To start a race with friends in GTA 5 Online, open the pause menu, go to Online > Jobs > Play Job > Rockstar Created > Races, then pick a race and invite your friends from the lobby. You can also set Matchmaking to Closed so only your friends can join.

Fast steps

  1. Open the pause menu.
  2. Go to Online.
  3. Select Jobs or Play Job.
  4. Choose Rockstar Created.
  5. Pick Races.
  6. Start the race, then invite friends from the lobby.

Private race setup

If you want only friends in the race, set matchmaking to Closed before inviting anyone. That keeps random players out and makes the lobby easier to manage.

Race types

GTA Online has several race styles, including regular races, stunt races, drag races, and drift-style events depending on the menu path you use. If you want a custom route, you can also create your own race and then invite friends to it.

Quick tip

If the race lobby is empty or friends cannot join, double-check that you are hosting the job and that matchmaking is not set to open. That usually fixes the issue fastest.

TL;DR: Go to Online > Jobs > Races, host the race, set matchmaking to Closed , and invite your friends.