Grand Theft Auto V isn’t just a single-player experience. Developer Rockstar Games is simultaneously preparing the story mode and a persistent online world called GTA Online. For the first time, Rockstar is providing details about GTA Online, which will launch on Oct. 1 and is free for Grand Theft Auto V owners.
GTA Online is Rockstar’s way of bringing the traditional Grand Theft Auto experience to a living, connected world that players can explore with their friends. The multiplayer mode will feature structured and unstructured activities that include scripted missions or emergent gameplay, and it supports up to 16 players at one time.
Check out the trailer below:
Grand Theft Auto V will debut for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Sept. 17. That means Rockstar is leaving a window of a few weeks between the launch of its single player GTA and the online component. It’s possible that Rockstar may launch GTA Online as a standalone product, and we’ve reached out to the company ask if that is the case. We’ll update this story with its comment.
GTA V is the story of three men who get sucked into the criminal underworld of Los Santos, which is a fictionalized version of Southern California. GTA Online takes place on the same map as GTA V.
The online game will enable players to create their own character. They can also purchase and maintain their own garage and home.
Once online, players can join up with friends for cooperative bank heists and liquor-store robberies. Alternatively, teams can face off against one another in competitive modes. The trailer also shows characters playing golf and tennis as well as parachuting and flying planes.
Rockstar plans to continually add content to GTA Online, but it will also rely on user-created content to flesh out its offerings. For example, players can create their own deathmatch maps and race courses.
This isn’t the first online mode in Grand Theft Auto history. Rockstar bundled a similar connected experience with Grand Theft Auto IV, which supported 16 players on consoles and 32 players on PC. That mode grew stale for some due to a lack of activities and structure.