battles, please get in touch with us at crewchallenges@rockstargames.com telling us your Crew name, a link to your Crew profile page, the specific platform you would like to stream on and a reason why you should feature on the stream. We may also show preference in selecting your Crew if you have a video that showcases your ability at competitive game modes - and if there's a specific Crew with whom you have beef you'd like to settle in a public arena - so definitely let us know via email. If we like what we see, we will get back in touch to find out your availability and to try and coordinate an upcoming battle. If you aren't picked, then stay out there and keep on truckin'. We're always on the lookout for Crews that are representing hard. (Although please note that anyone spamming the email or the comments section will automatically be disqualified from consideration!)

As always, for notifications of when our stream goes live, hit the subscribe and follow buttons on our YouTube, Twitch and Twitter channels and keep an eye out here at the Rockstar Newswire for Crew Cut recaps of the battles and announcements of upcoming skirmishes.

GTA Online is continuing its growth. It's a shame all the features that were promised are not out yet but with stability fixes and Cheats finally being removed it may be time to jump back onto Rockstar's most ambitious project to date. Hopefully these 10 Online Jobs have the ability to tempt players back and keep the present community GTA'ing for a long time to come. The fact these jobs are community created shows that Rockstar are supporting the work done by creators in abig way.

Recently, we challenged the GTA Online community to show us their best Races and Deathmatches during our Social Club #CreatorWeekend for a chance at GTA$1M and an exclusive GTA Online license plate. Below please find the Creator Weekend selections, along with five more community-created Jobs that will join the ranks of Rockstar Verified content as part of our continued evolution of GTA Online. Once Jobs are Rockstar Verified, they become available during Freemode sessions for players across both Xbox 360 and PS3.

ROCKSTAR VERIFIED

ROCKSTAR VERIFIED #CREATORWEEKEND SELECTIONS

Please note, in addition to occasionally changing Job names due to taste, copyright or other reasons - we (Rockstar) also from time to time will make other small edits to players' Jobs before making them Rockstar Verified. This includes, but is not limited to modifying spawn points, improving checkpoints or increasing/decreasing the amount of weapon picks ups for a particular Job.

In recent weeks, a small number of Grand Theft Auto Online players sought to exploit the game by generating and distributing game-breaking amounts of in-game cash, disrupting the experience for other players.

We will continue to issue title updates on an ongoing basis to counter the negative impact this has had on gameplay, and as part of Rockstar's recent  maintenance period, we are removing the counterfeit GTA$ from the game's economy. Anyone that innocently received GTA$ as a result of these exploits but did not engage in cheating to acquire it will not face any further action - the funds will just be removed , and you'll be able to keep any items you currently own.

Those who actively engaged in cheating and exploiting the game in this manner will, however, be subject to in-game penalties at our discretion. This may include being placed in isolated cheater pools or banned from GTA Online altogether.

Should you ever encounter someone in GTA Online that appears to be taking advantage of exploits in your session, we ask that you alert us directly via the in-game reporting functionality. In the Pause menu, under the Online tab, select Players and scroll to the offending player. From there, select Report and choose Exploits from the violation options.

We're grateful for the community's continued support in dealing with these issues and once again apologize to anyone that has had their Grand Theft Auto Online experience sullied by these exploits that broke the game's natural flow. Please stay tuned for lots more news about GTA Online in the weeks ahead.

We are happy to announce that Capture - the newest addition to the collection of team-based modes in Grand Theft Auto Online, will be available today as part of the latest free automatic update on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. With 20 new Jobs across four unique modes, this GTA twist on classic capture the flag style confrontations brings a whole new level of adversarial action to the world of Los Santos and Blaine County. Strategy plays a huge role as you run decoys, set traps and place obstacles to ensure your enemies don’t get close to your goods. These new Jobs are accessible in Freemode and spread across the four different modes described below. Read on for more details and previews of a few of our faves:

RAID

In Raid, you'll have to fight your way into your opponents' base and steal a package, then deliver it back to your base to score points. Reach the target score, or deliver more packages than your opponents do in the allotted time to win the match. 

HOLD

When playing Hold, teams must collect and store as many packages as possible in their base. Packages can either be found on the map, or stolen from the opposing team’s bases. Reach the target score, or hold the most packages when the time runs out, to win..

GTA

As the ubiquitous acronym might suggest, GTA mode tasks players with stealing target vehicles located all around the map, before bringing them back to their respective bases. Each team must fight to steal more vehicles in the allotted time than their opponents.

