Grand Theft Auto Online is an online multiplayer action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 1 October 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, 18 November 2014 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, 14 April 2015 for Windows, and 15 March 2022 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game is the online component of Grand Theft Auto V. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas (based on Southern California), Grand Theft Auto Online allows up to 30 players to explore its open world environment and engage in cooperative or competitive game modes.
The open-world design lets players freely roam San Andreas, which includes an open countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles). Players control a customisable silent protagonist in their journey to become a powerful criminal, slowly building an empire as they complete tasks from various non-playable characters, many of them returning from the single-player mode. Set both months before and years after the single-player campaign, Grand Theft Auto Online comprises cooperative missions where multiple players complete tasks to advance the narrative. The game also features numerous side activities and events, including the more elaborate "Heists", and various businesses that players can purchase and manage.
Developed in tandem with the single-player mode, Grand Theft Auto Online was conceived as a separate experience to be played in a continually evolving world. At launch, it suffered widespread technical issues resulting in the inability to play missions and loss of character data. It initially polarised reviewers, being criticised for its lack of direction and repetitive missions, with praise particularly directed at the scope and open-ended gameplay. It won divided year-end accolades, ranging from Biggest Disappointment to Best Multiplayer, from several gaming publications. The game receives frequent free updates that further expand on the game modes and content, which has improved critical reception. The 2015 Heists update was especially well received by critics.
Gameplay Developed in tandem with Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto Online was conceived as a separate experience to be played in a continually evolving world. Up to 30 players freely roam across the same open world environment as the single-player game and enter lobbies to complete jobs (story-driven competitive or cooperative modes). The Content Creator toolset lets players create their own parameters for custom jobs, like racetracks and deathmatch weapon spawn points. Players may band together in organised player teams called crews to complete jobs together. The Rockstar Games Social Club extends crews formed in Max Payne 3 multiplayer mode to that of Grand Theft Auto Online. Players can create their own crews and join up to five total. Crews also have a hierarchy; crew leaders can change a member's role in said hierarchy. Crews win multiplayer matches to earn experience points and climb online leaderboards.
In Grand Theft Auto Online, players create a new character specific to the online world, which shows on the screen's Switch Wheel alongside single-player characters Franklin, Michael, and Trevor. The player-characters are designed by a genetics-related process. Greater control is given to the character's clothes and hairstyles. The protagonist arrives in Los Santos by plane and is picked up by Lamar Davis, who gives the character a gun and a car. An hour-long tutorial introduces the player to the various game modes, driving, fighting, and game progression mechanics. The story is not central in the multiplayer, though it initially served as a prequel to Grand Theft Auto V, where characters from the single-player mode are woven in.
Similar to the single-player campaign, players can level up their character's attributes such as their driving skill and stamina. Exclusive to Grand Theft Auto Online is a system of earning experience, usually by successful completion of activities. Accumulating enough experience to level up unlocks weapons, clothing, car customisations, and more advanced activities (such as parachuting and aircraft). Once unlocked, items need to be purchased with in-game currency, which can be earned or purchased with real money. Players can circumvent an activity's level requirements by joining a game with others of a sufficient rank. There are options to play alone or with friends, and an option for "Passive Mode", which makes the player immune to other players.
Aside from the open world, there are three main types of set activities: racing (by car, bike, aircraft, or boat), Deathmatches (team or free-for-all), and Contact Missions (linear jobs with set objectives, usually cooperative). The game uses lock-on aim and emphasises stealth in firefights. "Adversary Mode" adds several asymmetric variations on these activities, including "Siege Mentality" where one team is besieged by another, and "Hasta La Vista" where truckers chase down cyclists (reminiscent of the truck/motorcycle chase in Terminator 2: Judgment Day). "Survival" pits a team of up to four players against ten waves of enemies. The Heists update released in March 2015 added five elaborate multi-part missions, where teams of four players must complete several "prep jobs" in the lead-up to a major crime; each heist finale is a high-paying job, and the profits must be split between all participating players. Subsequent heists added to the game removed the four-player requirement and can instead be completed solo or by teams of two, three, or four players. The player who is the Heist Leader must pay the upfront costs for unlocking each heist, and is the only one required to complete all prep jobs in order; other players can join any setup/finale jobs without prerequisite and get paid a cut for each mission passed. The heists requiring multiple players often assign specific roles such as driver, gunner, hacker etc. and/or may split the team apart, making communication between players crucial.
