How to find the Gooch in GTA Online

Grand Theft Auto Online’s holiday update is here and Rockstar Games has added added new festivities on top of existing fan-favorites this year. The elusive Gooch is roaming the streets of Los Santos once again, and you can earn a free outfit for taking him down in GTA Online.

Where to Find the Gooch in GTA Online

Initially debuting in GTA Online’s 2022 holiday event as a part of the Los Santos Drug War update, the Gooch is back yet again to terrorize the citizens of Los Santos during the holiday season. You can get his outfit in addition to his mask this year, though, so it’s well worth the risk if you want to hunt him down.

GTA Online Gooch Spawn Requirements

The Gooch spawns randomly in GTA Online sessions and he will only target one player per lobby, so getting the Gooch to attack you in particular so you can unlock the outfit can be a huge headache. For the Gooch to spawn at all, however, there must be at least two players in your Free Mode session and you have to play in the same session for at least a full in-game day (48 minutes). You also need to have cash on you, not in your bank, to be a target for the Gooch.

Related: How to AFK in GTA Online without getting kicked

Once the criteria have been met, the Gooch will pop out of a cloud of green smoke near a random player. He’ll then sprint up to them, give them a smack, and steal some of their money and snacks. He’s basically a reskinned version of the Mugger that players can summon by calling Lamar.

Killing the Gooch in time will allow the targeted player to recover their stolen cash, snacks, and items. The Gooch will also drop a holiday present upon defeat that contains $25,000 and the Gooch mask and outfit. You only have two minutes to chase and kill the Gooch after you’ve been robbed, otherwise he’ll disappear with the things that he stole. Subsequent Gooch encounters will still reward $25,000, but you can’t collect multiple copies of the mask and outfit.

Only the targeted player that has been robbed can collect the present dropped by the Gooch. He’s still visible to everyone in the lobby and anyone can damage him, but the mask, outfit, and cash reward can only be obtained by the person that he initially attacked.

How to Fix the Gooch Not Spawning in GTA Online

To maximize your chances of a Gooch attack, try to play in emptier lobbies or start an invite-only session with a friend. You only need two people in a Free Mode session for the Gooch to spawn, and while it takes 48 minutes for the Gooch to appear, you can easily trade Gooch encounters with a friend to avoid the hassle of finding him in a public session.

If the Gooch isn’t spawning for you, then he’s likely spawning somewhere else on the map for a different player. While the Gooch can appear every 48 minutes, he only attacks one player per day and he chooses a random target. If he’s still not spawning even if you’re in an invite-only lobby with friends, make sure you’re all carrying cash.

Related: All GTA Online snowman locations to unlock the snowman outfit

Ultimately, the Gooch shouldn’t be a priority for you during GTA Online’s holiday season. As long as you remember to keep cash on you, just keep going about your business like normal and you’ll eventually be treated to a visit from the Gooch. You only need to encounter him once to get the outfit and mask and there’s still plenty of time left.

The Gooch is just one aspect of the GTA Online holiday event this year. Rockstar Games has also brought back previous festive events like the Weazel Plaza Shootout that rewards a new weapon upon completion, and the Holiday Hauler truck will periodically roam the streets of Los Santos and deliver presents to players. There’s also a new yeti hunt event that rewards players with a free outfit as well.