Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by
Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in
the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and the
fifteenth installation overall. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas,
based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three
protagonists—retired bank robber Michael De Santa, street gangster Franklin
Clinton, and drug dealer and gunrunner Trevor Philips—and their attempts to
commit heists while under pressure from a corrupt government agency and
powerful criminals. The open world design lets players freely roam San Andreas'
open countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.
The game is played from either a third-person or first-person
perspective, and its world is navigated on foot and by vehicle. Players control
the three lead protagonists throughout single-player and switch among them,
both during and outside missions. The story is centerd on the heist sequences,
and many missions involve shooting and driving gameplay. A "wanted"
system governs the aggression of law enforcement response to players who commit
crimes. Grand Theft Auto Online, the game's online multiplayer mode, lets up to
30 players engage in a variety of different cooperative and competitive game
modes.
The game's development began around the time of Grand Theft Auto IV's
release and was shared between many of Rockstar's studios worldwide. The
development team drew influence from many of their previous projects such as
Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3 and designed the game around three lead
protagonists to innovate on the core structure of its predecessors. Much of the
development work constituted the open world's creation, and several team
members conducted field research around California to capture footage for the
design team. The game's soundtrack features an original score composed by a
team of producers who collaborated over several years. It was released in
September 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in November 2014 for the
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and April 2015 for Microsoft Windows. PlayStation 5
and Xbox Series X/S versions are scheduled for release in March 2022.
Extensively marketed and widely anticipated, the game broke industry
sales records and became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history,
earning $800 million in its first day and $1 billion in its first three days.
It received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its multiple protagonist
design, open world, presentation and gameplay. However, it caused controversies
related to its depiction of violence and women. Considered one of seventh and
eighth generation gaming console's most significant titles and among the best
video games ever made, it won year-end accolades including Game of the Year
awards from several gaming publications. It is the second best-selling video
game of all time with over 160 million copies shipped, and as of April 2018,
one of the most financially successful entertainment products of all time, with
about $6 billion in worldwide revenue.