The seventh main game in Rockstar Games’ critically acclaimed, and equally controversial, Grand Theft Auto series (not counting handheld spinoffs) will be releasing worldwide on September 17 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Set in the fictional American city of Los Santos, “Grand Theft Auto V” is being billed by developer Rockstar North as “a sprawling, satirical reimagining of modern Southern California” and is the first game to buck the series trend of having a playable protagonist by instead offering three different, playable characters.
In the game, players will be taking control of Michael, described as “a once successful bank robber and now less successful family man.” Franklin “a hungry street hustler convinced he’s surrounded by morons” and Trevor, with the cryptic description of “the less said about him, the better.” It follow the series’ traditional structure of playing out “missions” that are both tied to the central narrative and otherwise, while also offering various other activities such as sports, racing, para-gliding, and more to indulge in the fully explorable open world.
“Grand Theft Auto V” comes out five years after the last game of the series, “Grand Theft Auto IV,” came out in 2008 and went on to become a massive critical and commercial success for publisher Rockstar Games.
“Grand Theft Auto V” is rated “M” for Mature by America’s Entertainment Software Ratings Board and “PEGI 18” by Europe’s Pan European Game Information video game rating boards.
