How The Gooch is different from the Mugger in GTA Online?

The GTA Online Festive Surprise update introduced the much-anticipated snow season in the game, with the entire San Andreas now covered in a layer of ice. The snow update also brought several Christmas-themed events, missions, and bonuses, which players enjoy.

Rockstar Games introduced The Gooch, a random free-roam event that terrorizes citizens and unsuspecting players on the streets. While the character is new, the concept is based on the Mugger, already available in the multiplayer game.

However, they are noticeably different and can only be accessed during specific times. This article describes how the Gooch differs from the Mugger in GTA Online.

Note: This article is subjective and only reflects the writer's opinions.

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Differences between the Gooch and the Mugger in GTA Online

On December 22, 2022, Rockstar Games announced the Festive Surprise event via newswire and released the Gooch Event in GTA Online. Newswire described the event as follows:

“Beware of The Gooch, a nefarious opportunist now roaming the streets and lurking in the shadows, looking to empty the pockets of unsuspecting players while causing grievous bodily harm.

The Mugger, on the other hand, is an NPC character that can be spawned and sent after other GTA Online players. While both Gooch and the Mugger loot players, they serve distinct purposes.

The main distinction is that the Gooch is a Christmas-themed character only available during the Festive Surprise period (presumably from December 22 to 28). However, the Mugger is a recurring character who can appear at any time of the year.

Muggers can be summoned manually. GTA Online players can spawn the notorious characters on their own and send them after other players to torment them. However, the Gooch is an entirely random character. No player can spawn it or be sent after others. The game decides when to spawn it and who will be attacked.

While Gooch appears out of nowhere in a cloud of dark green smoke, Muggers are essentially NPC pedestrians who will remain hidden until they find an appropriate situation to attack.

The Gooch will knock the player down, steal their money, and flee on foot, whereas the Mugger can attack players in various ways (stabbing in most cases). The notorious burglars will attack them, steal their money, and flee with their vehicle if the player is within one in GTA Online.

Muggers cost money to both the attacker and the victim. The attacker must pay $1000 in-game money to spawn them, and the victims lose a portion of their money, up to $10,000, if their money has not been deposited into their bank account.

While there is a slim chance of evading the Gooch before it attacks, the Mugger will try to hit the player multiple times before they are killed or called off by the attacker. After the attack, GTA Online will reward you with $30,000 and the Gooch Mask for killing the Gooch for the first time. However, killing the Mugger returns the entire stolen amount.

You can send a Mugger after any player in the lobby by calling Lamar. In contrast, the game will place the Gooch behind anyone in the lobby with at least two players.