How GTA Online Random Events Work

[Mr. Sir XXIII Esq.]

This is only random events NOT freemode events/challenges added in the first update that wasn't available on xbox 360 and ps3. With that out of the way...

 

There are currently 21 random events in the code, not all are active currently:

fm_content_drug_vehicle (the cars guarded by 2 gents that you take to Edgar Carlos, Al Carter or the unnamed Families boss)

fm_content_movie_props (Solomon Richards large movie props in cars)

fm_content_golden_gun (drunk sleeping Cayo Perico guard)

fm_content_vehicle_list (auto shop "exotic export vehicle")

fm_content_slasher (Halloween slashers [you probably guessed that one])

fm_content_phantom_car (a car with no driver, tries to run you down on foot and follows you when in a vehicle, holloween exclusive)

fm_content_sightseeing (Halloween exclusive UFOs)

fm_content_smuggler_trail (flares you follow to reach a smuggler cashe [probably guessed this one too])

fm_content_cerberus (exotic export vehicles which also spawn a cerberus to chase you, holloween exclusive)

fm_content_smuggler_plane (crashing cuban 800 with alarm and smoking engine[...another obvious one])

fm_content_crime_scene (cops guarding/investigating a... crime scene with a case of money[...])

fm_content_metal_detector (skeleton with a map of Cayo Perico and either a metal detector or a backpack of money)

fm_content_convoy (vehicles you can steal to resupply passive businesses or take somewhere for $25,000)

fm_content_robbery (store that was just robbed, kill the robber and keep the money or bring it back to the store)

fm_content_xmas_mugger (the gooch, Christmas exclusive)

fm_content_bank_shootout (the shootout on the Weasel Plaza roof where you could get the wm29, Christmas exclusive)

fm_content_armoured_truck (a securicar with a security case in the back [why did I even bother spelling this one out])

fm_content_possessed_animals (animals that are sitting down until you approach them, then they get mad)

fm_content_ghosthunt (ghosts you have to take pictures of)

Christmas trailer (a semi truck that drops presents every now and then [I don't know the code name for this one])

Police cars (2 new police cars you can take for a 'test drive')

 

Now for how they work in depth.

General: Random events have a cooldown timer, an availability, a timer after triggering and a distance to trigger (the only one I'm not sure the code name of). 

The cooldown timer is how long it takes an event to become available, be it from the start of the lobby or since it was last available/completed.

Availability is the time window you have to trigger the event within, if the availability timer runs out the event goes back on cooldown, but if activated it goes to the timer after triggering... speaking of

Timer after triggering is how long you have to "complete" the event before it "fails". Why the quotation marks? Well, completed events don't all completely vanish upon completion, and some have effects that completely remain after completing them, or apply an effect upon completeness (usually a wanted level) so it can be argued the event isn't truly complete. (Did I use all versions of complete in that sentence?) As for failure well usually the destination just vanishes or the vehicle magically catches fire or both, rather cheap if you ask me.

Distance to trigger is how close you have to be to begin the event (get the flash and blip on your map)

By default random events have a cooldown of 20 minutes, an availability of 10 minutes, a timer after triggering of 15 minutes and the distance to trigger is 400 meters=1312 feet=0.25 miles

Certain actions disengage the player from all active events without reengaging upon completion like most freemode missions: entering certain interiors (casino, agency, nightclub), starting a salvage yard robbery.

There is a limit of 3 random events at once (per player). This means that if you somehow trigger 3 random events without completing any of them, no more will spawn... until the timer after triggering elapses.

Some random event types seem to have a speed restriction, meaning entering the distance to trigger above a certain speed they simply won't spawn. I can't prove this but I have a hard time activating many of the moving random event types in particularly fast land vehicles. This may just be the game struggling to load the event, remember the code has been getting additions for almost a decade now and some of it is really old at this point, so don't expect to just get an over powered pc and not have these issues, it may be the/a solution but I wouldn't bet on it. After further testing I now believe that some times random events just fail to load/spawn/activate. I don't think speed has anything to do with it. When this occurs they don't go into their availability timer, their cooldown timer simply resets. My guess as to why is that the game/'server' can only handle so many events becoming active at once, the finders keepers event for example I have never once gotten to spawn when I have been in a new invite only server for 20 minutes (when it should become available) dispite going to every possible spawn point within the availability timer at least 15 times now (15 different attempts in newly created lobbies, not 15 attempts in the same lobby). I always have to do multiple random events with the same availability timer before it will become available. I presume older events are loaded in before newer ones (older and newer in terms of when they were added to the game).

A few event types seem to always be spawned in when in their availability stage regardless if they've been triggered or not. Keyword being seem, I can't confirm this as I'm not on pc and even if I was my knowledge/understanding of code is poor.

Another theory, though this one isn't mine, is that for some reason the game may pick a certain type of random event to trigger next and will not trigger any others until the chosen event type triggers with some exceptions (the events that are on the map even before being triggered). Upon further testing I believe that only specific random events conflict with each other. For example (though I don't know if these 3 conflict) there's a guard, a skeleton and a crime scene all on or very near the Del Perro Pier. Say they are all on their availability timers and you enter the skeleton and guard's distance to trigger but neither trigger, then you enter the crime scene's distance to trigger and it does trigger. Without completing the crime scene you reenter the guard's distance to trigger and he doesn't trigger but then you enter the skeleton's distance to trigger without leaving the guard's and suddenly they both trigger. I have no idea if this is true but it sounds posible given my experience with/memories of random events.

 

Drug Vehicle: A vehicle guarded by 2 gangsters. Conflicts with Exotic Export Vehicles.

Cooldown: 30 minutes

Availability: 15 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 15 minutes

Distance to Trigger:

Just kill the guards (or don't) and take the car to whichever drop point the game picks. The drop point seems to be based on the spawn location of the vehicle itself, for example most spawns in LS will be Al Carter's drop point. Sometimes you get a wanted level for killing the guards though it's not consistent and I don't know what determines this. Appears to conflict with the exotic export vehicles. This is an event type that I believe is always spawned in when available. 

 

Movie Prop Vehicle: Non-repeatable.

Cooldown:

Availability:

Timer After Triggering:

Distance to Trigger:

Only the 3 props in vehicles count as random events, the other 7 are just collectibles like the playing cards and LD Organics weed bags.

 

Guard: An unconscious Cayo Perico guard with a few bottles by him.

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Availability:

Timer After Triggering: 10 minutes

Distance to Trigger:

The first time you loot him you get a key to a drawer in El Rubio's office in the Cayo Perico compound. This is how you get the Perico pistol hence the code name for this event type being golden_gun. Any time after the first you will only get $7,007... how oddly specific. This event type may be one of the ones that are always spawned when in their availability stage, though it's a bit hard to test.

 

Exotic Export Vehicle: Get in the car and take it to the docks. Only 10 deliverable per day. Limit resets daily. Conflicts with Drug Vehicles.

Cooldown: 1 minute

Availability:

Timer After Triggering:

Distance to Trigger: 

This one seems a bit janky, if you complete even one of them and then switch servers it can brake the spawns, though I'm uncertain how. This event type can be triggered by you without the blip appearing on your map. This is because it's not one of the 10 specific vehicles YOU need to deliver, or one you already have delivered. This can only happen in a lobby with another player with different vehicles to deliver, the game will never spawn an exotic export vehicle that no one in the lobby has on their list. If any of the cars you need to export gets destroyed it may not spawn again even after delivering the other 9. This is another event type that I believe is always spawned in when available.

 

Slasher: Only available from 1am to 6am...sort of. It used to be 21:00=9pm to 5am and the game will still set the slashers as available if the cooldown timer ends during this time window because rockstar only changed the time of day parameter related to spawning, not the one related to the availability timer. This means that if the cooldown timer ends between 5am and 6am, dispite this being an acceptable time, the cooldown timer restarts instead of transitioning into the availability timer. Restrictions are no air vehicles, weaponized vehicles or "special" vehicles. Also no boats but how often are you going to be in a boat on land?

