The annual Festive Surprise event is back in Grand Theft Auto Online and this year, players can get into the holiday spirit with a suite of new festive content. This year’s main event is a yeti hunt that rewards players with a free outfit, but finding the yeti is the hardest part of the battle.
Where to Investigate the Chiliad Wilderness in GTA Online
When you first log into GTA Online during the 2023 Festive Surprise event, you’ll get a text from a hunter named Tanner. He warns you of an unknown creature terrorizing the Chiliad wilderness and sends you to search for clues to track it down. The game only gives you a general area for your search, so it can be frustrating to track down every piece of evidence on your own.
In total, there are five yeti clues to find in GTA Online. Each of their locations is marked on the map above.
- Torn Shirt
- Bloodied Tent
- Body Parts
- Dead Dead
- Car Wreck
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There won’t be any blips on your minimap for these items, not even when you get close to them, so keep an eye out and pay close attention. When you find a clue, press the interact button (right on the D-Pad for controllers, E on keyboard) to collect it. After finding all five clues, return to the Chiliad wilderness at night to continue the hunt.
How to Beat the Yeti in GTA Online
When you come back to the marked area after sundown, the yeti will appear and immediately begin to chase you down. Thankfully, it spawns far away and is marked on your minimap with a red skull so you can prepare for the fight.
The yeti can take an extraordinary amount of damage before going down, so make sure you bring your best weapons and plenty of ammo. It wouldn’t hurt to stock up on snacks and body armor too, just in case. Use your most powerful shotgun or assault rifle and be ready to dodge roll once the yeti closes in for an attack.
After defeating the yeti, the yeti outfit will be added to your wardrobe so you can take things into your own hands and terrorize the citizens of Los Santos yourself. You’ll also get a bonus reward of $50,000 deposited directly into your Maze Bank account. It might not be as much money as a Cayo Perico or Doomsday Heist payout, but it’s still a nice gift.
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You have until January 3, 2024, to slay the yeti and claim your prize. If you miss out on the yeti this year then there’s no need to worry. Rockstar Games typically brings back old holiday content and enemies — like the Gooch — year after year.
How to Fix the Yeti Not Spawning in GTA Online
Some players are having trouble getting the yeti to spawn after finding all of the clues in the Chiliad wilderness. If you’re stuck in this camp, then there’s no need to worry. There are a few things you can try to summon this fearsome foe.
Firstly, make sure that you’re trying to find the yeti at the correct time. While the game tells you to come back at night to find the yeti, it will only appear between the hours of 9 PM and 6 AM in-game. It’s not technically nighttime in GTA Online until the clock strikes nine.
If the yeti still won’t show up (or if he killed you during your first encounter), there are ways to make him respawn. If you wait in the circular area on the map for a while, the yeti will eventually respawn naturally. You can also force the yeti to spawn by joining a public session and waiting for another player to kill their yeti. Once their yeti goes down, another one will immediately spawn for you.
After defeating the deadly yeti, there are still plenty of festivities to take part in during GTA Online’s annual holiday event. If you haven’t found all 25 snowmen hidden throughout Los Santos, you can get a free outfit and some bonus cash by completing that winter treasure hunt. There are also multiple RP and cash bonuses on holiday-themed playlists, and you can earn holiday-wrapped vehicles at the LS Car Meet and Diamond Casino.
