How to Start Drag Races in GTA Online

The latest GTA Online weekly update has arrived, and it has one huge new addition: drag races. Now you can zip around Los Santos in straight-line races against other players, to see whose vehicle is best. If you’re wondering how to start drag races in GTA Online, we’ve got you covered.

How to Start GTA Online Drag Races

To start drag races in GTA Online, you first need to go to the main Online menu, then the Jobs tab. You’ll then see the Races tab, which is filled with hundreds of different races. Scroll all the way down until you see the Drag Race section, which has ten new jobs to try out.

From here, it’s a case of deciding which drag race to try out first in GTA Online. They all take place in different regions of Los Santos, but the gameplay loop is broadly the same in each one.

Once you’ve confirmed the drag race you wish to start with, you’ll go to the Job Setup menu. Here you can set the parameters for the race. There you can toggle contact on or off, alongside the type of vehicle, weather, and use of custom vehicles. Since this is a drag race, though, you can’t distinguish the amount of laps.

Currently only four players can partake in a drag race at one time. This is likely due to the width of track in each race, so may not change in the future. After setting the variables it’s time to invite players, which you do in the usual way: either inviting your entire lobby, or just a few friends.

Once the lobby’s full, you get to choose your vehicle. Not all GTA Online cars can be used for drag races, so you’ll need to click through your options, looking at the stats to see which is best to use. Then ready up, and you’ll dive into the race!

How to Warm Up Tires in GTA Online Drag Races

A new mechanic in these GTA Online drag races is the ability to rev on the accelerator pedal to warm up your tires. You do this by holding down the right trigger on consoles, or the W key on PC.

There’s a small speed gauge in the bottom-right of the screen at this point, with a dial moving up and down depending on your revs. The goal is to get the dial into the blue portion of the gauge, which allows for the maximum set-off speed when the lights go green. After that mini-game is complete, the camera pans back to the regular view, and the race begins!

That’s all for our guide on how to start drag races in GTA Online. For more on the game, check out how to complete the Shoot Animals Photography Challenge, plus the best drift cars in the game.