10 years later, GTA Online is finally adding animals

Rockstar Games and Grand Theft Auto are on everyone's lips right now, and it's of no surprise to anyone at all. Everyone knows that a GTA 6 trailer transcends the world of video games and becomes global news, as the first instalment in ten years for the world's biggest and most controversial video game franchise.

Even with fans hanging off of every word that falls from the lips of Rockstar, there's more work to be done on the games that are already out there. A new GTA Online update has just landed and shocked many, mostly because it brings a feature that probably should have been in the game in the first place.

GTA Online adds animals, for some reason

Click to enlarge

In a pretty strange update, it seems that GTA Online is taking a step in the direction of being more aligned with the experience of GTA V's story mode. Rockstar Games has decided to add regular wildlife to the game… only ten years too late.

"As we continue to take further advantage of the latest PS5 and Xbox Series console hardware, December’s update will add exciting new features for players on these newer systems," says Rockstar in a new official release revealing that wildlife will "rove the Southern San Andreas landscape."

Unfortunately, the long-awaited wildlife update is only coming for Xbox Series and PS5, once again locking out PC players. Fans have wondered why this change has taken so long, especially as we were convinced the next-gen upgrade for the game would stand as the perfected version of GTA Online - but we'll certainly take it.

What else is new in GTA Online?

Click to enlarge

Even though it took some time for animals to arrive, that doesn't make the latest update for GTA Online worthless. Joining wildlife in the game are new organisation and customisation options for players' vehicles, birthday gifts, and even a new category of race in the form of the Drift Race.

The GTA Online update also has a sneaky tie back to Grand Theft Auto 4. We're sure some of you will jump on those GTA IV remake theories, but in reality, it's just the return of Yusuf Amir from the game's The Ballad of Gay Tony DLC. At least Rockstar isn't forgetting where it came from. 

Everything new coming to the game can be seen on Rockstar's blog, but as a whole, it looks to be a treat for players who had thought that its time would officially come as the GTA 6 trailer started to gallop over the horizon. As GTA Online becomes like a David Attenborough documentary, it's clear Rockstar isn't done with us yet.