CONTEND

In Contend, there's only one package, situated in the middle of the map. Teams must fight to bring this package back to their respective bases, and once the package is captured it respawns in the middle of the map and is up for grabs again.

Capture will be available as part of today’s automatic update for GTA Online, which also includes a host of fixes and dynamic tuning updates. For details on those please check out the Rockstar Support page.

Today, we’re pleased to announce that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available for £4.99 on select iOS devices via the App Store and here, including iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPod Touch 5th gen, iPad 2, 3rd and 4th generation, iPad Air, iPad Mini and iPad Mini with Retina Display. Coming soon to select Android, Amazon Kindle and Windows Phone devices.

 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas features a vast open-world covering the state of San Andreas and its three major cities – Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas. In addition to enhanced visual fidelity and over 70 hours of gameplay, the game has received several technical upgrades for the iOS version and has been specially modified for use with mobile devices. Upgrades and enhancements include:

 •             Re-mastered, high-resolution graphics including lighting enhancements, an enriched color palette and improved character models;

•             Dynamic detailed shadows and real-time environmental reflections (iPhone 5 series/iPad 4th Gen and above);

•             Physical controller support for all Made-for-iOS controllers;

•             Cloud save support for playing across all of your iOS devices for Rockstar Social Club Members;

•             Updated checkpoint system;

•             Dual analog stick controls for full camera and movement control;

•             Three different touch control schemes and customizable controls.

 Five years ago, Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Now it’s the early 90’s and Carl’s got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.

Free GTA Online Deathmatch & Race Creators Update Now Available

Xbox360 TV spot Video

This weekend, Friday November 22nd through Sunday November 24th, hit the beaches of Vespucci, Chumash and Paleto Bay for the very first Grand Theft Auto Online Social Club Event Weekend.

All weekend long, plunge into a special Social Club Event Playlist of brand new Jobs from the freshly landed Beach Bum Pack, a hand-picked selection of ten of our favorite new Jobs. Drop some sea shells, go for a fuel-injected run on the beach, and take in some of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in the Los Santos Bay area in modes including Sea Race, Parachute, Team Deathmatch and more. The best performers in the Social Club Event Playlist on each platform will score themselves a special vanity license plate reward for bragging rights and to commemorate their achievement.

In Free Roam, look out for an influx of special Event Crate Drops dropping frequently all weekend containing more than double the usual amount of RP plus high-powered weapons, bonus cash and clothing. They'll be unlocked for every player to help you pack more than just sunscreen on the blazing sands.

This inaugural GTA Online Social Club Event also features exclusive sweepstakes giveaways of beach-ready GTAV collectibles, a very special live stream broadcast on Friday and more. We'll be on the lookout for your sun-kissed Snapmatic pics all weekend so be sure to tag them #VespucciBeachParty so that we can find them easily and we might feature them next week here at the Newswire.

Here’s a full rundown of all the action to expect:

Special Event Playlist

Available this weekend only is a special Social Club Event Playlist of new Jobs curated to test your mastery of land, air and sea:

• View of Vespucci (Parachute)

Show some Vespucci beach bums the true meaning of 'spaced out' with this steep parachute descent from 2980ft. See how many checkpoints you can hit before opening your 'chute.

• Up the Creek (Bike Race)

Dirt bike point to point going along Cassidy Creek and ending at the Alamo Sea. Shred from gravel and pavement to the beachfront and try to trump the rest for fame and fortune.

• Water Rings (Sea Race)

A challenging and scenic boat race weaving around the islands North of Paleto Bay. Tip: Look out for a ramp to help you get one over on your competitors.

• Vespucci Beachfront (Team Deathmatch)

Stop the gentrification of Vespucci Beach dead in its tracks with this Team Deathmatch around and on top of the businesses along the beachfront.

• Grass Route II (Race)

In this sequel to the original popular Grass Route Race, go off-road in an epic heat starting on the North bank of the Zancudo River through the treacherous wetlands with a triumphant finish on the beach in North Chumash.

• Sundae Driving (Bike Race)

Sure to be a new fan-favorite motorbike race, menace Vespucci Beach on your two-wheel rocket, taking breakneck corners as you try and best the competition.

• Procopio Beach (Team Deathmatch)

Home to an infamous truck stop, Procopio Beach has long been known as a place where people come to blow off steam, and this Team Deathmatch along the shoreline at the foot of Mt. Gordo is no exception.