Cooldown: 16 minutes

Availability: 20 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 5 minutes

Distance to Trigger: N/A. You have to be in a specific area to trigger them.

There are 5 types of slashers: The Clown has a switchblade and will stand there staring at you for a while or until you attack. He will stun lock you if given the opportunity.

The Psycho has a baseball bat, and in my experience is the easiest to spawn. Fights like a normal npc if I remember correctly, unlike the clown.

The Driver has a pipe wrench and is on fire. He may be named Peter. Don't fight him in melee unless you want a real challenge.

The SackSlasher has a machete and the health of a juggernaut, I once tried to kill him unarmed and he despawned before either of us died. He only walks so if you need to get some distance it should be easy... if your character cooperates.

The Doppelganger seems to have a random melee weapon from your inventory. Only moves when you do until getting close enough at which point they start running at you. If I remember correctly you can get far enough away to get them back to their only moving when you do gimmick.

The event ends when you die, the slasher dies, you get far enough away from the slasher or the timer after triggering elapses.

 

Phantom Car: Only available from 9pm=21:00 to 5am. Requires 2 players in the session and not in an interior to activate. Vehicle restrictions are no air vehicles, weaponized vehicles, "special" vehicles or boats.

Cooldown: 16 minutes

Availability: 20 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 5 minutes?

Distance to Trigger: N/A. It spawns near a chosen player and instantly activates

The Tornado Custom will just follow you if you are in a vehicle. It will catch fire and attempt to run you down when on foot. The car will only target one player per activation of this event, so if you aren't the car's target you can walk up to it and it won't respond... assuming the target player doesn't move... or do anything at all really. The event ends when you die, destroy the car, it gets stuck or you get far enough away. If the car sets you on fire that fire will last until you die or go in water.

 

UFO Sightseeing: The event has 3 stages. 1 and 2 were mechanically the same. Only available from 10pm=22:00 to 4am in stage 1 and 2. In stage 3 they were available from 9:30pm=21:30 to 7am.

Cooldown: 5 minutes

Availability:

Timer After Triggering:

Distance to Trigger: The whole map. It will immediately trigger when it's available.

Your "goal" in this event was to take a picture of the UFO and send it to Omega. Some days (real world day not in game day) spawned multiple UFOs and some days spawned UFOs that had spawned on previous days. Photographing these repeat UFOs would get you nothing, you couldn't even send them to Omega. If you got close enough to the UFO in stage 1 or 2 it would vanish in a bright flash. In stage 3 however getting close to the UFOs no longer caused them to flee, instead they would abduct you if you entered their light beam on foot. For doing this the aliens would gift you with 2 pairs of underwear. This year being abducted has a 25% chance of rewarding you with a t-shirt.

 

Smuggler Trail: Interact with the first flare then follow the others to a smuggler cashe.

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Availability:

Timer After Triggering:

Distance to Trigger:

You can happen upon the cashe without interacting with the flares, the game will even prompt you to focus on the smuggler cashe. Each flare location has 3 posible trails, two staying on land and one leading underwater. Sometimes you will be attacked by a maverick helicopter. I have no idea how the game determines whether this will happen or not. Maybe certain trails always spawn the maverick, maybe it's pure RNG (probably this one). The event fails if you go to far away from it at which point the game will tell you the trail has been lost.

 

Cerberus export chase: Requires 2 players in the session and not in an interior to activate. Vehicle restrictions are no air vehicles, weaponized vehicles or "special" vehicles.

