Player primer

Grand Theft Auto Online

The persistent multiplayer half of Grand Theft Auto V: one shared Los Santos where players build criminal careers, run businesses and pull heists together. Background reading for the assets we sell — what they are for and where they fit.

First released
1 Oct 2013as the online mode of GTA V
Standalone release
15 Mar 2022alongside PS5 / Xbox Series
Setting
Los Santosand Blaine County

core systems

What you actually do

the open lobby

Freemode

A shared, persistent Los Santos where players roam the same map. Everything else — jobs, businesses, heists — is launched from here, solo or with a crew.

co-op set pieces

Heists

Multi-stage robberies with setup missions and a finale, split across a crew and a cut of the take.

the money loop

Businesses

Own nightclubs, auto shops, agencies and warehouses; supply, sell and defend cargo.

the garage

Vehicles & tuning

Hundreds of cars, bikes, boats, planes and helicopters, plus deep cosmetic and performance tuning.

somewhere to keep it

Property

Apartments, garages and clubhouses double as storage and as the launch point for missions.

landmark updates

How it grew

  1. Heists

    Added co-op multi-part robberies — the format the game has built on ever since.

  2. The Doomsday Heist

    Facilities, a three-act heist chain and a wave of weaponised vehicles.

  3. The Diamond Casino & Resort

    Opened the casino as a functioning venue with penthouses and its own heist.

  4. The Cayo Perico Heist

    Introduced an entirely new island — the first landmass added to the map — plus a heist playable solo.

  5. Los Santos Tuners

    The LS Car Meet in Cypress Flats, auto shop properties and multi-part robbery contracts.

  6. The Contract

    A story-led chapter with Franklin and Dr. Dre, run from a new agency property.

  7. The Kortz Center Heist

    The summer 2026 update: a new heist, new vehicles and Mission Creator improvements.

availability

Where it runs

Support for PS3 and Xbox 360 ended on 16 December 2021.