Grand Theft Auto V is played from a
third-person perspective in an open world environment, allowing the player to interact with the game world at their leisure. The game is set within the fictional state of San Andreas (based on
Southern California) and affords the player the ability to freely roam the world's countryside and the fictional city of
Los Santos (based on
Los Angeles). The
single-player story is told through three player-controlled protagonists whom the player switches between, and it follows their efforts to plan and execute six large
heists to accrue wealth for themselves. An
online multiplayer mode is included with the game, allowing up to 16 players to engage in both co-operative and competitive gameplay in a recreation of the single-player setting.
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The developers envisioned
Grand Theft Auto V as a spiritual successor to many of their previous projects, such as
Red Dead Redemption and
Max Payne 3. Development began shortly following the release of
Grand Theft Auto IV, with a focus on innovating the core mechanic of the series by giving the player control of three protagonists. Upon its release, the game was acclaimed by many reviewers who praised its story, presentation, and open-ended gameplay. A commercial success,
Grand Theft Auto V broke industry sales records by earning US $800 million in the first 24 hours of its release, and $1 billion within its first three days, making it the fastest selling entertainment product in history.