
The folks over at Rockstar Games are incredibly busy with the upcoming and massively anticipated launch of Grand Theft Auto VI. We know it’s coming, and the game should be in our hands by May 2026. That said, GTA Online is still being supported. In fact, it has recently hit a new milestone that players can celebrate right now.
Grand Theft Auto V launched back in 2013, and for a while, that’s all anyone was playing. But it wouldn’t be much longer before we finally got the multiplayer component of the game. GTA Online launched in October 2013. More specifically, the game was released for players on October 1, 2013. That gives us our 12th anniversary to celebrate today, and to help with that, those who have been around the game since the start will have a new gift unlocked.
GTA Online Celebrates 12 Years

Thanks to Rockstar Intel, we’re learning that today, players who log in to GTA Online will receive a new party hat. It’s also going to represent the year that your character was created. Each year, there’s a new hat to acquire, with the number 12 being displayed on hats for those of you who have a character that was created all the way back when GTA Online first launched.
Before today, only hats were available between the numbers 1 and 11. Likewise, there was already a reported leak that showcased a hat that goes up to 15. That’s a good indicator that we should see support for this game for a few more years, despite Grand Theft Auto VI launching next year.
To obtain your new party hat, simply interact with your wardrobe and navigate to Party Hats. You’ll find the hat there, and each year, you’ll unlock a new hat for your character. Of course, more eyes are fixated on the successor installment.
Grand Theft Auto VI has fans eagerly awaiting its release. In fact, one fan went a little too far, as they ended up camping outside the studio in hopes of learning when the next game trailer would drop. Meanwhile, other players are wondering how the game’s performance will be with Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
There’s even a rumor recirculating online suggesting that Sony is giving a hand to Rockstar Games when it comes to optimizing the game for the PlayStation 5 Pro. However, we’ll just have to wait and see when the new trailer drops and if Rockstar Games offers an official statement regarding gameplay performance across both consoles.