The game includes a content creation tool that lets players make automobile races and deathmatches. Players can choose the location, start and spawn points, and weapon and vehicle drops in deathmatches, and the location, route, race type, and player count in air, land, or sea races. Creations have to be tested against computer-controlled players before the mode is available online. The creations can also be published for others to use. Rockstar tags what they deem to be the best as "Rockstar Verified". In December 2025, the content creation tool was expanded with the addition of the Rockstar Mission Creator, which allows players to create linear jobs akin to Contact Missions; players may choose the location and objective of the mission, the available items, and add non-player characters and cutscenes.
The game is updated on a weekly basis to provide new content to players in the form of special challenges and events, Adversary Modes, and discounts on select vehicles, weapons, and properties. Certain benefits are exclusive to members of GTA+, Rockstar's subscription service introduced in March 2022. Unique updates are released during certain times of year, such as the map being covered in snow during the holiday season.
Plot The game's narrative begins in 2013, several months before Grand Theft Auto V. Players take on the role of a silent protagonist who moves to Los Santos in search for new pursuits. Upon arrival, they meet with Lamar Davis (Slink Johnson), whom they befriended on the social networking site Lifeinvader. After a street race against the player, Lamar introduces them to drug dealer Gerald (Douglas Powell Ward) and corrupt car salesman Simeon Yetarian (Demosthenes Chrysan) for work. As the player slowly builds up their reputation, they attract the attention of individuals like illicit business proprietor Trevor Philips (Steven Ogg), hacker Lester Crest (Jay Klaitz), and drug lord Martin Madrazo (Alfredo Huereca), who also employ them.
Eventually, the player is offered bigger job opportunities by Lester, who recruits them for several bank robberies; a shady government agent known only as Agent 14 (Ryan Farrell), who has them break a convicted spy out of prison and raid a government-run lab; and Trevor, who enlists their help with a highly profitable drug deal. Lamar also hires the player to sabotage several rival gangs to set the stage for his eventual rise to power, but this backfires, causing a falling out with his own gang. The player helps Lamar regain their trust. During this time, the player slowly builds up their own criminal empire, starting with an initially small organisation, which expands with the purchase of an office and several warehouses to aid the player in the theft and sale of various goods. The player also starts a motorcycle club and begins running additional illegal businesses.
In 2017, the player continues to expand their empire by starting gunrunning and smuggling operations alongside Agent 14 and Trevor's former associate Ron Jakowski (David Mogentale), respectively. Later, Lester introduces the player to billionaire Avon Hertz (Sean McGrath) and his AI network Cliffford, who recruit them to help prevent a potential foreign attack on the United States. During their mission, the group collaborates with the International Affairs Agency (IAA), including Agent 14, and clashes with a rogue Russian special ops unit led by Bogdan (Vyto Ruginis). However, after eliminating the unit, Avon and Cliffford turn on the group and reveal their true intentions to trigger a nuclear armageddon, having already gained access to the state's defense grid. The player thwarts this plot by raiding a missile base hidden within Mount Chiliad, destroying trucks with Cliffford's code to stop a missile launch, and killing Avon as he tries to escape.
In 2018, the player opens a new nightclub alongside former Liberty City nightclub entrepreneur "Gay" Tony Prince (David Kenner), and begins using it as a front for their illicit businesses. They also become a top competitor in Arena War, a popular demolition derby-like TV series. The following year, the player becomes a VIP member at the newly opened Diamond Casino & Resort owned by Tao Cheng (Richard Hsu), member of a Hong Kong-based crime family. They assist the staff with various problems they are facing, primarily involving Texan businessman Avery Duggan's hostile takeover attempt. When the casino falls under attack, the player kills Duggan, allowing his nephew Thornton to buy the property. Later, the player and a retired Lester are hired to rob the casino by Tao's sister Georgina (Christina Liang), who seeks retribution against Thornton for tricking her brother into selling it. The heist is carried out successfully, humiliating Thornton, while Lester begins a relationship with Georgina.
In 2020, the player conducts several new jobs for Gerald, and enters a short-lived conflict with the Kkangpae, which ends with the player killing the gang's leader after they raid their yacht. Afterwards, they are hired by Martin Madrazo's son Miguel (Robbie Gottlieb) to steal incriminating files from Juan "El Rubio" Strickler (Joseph Melendez), the world's most notorious drug dealer and primary supplier to the Madrazo Cartel, who has threatened to report them to the DEA if they do not renegotiate their prices. With the help of their recently purchased nuclear submarine and its one-man crew, former Russian Navy sailor Pavel (Brandon Beilis), the player plans and executes a successful robbery of El Rubio's private compound on his heavily guarded Caribbean island, Cayo Perico.