If your Los Santos bank account is fat and your garage is already full, Rockstar just handed you a new reason to flex. The long-teased December update, A Safehouse in the Hills, launched December 10, 2025 and drops sprawling mansions, a mission creator, new cars, and — strangely satisfying for 2025 — an in-game AI assistant to help run your criminal hospitality business.
What dropped and when
The update went live simultaneously across PC and consoles on Wednesday, December 10 (Rockstar's post has the official rundown) and clocks in around a 5GB download on PC. Players on PlayStation and Xbox could buy into new properties as soon as servers settled, and the update brings both flashy toys and practical systems designed to keep veteran players occupied through the holidays.
The houses (and what they do)
Prix Luxury Real Estate lists three headline properties: the Tongva Estate, the Vinewood Residence, and the Richman Villa. Even the cheapest of them sits at roughly 11.5 million GTA$, and with customization options — trophy cabinets, kennels, salons, armories, helipads, car podiums, media rooms and more — the sticker can balloon fast.
Rockstar describes these mansions as functional bases, not just eye candy. Each comes with an on-site AI assistant that can handle professional and personal tasks, optional private security, and upgrades for hosting parties or protecting valuables. In short: they’re a one-stop life-management hub for players who don’t want to keep running between properties.
Cars, cops, and other toys
Alongside the mansions are several new vehicles — including the Grotti GT750, Pfister X-TREME, Vapid FMJ MKV and the Ubermacht Sentinel XS4 — plus more drift variants and new law-enforcement cars for those who like being chased. Some vehicles are tied into Hao’s Special Works compatibility and there are expanded countermeasures like Missile Lock-On Jammer support.
If you’re still hoarding cars in your old garages, the update adds an artful garage template complete with car podiums to show off your best rides.
The Michael mission — how to trigger it
One of the headline bits of content is the return of Michael De Santa to GTA Online in a mission called Home Sweet Home. You need to buy one of the new mansions to unlock this path. After purchase, head to the 'A' icon on your map to start a string of five KnoWay Out setup missions from Avi Schwartzman. Complete all five, then wait for Avi to call — an intentionally variable delay of minutes to an hour — and that call kicks off the Michael mission. Your first completion rewards a sizable payout.
Mission creator: community content, finally
Rockstar has included a full mission-creation toolkit, letting players script objectives, place actors and publish scenarios to the community. Early takes suggest this is deeper than older, simpler editors and could keep the update lively as creators iterate on heists, races, and short-story missions without waiting for Rockstar to ship official DLC.
Price, grind and real-money math
The headline sticker shock is real: cheapest mansions cost north of 11 million GTA$, while a fully tricked Richman Villa can push toward 18.7 million depending on add-ons. For context, Shark Card tiers still tie virtual money to real-world cost; the math has some players pointing out that buying every shiny upgrade could near the price of a midrange real-world purchase if you go the microtransaction route.
Rockstar offered a temporary $2 million discount for players who completed certain New Listing missions by December 7, and many long-time players say the mansions are not as pricey as some feared — but they will demand time, effort, or wallet investment.
Why this matters (beyond the bling)
This update stitches several trends in Rockstar’s live service together: larger, more personalized player bases; tools that push content creation to the community; and systems that centralize gameplay conveniences (the AI assistant). It arrives during a fraught period for the company — which has faced scrutiny over staffing and workplace changes this year — even as it tries to keep GTA Online fresh for the playerbase and profitable for the studio. For background on recent company turbulence, see coverage of Rockstar’s staffing developments here.
The mansions also follow other seasonal content pushes that keep the world feeling alive — remember the return of the Cayo Perico panther event? That kind of rotation now pairs with player-built missions to lengthen GTA Online’s content tail and keep communities engaged here.
Quick practical notes
- You must own a mansion to access the new mansion-driven missions (including the Michael mission).
- Expect a multi-step setup that includes the Avi KnoWay Out tasks and a wait for a follow-up call.
- New cars listed in the update are available through dealerships and in-game vendors; keep an eye on the Vinewood Car Club for timed claims.
Whether you buy in for the lifestyle or grind for the bragging rights, A Safehouse in the Hills gives high-end players a lot to tinker with — and hands the community tools to keep adding content long after the update patch notes go cold. If you prefer console play and are wondering about hardware upgrades, the PlayStation 5 Pro remains a viable way to future-proof a living-room GTA setup.
For the nitty-gritty, Rockstar’s official post lists all features, prices, and patch timing in detail: Rockstar Games newswire.