‘GTA V’ Heists Release Update: Rockstar Confirms 20 Missions, Rewards For Set Players

A 'Grand Theft Auto Five' Promotion — A promotion for the computer game "Grand Theft Auto Five" is show in a Game Stop gaming story in Encinitas, California September 17, 2013. Reuters

Rockstar has finally confirmed the release of online Heists for "GTA V" in early 2015. Likewise, developers assured there will be a total of 20 free missions in the DLC available to all consoles.

In an interview with IGN, "GTA V" producer and lead mission designer Imran Sarwar confirmed there will be "five unique strands involving over 20 total missions" that totals to 20 hours of Heists gameplay. Twenty hours is a long time but Sarwar assured the missions also have "a lot of variety and there's a mixture of open-ended gameplay, big set-pieces and a few surprises too."

"Some missions have all players working as one unit, some require players to take on specific tasks like hacking or crowd control, while others require players to split into smaller teams to complete separate high value objectives," he said.

As for the surprises, Sarwar revealed there will be rewards given to a set of players who have completed five Heists in succession and another bonus for the same set after playing the mission in first-person mode. Rewards promised include Elite Bonus Challenges and cash rewards. The latter, however, will be given to players who have completed each part of a heist while meeting a certain criteria such as time to complete, damage taken, accuracy etc...

However, there are limitations with each mission. According to the "GTA V" producer each online heist requires four players all with a level of 12 or above. One of these players will be the designated leader capable of launching missions, "starting with the prep work and building up to the score itself." It's also the leader who invites other team members to participate in a heist, assign their positions, pick their outfits and "allocate each player's cut." However, being a leader would supposedly also mean no cash payout until the finale is completed. Sarwar claimed "each finale is a big set-piece mission with players taking on multiple roles." All throughout the missions, players will be granted access to new features in the DLC such as new vehicles, new items and new clothing.

According to a previous report by the International Business Times, these new items could include new contact lenses and new hairstyles. Likewise, brand new Sports Classic and Sports class vehicles will supposedly also be featured in the DLC. Additionally, as added effect each online heist location will reportedly boast 34 texture modifications and its details will be specially sharp in the PS4 and Xbox One version of "GTA V."