• Gone Coastal (Sea Race)

Hug the coastline, pull off some breakneck turns and leap over treacherous rocks and islets in this rough race that starts in the LS River and takes you through the Palomino Highlands on the East Coast.

• Turn the Tide (Race)

In this off road Race along the coast, up to sixteen speed demons leg it out across Procopio Beach and the North coast down through Paleto State Beach to Paleto Cove.

• The Cove (Parachute)

Enjoy the stunning vistas as you rapidly descend towards Paleto Cove by Mount Chiliad... but not so much that you forget to open your chute. Prepare for a long free fall from 7500ft, weaving and diving between checkpoints and the drop zone.

Three Ways to Join

• Look out for the button prompt in the initial GTAV loading screen (visible to Social Club members only)
• Follow instructions on the loading screen when transitioning into GTA Online from Story Mode (also only visible to Social Club members)
• Select Online > Playlists > Rockstar Playlists > Vespucci Beach Party on the GTA Online Start Menu

In-Game Vanity License Plate Awards

We’ve reserved 20 special and unique vanity license plates to award top performers in the Event Playlist Leaderboard for each Job across both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. By the end of day Monday November 25th, we’ll award the following plates to the 20 people who achieve the below (plates will be added to your collection in your iFruit app).

• VESPUCCI (360), AMPED UP (PS3)
  View of Vespucci - player with the max score who made the quickest descent
• SURFS UP (360), UP CREEK (PS3)
  Up the Creek – player with the best overall time
• SEAMAN (360), POINTBRK (PS3)
  Water Rings – player with the best single lap time
• HANGFIVE (360), HANGTEN (PS3)
  Vespucci Beachfront – player with the most kills
• SUP BRO (360), SUP BRA (PS3)
  Grass Route II – player with the best overall time
• SUNDAED (360), CRUISING (PS3)
  Sundae Driving – player with the best single lap time
• WIPEOUT (360), SURFSUP (PS3)
  Procopio Beach – player with the best KDR
• BIGSURF (360),GOCOASTL (PS3)
  Gone Coastal – player with the best overall time
• SURFINLS (360), TURNTIDE (PS3)
  Turn the Tide – player with the best overall time
• THECOVE (360), LSSURFER (PS3)
  The Cove – player with the max score who made the quickest descent

Note that in the case of two players getting precisely the same stat, we will decide on a tie-breaker stat at our discretion.

Five lucky Social Club member will score a Grand Prize of surf-ready Grand Theft Auto V gear including the rare GTAV Logo Beach Towel and Los Santos Lifeguard Tee as seen below.  Ten Social Club members will also score Grand Theft Auto V Prize Packs consisting of official GTAV tees, stickers and more. Enter to win all weekend from Friday November 22nd through Sunday November 24th at http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/events. See Official Rules.

Attention all Grand Theft Auto Online players, we have begun the Stimulus Package direct deposit into each of your in-game bank accounts. This GTA$500,000 deposit applies to all GTA Online players in the month of October 2013.

We expect that it will take up to 2 full days for the Stimulus Package to be fully delivered to the entire player base from October 2013, so please be patient if you do not see it appearing in your in-game bank account just yet. We will update this post on Friday when we expect all the GTA$ Stimulus Package deposits to have been completed.

Thanks go out to everyone for their continued patience and understanding while we worked through these issues, and we can’t wait to bring more into the world of GTA Online. On that note, stay tuned for more details on the Beach Bum update soon along with upcoming Social Club event announcements and more here at the Newswire.

The newest automatic title update for GTA Online is now available for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As mentioned previously, this update addresses some residual issues where occasionally people's vehicles or vehicle modifications were disappearing due to a cloud save failure - as well as the other fixes mentioned below:

• 1) Built in measures to prevent users from losing their progress when there is a cloud outage
• 2) Built in a number of measures to protect players’ cash balances even if there are network problems
• 3) Fixed an issue where on rare occasions during network problems the player could lose their Online vehicle or mods after exiting GTA Online

Of course, if you're still experiencing any other technical problems, please visit our support website to contact our support team and subscribe to the GTA Online Launch Status article. You can also shoot us a quick message at the Rockstar Support Twitter.

We also encourage you to send any constructive gameplay feedback you have to us at our GTAOnline@rockstargames.com address, as we continue to monitor it for all the latest suggestions for tweaking and improving the experience of GTA Online.

