Everything Added In GTA Online's Los Santos Drug Wars Update

"Grand Theft Auto 5" might be going on a decade old, but it still reigns as one of the most popular "GTA" games ever thanks to "Grand Theft Auto Online." The team at Rockstar Games has continued to support "Grand Theft Auto Online" over the years with regular content updates that keep it fresh — and these updates go way beyond simple hotfixes and patches. Since 2013 several big expansions like "Los Santos Tuners" have added tons of core content to "Grand Theft Auto Online," like heists, businesses, and the casino. Earlier in 2022, fans got the "Criminal Enterprises" DLC and lots of smaller DLCs like the "Judgement Day" Halloween update. 

Now, at the tail end of the year, comes the "Los Santos Drug Wars" update. The "Los Santos Drug Wars" is a significant update that starts the first chapter of a new multi-part story. It has new missions and world events, a mobile drug lab that players operate and modify, and the standard assortment of new vehicles and cosmetics that come with most "GTA Online" updates. Of course, there's tons of additional content to come as the DLC unfolds, but as of its release, here's everything players should know to get started on the newest "GTA Online" expansion.

The "Los Santos Drug Wars" update follows arguably the largest expansion in "Grand Theft Auto Online" history, the "Criminal Enterprises" update, and the smaller-scale "Expanded and Enhanced" update for next-gen consoles. "Los Santos Drug War" is not quite as expansive as the former, but it's got a lot more content than the latter — and it's content that's accessible for all "Grand Theft Auto Online" players. This first chapter of the multi-part story is called "First Dose," and the "Los Santos Drug War" kicks off for players when they reunite with a familiar face and meet some not-so-familiar ones.

Nervous Ron is a fan-favorite character in "Grand Theft Auto 5" who sends players on drug-running missions in the main story. The "Los Santos Drug War" story begins when he introduces the player to Dax, the leader of the Fooliganz, who wants to "dominate the illcit drug trade." In the first six missions included with the update's launch, players gain the trust of this group and end up at The Freakshop, both a home and a chemistry lab for the Fooliganz. When all six missions are done, players can steal a mobile chemistry lab and distribution van to use for income or just to drive around — dubbed the Acid Lab, it's a vehicle that does a lot more than just produce and sell drugs.

The Acid Lab is one of the main draws of The "Los Santos Drug Wars" update. A lot has been added to "Grand Theft Auto Online" over the years, but never before have players been able to produce product and sell it from a mobile business. Rockstar describes the "Los Santos Drug Wars" as a "mind-expanding" update — LSD is in the DLC's name, after all — and psychedelics are certainly at the core of its story and new gameplay systems.

The Acid Lab gives players a way to make money from producing and distributing psychedelics, but the symbolic keys to this hallucinogenic throne aren't just given to players on a silver platter. Not only must the first six missions be completed to get the vehicle in the first place, but players need to be intimately involved in sourcing ingredients to make the operation more efficient and profitable. It also comes with a nifty motorcycle to make drug running easier at no extra cost.

Selling drugs from a truck isn't all that The Acid Lab can do, though. Players can also customize it like no other vehicle, thanks to The Freakshop. The Freakshop is an HQ for the main gang that players work with during the "Los Santos Drug Wars" storyline, and it's here that players are able to modify this monster of a mobile drug lab.

As with most "Grand Theft Auto Online" updates, the "Los Santos Drug Wars" update expands the game's already-massive list of vehicles. Only a select few are available with the expansion's launch, like an R.V., a psychedelic bus, the Declasse Tulip, Annis 300R, Överflöd Entity MT, and, of course, the Acid Lab — an MTL Brickade 6x6. According to the newswire release, Rockstar plans to add another dozen vehicles to "Grand Theft Auto Online" as the "Los Santos Drug Wars" continue. It's hard to imagine anything new that can beat out the fastest car in "GTA Online," though, as it was only just added earlier in 2022.

There are also hundreds of cosmetic customizations being added to the game, and Rockstar specifically pointed out a few new tattoos and clothing options in its announcement. From tattoos pulled straight out of the Freakshop to colorful onesie pajamas, psychedelic-inspired clothes, and something called Ugglies, there will be many new looks for players to try out. The new cosmetics won't all be locked to one place, either, and players will have to check out stores across the breadth of "GTA Online" to find everything new on offer. In the same way that the update's vehicles are being implemented, more cosmetics will be added to "GTA Online" over the next few months, too.

Compared to significant content updates of "Grand Theft Auto Online" past, the "Los Santos Drug Wars" update is relatively small. It has new story missions, a new business and customization system, and tons of new items, but it's not exactly game-changing. However, the "Los Santos Drug Wars" is only a piece of the whole picture, as plenty of content has yet to come. Sure, more vehicles and clothing are slated to come out over the next few months, but that's not all. According to the Rockstar newswire release, there will also be new world events, encounters, missions, locations, and even a property that — according to Rockstar — contains the largest vehicle garage in the game to date. 

While it's far from the most ground-breaking content update "GTA Online" has ever received, the launch of the "Los Santos Drug Wars" DLC is just the beginning. Over the following weeks and months, it's sure to keep players' attention until the next major DLC for "Grand Theft Auto Online" gets officially announced, and players start to see the bigger picture for the game's future.