How to use Hao’s Special Works in GTA Online: HSW vehicle upgrades & free car

If you want to take the appearance of your vehicle in GTA Online to another level, you should use Hao’s Special Works. Here’s how to use Hao’s Special Works in GTA Online and how to unlock all the HSW vehicle upgrades.

Grand Theft Auto Online has no shortage of fun activities for players to engage in, such as completing some works and missions or upgrading their vehicles to perfection. The next-gen version of the game allows PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players to use a new method to upgrade their cars.

Players who play GTA Online on next-gen consoles have access to exclusive vehicles and missions. Also, they can upgrade their vehicles at Hao’s Special Works, taking the appearance of their cars to another level.

So, here’s everything you need to know about Hao’s Special Works.

• How to unlock Hao’s Special Works in GTA Online
• Hao’s Special Works location
• All upgradeable Hao’s Special Works vehicles
• Hao’s Special Works upgrades & services

How to unlock Hao’s Special Works in GTA Online

After you’ve transferred your GTA Online character to the next-gen edition, the game will point you directly towards Hao, as he’ll call you to come and collect one of his souped-up cars.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Transfer your GTA Online character to the next-gen edition.
2. Wait for Hao to call you in the game.
3. Accept the call and listen to what he says.
4. Follow the marker to his garage in Vinewood.

He’ll give you a time trial to complete. You’ll have a generous eight minutes to complete the time trial, so don’t panic, just take your time, and you should clear it with a couple of minutes to spare.

Hao’s Special Works location

Hao’s Special Workshop can be found at the LS Car Meet, down in the southeast of Los Santos. Once inside, Hao can be found in the northeast corner of the workshop, where he will happily help you mod your car for a price.

Finding Hao’s Special Workshop can be a little bit tricky, as it isn’t marked on the map as you would expect. To make things easier, you can look at its exact location on the GTA Online map below.

All upgradeable Hao’s Special Works vehicles

Not every GTA Online vehicle can be fitted with HSW upgrades. Hao can upgrade 21 vehicles for you in GTA Online, five of them being next-gen exclusive vehicles.

The next-gen exclusive Karin S95 usually costs $1,995,000, but returning players can claim it for free. And the best part is, it’ll already be maxed out with every HSW upgrade. Simply head to Southern San Andreas Super Autos, and claim the Karin.

In addition, for winning the time trial, you’ll also get an HSW Performance Upgrade for free.

Here are the vehicles that can be upgraded at Hao’s Special Works and the conversion cost:

• Benefactor Stirling GT – $900,000
• Bravado Banshee – $1,840,000
• Bravado Buffalo EVX – $1,415,000
• Declasse Vigero ZX – $550,000
• Declasse Vigero ZX Convertible – $550,000
• Grotti Turismo Classic – $897,000
• Grotti Brioso R/A – $1,097,500
• Grotti Itali GTO Stinger TT – $1,418,000
• Karin Vivanite – $800,000
• Maibatsu MonstroCiti – $1,109,000
• Overflod Entity MT – $850,000
• Penaud La Coureuse – $818,000
• Principe Deveste Eight -$1,110,000
• Shitzu Hakuchou Drag (Motorcycle) – $1,450,000
• Ubermacht Sentinel XS – $1,305,300
• Weeny Issi Rally – $650,000
• Coil Cyclone II* – $475,000
• Imponte Arbiter GT* – $375,000
• Karin S95* – $525,000
• Pegassi Weaponized Ignus* – 475,000
• Pfister Astron Custom* – $395,000

Some of these vehicles are only available on the PS5 version of the game, and we’ve marked these with the asterisk (*).

Hao’s Special Works upgrades & services

Once you have a car that Hao can upgrade, it’s time to head to the LS Car Meet and let him upgrade your ride. Before you can add anything crazy, though, you’ll need to convert your vehicle using an HSW Performance Upgrade.

Luckily, you get one of these for free when you complete Hao’s time trail, but you’ll need to pay for additional cars in the future. Once converted, here’s everything you can buy to make your car even faster.

• HSW Liveries (GTA+ members have two special HSW-themed liveries)
• HSW Spoiler Options (not applicable to motorcycles)
• HSW Forged Carbon Body Parts (Exclusively for Entity MT, Stirling GT, and Vigero ZX)
• HSW Brakes
• HSW Engine Tunes
• HSW Suspension
• HSW Transmission
• HSW Turbo Tuning (Stage I, II, and III)
• HSW Modes (Standard, Race, Sports, Race+)

That’s everything you need to know about upgrading your cars at Hao’s Special Works. For more GTA Online, be sure to check out these other guides:

How to get the $1.9 Million Panther Statue in GTA Online’s Cayo Perico Heist | GTA Plus rewards | How to get GTA Online’s Service Carbine | How to cancel a mission in GTA Online | Where to find Luxury Autos & Simeon’s Premium Deluxe Motorsport | Does GTA Online have crossplay? PC, Xbox, & PS5 cross-platform info | How to register as a CEO in GTA Online