On a related note, we anticipate the GTA$ Stimulus to be distributed in the next couple of days following this Title Update. The Stimulus will go out over the course of a full day once it's initiated so don't be alarmed if people on your friends list receive it before or later than you do. Enjoy and we certainly appreciate your patience and understanding as we sort out these remaining issues.

Thank you to everyone for joining in GTA Online throughout this first month of its release, for all of your awesome Online Snapmatic pics and Crew videos that we’ve spotted, for your patience and understanding as we’ve been working through the initial teething issues of launching an online experience like this, and for your excellent feedback to the officialGTAOnline@rockstargames.com email address. Please keep it coming as it is really helping us plan for the future of the game. Here’s a quick update for all Grand Theft Auto Online players worldwide on what’s in store in the immediate future.

THE GTA$ STIMULUS PACKAGE
We know many of you are anxiously waiting for us to show you the GTA$ Stimulus Package money we announced a couple weeks back. As mentioned in that post, we of course want to ensure that game progress loss issues are sufficiently sorted before distributing the GTA$ to everyone. We have a few more tweaks and fixes to make in a new title update that will hit sometime next week and then we will distribute the cash.

THE BEACH BUM PACK Coming in early November will be the first add-on content update, the Beach Bum Pack which will bring all-new beach themed vehicles and new weaponry that you’ll be able to use in both GTA Online and Story Mode. Plus new customization options for your GTA Online character including new tats, hairstyles and more. We’ll also be adding lots of brand new action-packed Jobs to play with Gang Attacks, Survivals, Last Team Standings, Parachutes, Deathmatches and Races that will have you bloodying up the waters and coastlines of the finest beach resorts across Los Santos and Blaine County.

THE CONTENT CREATOR
We are also working to bring you the debut of the first part of the GTA Online Content Creator this fall – giving players the ability to craft, publish, rate and play custom-made Deathmatch and Race Jobs. We’ll be keeping our eye open for exceptional ones that we’ll be stamping as ‘Rockstar Verified’ and will be featuring them here at the Newswire and as part of forthcoming GTA Online Social Club Events. Both the Content Creator and the Beach Bum Pack are free.

 SOCIAL CLUB EVENT WEEKENDS
Starting in November will be the first Grand Theft Auto Online Social Club Event weekends which will bring special rewards and bonuses ranging from limited-edition in-game Event Crate Drops to in-game discount specials and even a special new GTA Online live-stream show hosted by Rockstar at the Social Club Events page and Rockstar Games Twitchpage – plus prize pack giveaways of hard to find GTAV gear and more.

Stay tuned as we hope to have more information with more details and specific timings on these content updates as well as on GTA Online Heists and the new GTA Online Capture the Flag mode to share with you next week. We will also have initial details on more additional content coming for both Story Mode and GTA Online in the next few weeks.

 A new title update to address the reported issues of game progress loss in GTA Online as well as other technical fixes, tweaks and enhancements is now available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
This title update will resolve the cause of players losing their gameplay progress except for some specific instances where players purchase a vehicle and the save does not occur due to a cloud save failure. A fix for that particular issue is being worked on and we will provide an update as soon as we know when this will be resolved.  Fixes in this title update include: 
Fixes multiple issues causing character deletion or other loss of progress
Fixes issues causing infinite loading, infinite sky cams, and missing interface options between jobs
Fixes an issue causing the "replay" option to be locked out on certain jobs
Fixes an issue where a player would become stuck in the mod garage when respraying a Sanchez motor bike
Fixes an issue where the Player became stuck inside Los Santos Customs during Online tutorial flow.Fixes an issue causing the loss of guns and ammo
Fixes issues causing GTA races ending early because of players spawning too far ahead
Fixes issues in Last Team Standing where sessions would not progress past the lobby
Fixes issues with network errors when joining Last Team Standing using Quick Job
Added clarifications around when a player is using a temporary character in GTA Online during Rockstar Cloud server outages
Adjusts the monetary penalty for being killed in a One on One match We apologize for the problems some players have been experiencing with lost characters or game progress due to this issue – please stay tuned for updates as we continue to investigate this. In the meantime, please always remember to save your game before leaving GTA Online, otherwise you may lose any progress since your last save – this can be done by exiting back to Single Player through the pause menu. Until downloading the title update above and in order to minimize the chances of any further data loss, if at any point you receive the message “Rockstar Cloud Servers are unavailable”, please do not either select the "Retry" option or create a temporary Character to play GTA Online. Instead, you should exit to GTAV Story Mode and try entering GTA Online again through the menu in Story Mode. Please also stay tuned or subscribe to the GTA Online Status Updates articleat the Rockstar Support site for the latest word on common known technical issues and fixes.