Cooldown: 16 minutes

Availability: 20 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 5 minutes

Distance to Trigger:

Even if you don't actually need the exotic export vehicle the game spawns, the blip will still appear on your map, you just won't get the delivery icon at the docks. The Cerberus will try to ram your car with its ramp with no concern for actually trying to destroy it, just harass you. It will also attempt to run you down if you're on foot. If you "escape" the Cerberus it will simply teleport behind you and go back to trying to ram you. The El Burro Heights spawn will often see the Cerberus get stuck on the building to the right of the exotic export vehicle. The same is true of the Yellow Jack Inn location (darts place), just replace building with road barrier. The event ends if you die, you destroy the Cerberus, you deliver the vehicle or after 5 minutes the Cerberus' engine will die on it's own (you can still deliver the vehicle after this happens). Be careful at the docks if you're still being chased, that ramp can and will send you into the ocean.

 

Smuggler Plane: A Cuban 800 with a dieing engine and SOS alarm blaring.

Cooldown: 35 minutes

Availability:

Timer After Triggering: 10 minutes

Distance to Trigger:

Always crashes in the same place, so you can just go to where you know the crash site is and wait. Gives you a wanted level upon getting close enough to the crash. The cops can still "see" you until you leave the blue circle or collect the money, doing the latter will complete the event.

 

Crime Scene: 1 cop is standing at a barrier guarding the crime scene whilst another investigates a chalk outline.

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Availability:

Timer After Triggering: 15 minutes

Distance to Trigger:

Collect the open briefcase of money to complete the event. Back when this event was released you could get the service carbine from completing it 5 times, though I think that was changed at some point and now you can only get the money even if you don't have a service carbine.

 

Skeleton: A skeleton in a tropical tourist outfit washed up on shore.

Cooldown: 22 minutes

Availability: 10 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 10 minutes

Distance to Trigger:

To complete the event collect the backpack of money, or if it's your first time it will be a metal detector. You can interact with the skeleton a second time to look at a treasure map of Cayo Perico.

 

Finders Keepers: A vehicle with a full resupply for a specific passive business.

LSIA is a bunker resupply

La Mesa is a weed farm resupply

Vinewood Hills is a cocaine lockup resupply

Little Seoul is a counterfeit cash factory resupply

Del Perro is a document forgery office resupply

Chumash is an acid lab resupply

Paleto Bay is a meth lab resupply

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Availability: 10 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 15 minutes

Distance to Trigger: 400 meters=1312 feet=0.25 miles though the blip only appears at 200 meters=656 feet so it activates without notifying you.

Attacking the vehicle will cause the driver to stop and get out to shoot you. If you don't have the required business (or you do but it's already full on supplies) the game will instead tell you to take the vehicle to a drop point for $25,000. 3 waves of enemy vehicles will come after you and you will often get a wanted level upon taking the vehicle.

 

Shop Robberies: A store that was just robbed with the robber running off.

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Availability: 10 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 10 minutes

Distance to Trigger: 100 meters=328 feet

The robber has a combat pistol that you "unlock" upon picking up... also a backpack with some money in it, but the combat pistol is more important. Take the money back for $20,000 and 2,500 RP or keep it for 2 minutes for $25,000 and a wanted level. The timer continues counting down even when it is no longer on screen. This is annoying. The timer should just stay until it elapses no matter the distance. If you go back towards the robbed shop the timer will return.

 

The Gooch: Basically a mugger but he can reach into your bank account too. Also goes after your snacks. Requires 2 or more players in the session and not in an interior to spawn. Requires money in pocket and bank to target you.

Cooldown: 48 minutes

Availability:

Timer After Triggering:

Distance to Trigger: N/A. It spawns near a chosen player and instantly activates

 

Weasel Plaza Shootout: Only available from 8pm=20:00 to 6am.

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Availability: 10 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 15 minutes

Distance to Trigger: 400 meters=1312 feet=0.25 miles

The only way to unlock the wm29 pistol. You can tell when this event activates by the roof exploding and a police chopper being shot down with a rocket. For some reason the John McClane stand in is on the side of the robbers and is wielding a carbine instead of an smg (smg would be more accurate to the movie).

 

Armored Truck: The valiant return.

