How to find the GTA Online Phantom Car and reenact Christine

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The GTA Online Phantom Car has been spotted on the streets of Los Santos and Blaine County, striking fear into players as this driverless vehicle stalks its prey. This horror concept will be familiar to anyone that has read Stephen King's book Christine or seen the corresponding film, and for Halloween GTA Online has a faithful reproduction of this killer car driving around town – complete with flaming hood once it goes on the attack. If you want to encounter the GTA Online Phantom Car then there are a number of steps you need to take, and we've got all the details so you can experience the fear of duelling with Christine yourself.

Make sure you also look for the GTA Online UFOs and GTA Online Slashers as part of the Halloween 2021 event.

When and where does the GTA Online Phantom Car appear

The GTA Online Phantom Car can appear at random anywhere on the map, however there are a few requirements you need to meet first to have a chance of encountering it. These are as follows:

You need to be in Free Roam mode and not inside a building.
You have to be in the session for at least 16 minutes, i.e. 8 in-game hours.
You must have at least two players in your session, so solo play is out.
You can be on foot or in a standard vehicle, but no weaponized vehicles, helicopters etc.
The in-game time must be between 9pm and 5am.

If all of those points have been met, then the GTA Online Phantom Car may spawn near you at some point – it looks like the Declasse Tornado Custom pictured above, and although it doesn't appear on the minimap you will hear an ominous revving sound when it shows up. If you're driving a vehicle at the time then the killer car will simply stalk your movements, and will eventually go away if you continue driving around without engaging it.

However, if you exit your car or were already on foot then the GTA Online Phantom Car enters full Christine mode, bursting into flames with blood-red headlights and a single goal of running you down. It soaks up a lot of damage before it's destroyed, so either find a good vantage point or keep moving sideways to avoid its turning circle. You can also jump into another vehicle at any point and the flames will extinguish, returning the GTA Online Phantom Car to stalking mode once again and buying you some breathing space.

You can also check out the best GTA 5 Cheats in the video below:

When and where does the GTA Online Phantom Car appear

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter