GTA Online Drag Races are the latest addition to the vehicle face-offs available across San Andreas, and they introduce several fresh mechanics during their short and sweet duration. There are burnouts you can perform during the lineup time, which give you better grip when you drop the hammer, then you'll need to manually shift up the gears efficiently before choosing the perfect moment to fire your Nitrous boost. The races have been added as part of the GTA Online Chop Shop update, and you'll need to prove your mettle by swerving though traffic at top speed if you want to secure victory. With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about the new Drag Races in GTA Online.
How to join Drag Races in GTA Online
There are a number of ways to join Drag Races in GTA Online, with the easiest being to either drive to the LS Car Meet venue in the Cypress Flats area of Los Santos then interact with the Drag Race Series marker, or for an even faster route you can hover over the Drag Race Series icon on the map then follow the 'Start Job' prompt at the bottom of the screen. You can also open your phone, then go through the Quick Join > Series Modes > Drag Race Series option to search for races you can join.
If there's one of the individual GTA Online Drag Races you want to take part in specifically, rather than leaving it to random selection or a lobby vote, then you can choose them directly from the pause menu by going through Online > Play Job > Rockstar Created > Races then picking one of the following:
- Drag Race - Bluff It
- Drag Race - Drag It Out
- Drag Race - High n Dry
- Drag Race - Kickin' Sand
- Drag Race - Make the Pass
- Drag Race - Natural Highs
- Drag Race - Playing Chicken
How to successfully burnout in GTA Online Drag Races
When you're getting ready to start Drag Races in GTA Online, you'll be presented with a burnout 'minigame' in order to warm up your tires, and the better you perform in this the more traction you'll get as you accelerate off the line. As soon as the dial appears in the bottom right corner of the screen, hold down the accelerator until the needle enters the blue zone then ease off to try and hold it there as long as possible. The blue zone contracts over time so this becomes increasingly difficult, but as long as you manage to keep the needle in it for a decent period then you'll secure a "Great Burnout".
Once you zoom off the line as the race starts, be ready to almost immediately shift up through the gears, hitting the prompt every time the needle enters the blue zone and ideally before it goes beyond that into the red zone as by that point you're too late and losing valuable speed. It should only take a matter of seconds to shift all the way into top gear, then as long as you don't crash or otherwise slow down significantly you shouldn't need to touch the gears again.
When to use Nitrous in GTA Online Drag Races
Around 20-25 seconds into GTA Online Drag Races you'll get a prompt that you have Nitrous available, which can then be triggered by clicking the left stick. You only get one shot of Nitrous per race, so don't rush into using it – if the Fast and Furious movies have taught us anything about drag racing, it's that you need to bide your time and toggle your Nitrous at just the right moment for maximum effect. Make sure your car is already going at top speed, and ideally that you have a stretch of clear road ahead of you, so that you can trigger your full boost in a straight line and take full advantage of the effect.
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