 A new title update to address the reported issues of game progress loss in GTA Online as well as other technical fixes, tweaks and enhancements is now available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
This title update will resolve the cause of players losing their gameplay progress except for some specific instances where players purchase a vehicle and the save does not occur due to a cloud save failure. A fix for that particular issue is being worked on and we will provide an update as soon as we know when this will be resolved.  Fixes in this title update include: 
Fixes multiple issues causing character deletion or other loss of progress
Fixes issues causing infinite loading, infinite sky cams, and missing interface options between jobs
Fixes an issue causing the "replay" option to be locked out on certain jobs
Fixes an issue where a player would become stuck in the mod garage when respraying a Sanchez motor bike
Fixes an issue where the Player became stuck inside Los Santos Customs during Online tutorial flow.Fixes an issue causing the loss of guns and ammo
Fixes issues causing GTA races ending early because of players spawning too far ahead
Fixes issues in Last Team Standing where sessions would not progress past the lobby
Fixes issues with network errors when joining Last Team Standing using Quick Job
Added clarifications around when a player is using a temporary character in GTA Online during Rockstar Cloud server outages
Adjusts the monetary penalty for being killed in a One on One match We apologize for the problems some players have been experiencing with lost characters or game progress due to this issue – please stay tuned for updates as we continue to investigate this. In the meantime, please always remember to save your game before leaving GTA Online, otherwise you may lose any progress since your last save – this can be done by exiting back to Single Player through the pause menu. Until downloading the title update above and in order to minimize the chances of any further data loss, if at any point you receive the message “Rockstar Cloud Servers are unavailable”, please do not either select the "Retry" option or create a temporary Character to play GTA Online. Instead, you should exit to GTAV Story Mode and try entering GTA Online again through the menu in Story Mode. Please also stay tuned or subscribe to the GTA Online Status Updates articleat the Rockstar Support site for the latest word on common known technical issues and fixes.

Thank you everyone for continuing to bear with us since Tuesday’s initial roll out of Grand Theft Auto Online – we’re aware that a variety of technical difficulties have made it difficult to get access and that the experience has been a bit less than smooth for many of you who jumped in straight away, so here are a few updates as of this afternoon to keep you all apprised. At the Rockstar Games Support site, there is adedicated article listing out the most common technical issues being reported. Things are changing and developing frequently but here are some latest updates as of this afternoon:For PlayStation 3 users, a PlayStation Network server issue was detected that was limiting the amount of possible concurrent users. This was preventing most players from accessing GTA Online altogether and as of this morning, that problem was resolved.
There is an issue that is preventing some players from getting through the first tutorial mission across both platforms. Many players have been able to get through this with repeated retries, and we are working on unblocking this for everyone as soon as possible.
This morning, we experienced some instability across the GTA Online services which is affecting even people who have progressed beyond the tutorial mission. We are identifying these issues now and are working to restore stability for users as soon as possible.
For the time being and until we have been able to get everybody access to GTA Online and things are running smoothly, we have disabled the option of purchasable GTA$ cash packs. Players can however keep on earning GTA$ by pulling off Jobs and other profitable gameplay activities rather than purchasing cash packs. 

You can keep updated on these and other common issues by subscribing to the GTA Online Launch Status Rockstar Support article at http://support.rockstargames.com/hc/en-us/articles/200426246-GTA-Online-Launch-Status-Latest-Updates-. Subscribers will be sent an automatic notification as updates happen. 

All of these initial technical issues will be ironed out as soon as we can. Please know that the entire team here at Rockstar and all of our relevant partners are and will continue to be working around the clock to get the experience to be as smooth as possible, as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, for anyone experiencing technical problems, we encourage you to report them to our dedicated Support Team atSupport.RockstarGames.com and at twitter.com/RockstarSupport. This is the best place to get direct technical help and we are constantly looking at the most commonly reported issues there to resolve. 

For those of you who have been getting into and playing GTA Online, we also encourage you to please share your gameplay experience feedback with us at GTAOnline@rockstargames.com so that we may know what aspects you’re liking and disliking to help guide how the game will grow and evolve past this initial period. 

Thanks again everyone for your patience and your support – we will continue to keep you updated.