GTA Online gets a nightclub, real DJs and dancing with partners

GTA Online's Cayo Perico heist arrives December 15, adding a new island alongside a bunch of new weapons, vehicles, and the chance to acquire a nuclear submarine as your HQ. Rockstar has announced that part of this update will be a new underground club, the Music Locker, featuring sets from real-world artists and introducing the ability for your avatar to bust some moves with a pal.

The Music Locker will be located directly beneath the Diamond Casino & Resort, which in recent times has featured construction elements, and in week one will be opened by Detroit DJ Moodymann, "spinning motor city soul, techno and disco ably supported by his backup dancers." Following this both the Berlin collective Keinemusik and DJ Palms Trax will be delivering sets during their respective 'residencies' at the club.

Music has always been such a huge part of GTA that this simply seems of a piece with the game's voluminous character: no other studio has dedicated itself to curating thematic playlists and music culture quite like Rockstar North. The game introduced the ability for avatars to dance in the After Hours update, and The Music Locker doubles-down on the idea: introducing the ability to dance with a partner, "as well as new dance moves for all players to show what they have on the floor."

All players can access The Music Locker, though those who have a penthouse at the Diamond Casino can access a VIP section with table service. Which is kind of hilarious. Rockstar is also trailing more upcoming music-focused news, including new radio stations, expansions of existing stations, and more DJs in what it calls the "biggest musical update since launch." The Music Locker will arrive December 15.

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."