How long is a day in GTA Online? A deep-dive into Los Santos' day-night cycle

One thing that every GTA Online player should know is that a day in the game is as long as 48 minutes in the real world. Basically, it's one in-game minute for every two real-life seconds. Knowing this fact can be very beneficial since this title has various businesses that get money or products based on the passage of time. Similarly, several pieces of content like The Cayo Perico Heist or Payphone Hits have a cooldown before you can retry them.

One thing these pieces of content have in common is that they rely on in-game days. GTA Online doesn't make it obvious how long an in-game day is, and some players won't bother counting or calculating it. Just know that 48 real-life minutes is equal to one day in the game, which is the same for other HD Universe titles like Grand Theft Auto 5.

---

When it's important to know one day in GTA Online is equal to 48 minutes in the real world

An example of a player collecting money from a safe that operates on the in-game day schedule (Image via Rockstar Games)

Here are some examples of GTA Online content where knowing that an in-game day is equal to 48 real-life minutes is valuable:

• Nightclub Safe: Every 48 real-life minutes can give you up to $50,000 in your safe.
• Arcade Safe: You get $5,000 every 48 real-life minutes.
• Agency Safe: You can get up to $20,000 every 48 real-life minutes.
• Auto Shop Service (no lift): You have a 50% chance of getting a customer to deliver their car within 48 real-life minutes.
• Cayo Perico Heist (group): This heist has a cooldown of 48 real-life minutes if you do it in a group.
• Cayo Perico Heist (solo): This heist has a cooldown of 144 real-life minutes if you solo it.
• Payphone Hit: Upon completing one, you must wait 48 real-life minutes to do another.

Do note that some exploits allow you to skip cooldowns altogether. For instance, the Heist Replay Glitch can let you farm the finale of The Cayo Perico Heist as often as you'd like.

The above bullet points aren't a comprehensive list of everything that runs on in-game days, yet they should serve as good examples for the reader.

Many businesses operate based on in-game days passing (Image via Rockstar Games)

Either way, it's worth mentioning that some pieces of content don't rely on in-game days. Some can actually be quicker, like an Auto Shop taking 24 real-life minutes to get a car if you have the lift installed.

It's also worth noting that some jobs could change the time of day in GTA Online, but that won't suddenly make you skip the cooldowns of the aforementioned content.

---

Some content is based on real-life days

The Lucky Wheel works on a different timer (Image via Rockstar Games)

Some content in Grand Theft Auto Online is based on real-life days. For example, the Diamond Casino & Resort's Lucky Wheel can be spun once every 24 hours. As soon as you do it, you have to wait literally 24 more hours to get another chance. Another example is Daily Objectives, which refreshes every day at an exact time (6 am UTC).

Similarly, GTA Online weekly updates tend to occur on Thursdays. That means anybody seeking a new set of weekly bonuses should wait until that day and then visit the Rockstar Newswire for more information.

Speaking of waiting for future content, why not check out the latest news on GTA 6 leaks?