The variety of vehicles available in Grand Theft Auto Online grows wildly with each update. When the game launched in 2013, players could look forward to supercars, tanks and jet fighters. Today, there are weaponized dune buggies, rocket-bikes and even a nuclear submarine: the Kosatka.
Introduced in The Cayo Perico Heist, the Kosatka is a combination vehicle and base of operations similar to the Galaxy Super Yacht and the Terrorbyte Mobile Operations Center. The submarine can be piloted through the waters of San Andreas, but it also provides the same facilities as a safehouse for a price. Getting the Kosatka isn't too difficult, and the sub does offer some key advantages -- but don't expect to use it as an everyday means of transportation.
How to Unlock the Kosatka in GTA Online
The Kosatka is a prerequisite for playing The Cayo Perico Heist's missions. This storyline begins with a phone call from Miguel Madrazo, the son of Martin and Patricia from the single-player story. Miguel wants to meet at The Music Locker, a dance club located under The Diamond Casino in East Vinewood. After the meeting, players will have the option to purchase the Kosatka from the Warstock Cache & Carry in-game website. The boat will spawn on command through the interactions menu.
This may sound easy, but as with other GTA Online updates, there is a substantial cost of entry. The basic Kosatka costs $2,200,000 and comes with limited functionality. Additional features are available to purchase that allow access to a weapons workshop, vehicle bay and defensive systems. A fully-loaded Kosatka can cost up to $9,000,000 although the vessel can be modified at any time through the Warstock website if that lump sum is too much at once.
These modifications provide some familiar facilities alongside more unique offerings. Various guns, snacks, and equipment spawn throughout the ship. Captain's quarters come standard with a spawn point, bed, laptop and closet. Fast travel is also an option, though it costs up to $10,000 per trip.
The weapons workshop runs to $350,000 and provides access to all weapon upgrades, including Mark 2 versions. Although the base Kosatka includes the moon pool rooms, they aren't much use without the $1,545,000 Avisa submarine or the $1,815,000 Sparrow helicopter. However, the moon pool is the only place in the game to modify the Sparrow, equipping it with some heavy firepower like .50-caliber machine guns.
Is GTA Online's Kosatka Worth the Cost?
In a public server, the Kosatka may prove a liability. It is a large, slow-moving target vulnerable to explosives, and some key defenses don't come standard. The base model's primary weapons are torpedoes and homing missiles, both of which are slow, and the required target lock can be difficult to use on fast enemies or those at medium range. Upgrading with remote missiles costs a hefty $1,900,000, but it adds a flexible new option to the submarine's arsenal. Players can directly control remote missiles towards a target, and the projectiles have unlimited fuel as long as they don't go too far from the submarine.
Of course, the Kosatka's best defense is that it's a submarine. Staying far off shore will protect the vessel from many land-based threats, but it remains vulnerable to aircraft and other boats. Hiding is a strong option. Submerging the submarine removes it from other players' radars. Of course, this also means that submerged enemy submarines also don't appear on the radar. Buying the sonar station for $1,200,000 reveals these submerged craft as well as buried treasure locations, which offsets some of the price.
As a vehicle, the Kosatka offers a poor value for all the money it costs overall. Of course, it's a must-buy for anyone who wants to play the Cayo Perico heist jobs, but even with the extra bells and whistles, the submarine is critically vulnerable with limited range. Due to its sheer bulk, the Kosatka operates best in the deeper ocean water off the San Andreas coast. For regular use as a field command center, the Terrorbyte is more rugged, and the Avenger is more elusive. The safest way to operate the submarine is to hide underwater, which makes it little more than a wet bunker, and the cheapest bunker in GTA Online only costs $1,165,000.