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Availability: 10 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 15 minutes

Distance to Trigger: 500 meters=1640 feet=0.31 miles

Make sure to hover a buzzard in front of the truck so it can completely ignore your attempt to recreate the gta online trailer. The only way to open the back doors now is with a sticky bomb. Back before they were removed the back could be opened by just shooting the doors or destroying the truck. A sticky bomb on the doors would work too so that hasn't changed, just the other options. The event fails if you destroy the truck without opening the back doors.

 

Possessed Animals: Very similar to the slashers in concept. Vehicle restrictions are at their worst here, no vehicles allowed, on foot only. Only available from 8pm=20:00 to 1am.

Cooldown: 16 minutes

Availability: 20 minutes

Timer After Triggering:

Distance to Trigger: N/A. You have to be in a specific area to trigger it.

The event ends if you die, the creature dies, you enter a vehicle or 5 minutes pass.

 

Ghosts Exposed: Another collectable type event. Avaliable from 8pm=20:00 to 5:00. As soon as you collect one of the photos the corresponding ghost will not be visible to you again, though the event will still be marked as active.

Cooldown: 1 Second

Availability: 

Timer After Triggering:

Distance to Trigger: Entire map. It will immediately trigger when it's available.

 

Happy Holidays Hauler: A Phantom Custom (despite the hauler in the event name) with a trailer that drops collectible presents.

Cooldown: 60 minutes

Availability: 30 minutes

Timer After Triggering: 30 minutes

Distance to Trigger: Entire map. It will immediately trigger when it's available.

Dropped presents include: cash and either ammo, snacks or 1 of 2 exclusive sweaters.

 

Police Outreach: Some police pretending to talk to some gangsters. Also a police Faction and a police Coquette D10. Doesn't have a map blip. The game will consider this event to be completed 1 minute after entering either police car or upon killing the cops spawned by the event.

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Availability: 10 minutes

Timer After Triggering: None

Distance to Trigger: 500 meters=1640 feet=0.31 miles

 

If you're wondering where the payphone hits and saving Packie events are, they aren't handled by the game in the same way as these ones and don't interfere with them. As for why, my best guess for the payphones is that you can force one to spawn by calling Franklin so it had to be coded differently. As for rescuing Packie, it was one of the earlier random events released so maybe it was coded different just to try different styles of random event coding?

 

I plan on updating this list as I find out more about these events (that's kind of the reason I decided to make this in the first place). If you can help, by all means comment with your addition(s). Theories welcome, though I will ask for proof of anything that you say is definite. I will also ask why you believe whatever theory you have. Sorry if I got sloppy at points, the page kept reloading, eating away some of my progress and I took multiple breaks while making this, so the tone may change here and there.

Edited December 31, 2024 by Mr. Sir XXIII Esq.
Additional information

[ChaosWrysing]

Kind of a necro reply, but this is super helpful! I've been trying to fill out the Good Samaritan award (50 completions on the Rockstar Social Club) and have been struggling.

 

LIke you, I was suspicious that a slower vehicle was needed to trigger the event. Now I see that I was completely missing the 10-minute availability window - I was loading into a session and spending 25-35 minutes doing other missions. The slow vehicle "worked" (sometimes) because it took me beyond the next 20-minute cooldown.

 

Now the only thing I'm wondering is if the type of vehicle matters (and also if height is factored in to the distance calculation). Can I zoom around the map in a Raiju? That would make short work of getting around the map within the 10 minute availability window.

 

*EDIT #1* I tested a few times this evening, starting in a fresh invite-only lobby. Waited 20 minutes and then went on the hunt. Unfortunately I did not have much success (I think other random events were blocking the store robbery) but my final attempt (1st with a Raiju) found a store robbery witihin 30 seconds after cooldown. Guess I'll be using Raiju from now on to grind this out.

  

*EDIT #2* I tried again with Raiju in a fresh invite-only lobby. Waited 20 minutes, then started on the route around the map. The game triggered 3 "blue dot" random events (I resolved each one), but still didn't get a red dot store robbery within the 10 minutes.

Edited January 23 by ChaosWrysing