GTA Online 2025 Halloween: How to Spawn the Phantom Car

Every Halloween, GTA Online brings spooky content under its “Halloween Haunts” series, and the Phantom Car remains one of the most well-known ones. But the Phantom Car doesn’t just show up randomly; it needs certain conditions before it starts hunting players. Here’s what to know if you want to make it appear.

For fans looking forward to more Rockstar news, the recent reveal that a GTA 4 Remaster in Development may bring updated graphics and quality-of-life improvements, adding even more excitement for the GTA community this year.

How to Trigger the Phantom Car in GTA Online Halloween Haunts 2025

This ghost-like, driverless version of the Tornado Custom, painted in red and graphite with glowing headlights, comes back again for GTA Online Halloween event 2025, running from October 9 to 15, confirmed by Rockstar Games.
To make the event happen, players need to meet all these:

• Mode / Session: Be in free roam (Invite-Only, Public, or Crew). It won’t work in missions, jobs, or cutscenes.
• Players in Session: There must be at least two players in the lobby. Solo play doesn’t trigger it.
• Time Requirement: Wait about 15–16 minutes after joining a session before it can happen.
• In-Game Time: The Phantom Car can spawn at any time between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. in the game.
• Player State: You have to either be on foot or in a normal, standard vehicle. Planes, boats, or weaponized vehicles won’t work.
• Spawn Area: It can spawn anywhere in San Andreas or Los Santos; it has no set spawn area, so there is no regular area for the spawn location.

After you do all the above, the Phantom Car may spawn nearby and randomly target a player (most often a player on foot).

Step-by-Step: How to summon the Phantom Car & What Happens When It Spawns

• Go into GTA Online free roam.
• Join a session with one or more players.
• Wait 15–16 minutes.
• Stay until night (9:00 p.m. in-game).
• Be on foot or in a regular car.
• When it spawns, keep distance and use explosives.

Destroy it or stay away until morning.
First, if you are in a car, all it does is follow you slowly and not try to hurt you. Once you leave the vehicle, it will change states and attack you. Flames will start to come out of the hood, and the headlights will turn bright red and will start trying to ram into you. If you don’t move away from the vehicle, the flames can kill you quickly.
The Phantom Car can’t be easily destroyed with bullets. You’ll need explosives like RPGs, grenade launchers, or sticky bombs. When it blows up or if you die, the event stops, and the car disappears. It can also vanish if it gets stuck or another event starts.

Tips & Warnings for GTA Online Halloween Haunts 2025

• Don’t teleport or fast travel; it can reset the timer.
• Stay in open areas so you can see it better.
• Other Halloween events (like UFOs or Cerberus) can interrupt it.
• It’s random, so it might take a few tries.

The Phantom Car is still one of GTA Online’s biggest Halloween features, a flaming, driverless car that hunts players through Los Santos nights. Just meet the right setup, free roam, at least two players, nighttime, and some patience, and it’ll come for you sooner or later. When it does, get your explosives ready and stay calm. The GTA Online Phantom Car event isn’t complete without surviving this one. Want the full breakdown of spooky content and event timings? Check out the GTA Online Halloween Haunts 2025 October Event for all the limited-time Halloween surprises, including the return of the terrifying Phantom Car.