If you've been waiting for a proper excuse to boot up GTA Online again, the February 26 to March 4, 2026 event week pretty much hands you one. The whole vibe is drifting—less "meta grind," more "go slide something and laugh when you clip a curb." And yeah, the payouts are juicy, but it's also a good moment to think about what you're actually chasing in Los Santos, whether that's clean tandem runs or just stacking GTA 5 Money for the next big purchase without feeling broke all week.

A New Toy for Drift Fans

The headline addition is the Shitzu Keitora, a tiny kei-truck that somehow makes sense as a drift build. It's sitting on Southern San Andreas Super Autos for GTA$810,000, and it's the kind of vehicle you buy because it's fun, not because it's the fastest thing on the board. Rockstar also pushed Drift Tuning onto a few community staples—like the Übermacht Sentinel XS, Vapid Dominator GT, and Dinka RT3000—so you'll probably end up bouncing between the mod shop and the meet, tweaking setup, testing a corner, then tweaking again.

Where the Real Money Is This Week

If you want the straight grind route, Drift Races are the play: triple GTA$ and RP, and it spikes even harder if you're on GTA+. It's one of those weeks where one decent session can fund a whole new build. On top of that, LS Car Meet Reputation is running at 5x, so the levels come fast—almost weirdly fast. There's also a quick little objective that's worth doing early: take an Annis Euros into a single Drift Race and you unlock the Manga Classic livery, but you've only got the first 72 hours to tick it off.

Side Hustles and Lunar New Year Extras

Not everyone wants to live in race lobbies, and Rockstar seems to know it. Exotic Exports are paying 4x, which turns casual free-roam driving into a legit income stream, and Weed Sell Missions are doubled, so MC work isn't a total slog for once. The Lunar New Year stuff is still active too: log in and you get the Red Year of the Horse Tee, plus the Yuanbao collectibles are back on the map. If you're into cosmetics, the Horse masks and tattoos are free, and they're goofy enough to actually feel like GTA again.

Garage Wins, Discounts, and One Smart Shortcut

Collectors have a lot to poke at: the Salvage Yard lineup includes a claimable Maibatsu Penumbra FF with a special LS Car Meet plate, the Casino podium is the Benefactor Stirling GT, and placing top three in the LS Car Meet Series for four days nets you the Fathom FR36. There are also freebies like the Dinka Blista Kanjo and Declasse Drift Walton L35, plus 30% off drift upgrades and free Car Meet memberships, which lowers the pain of experimenting. And if you're the type who just wants to get back to driving instead of juggling slow grinds, some players use marketplaces like RSVSR to pick up game currency or items quickly, then spend the week actually enjoying the drift content instead of staring at another timer.