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Game Profile

Grand Theft Auto V

When you first start Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5), the game introduces three protagonists with distinct criminal careers and lives. While Michael is retired from his bank-robbing days, Trevor's a violent thug who likes to cause trouble wherever he goes, and Franklin has just joined Los Santos' underworld as an up-and-coming hustler.

P-Score 97

PortalSpin editorial review · Checked 2026-10-17

Release September 17, 2013
Platforms
Genre Action Adventure, Open World
Developer Rockstar North
Publisher Rockstar Games
Status Classic

Official game site Related articles

grand theft auto v cover art

Overview

When you first start Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5), the game introduces three protagonists with distinct criminal careers and lives. While Michael is retired from his bank-robbing days, Trevor’s a violent thug who likes to cause trouble wherever he goes, and Franklin has just joined Los Santos’ underworld as an up-and-coming hustler.

These characters are tied together by their involvement in the story mode campaign of GTA 5, which follows three lives that intersect at different points. However, you create your own character for a separate online career in Grand Theft Auto Online (GTA Online). Here’s how to tell them apart and what makes each one unique.

Story Mode

The story mode campaign of Rockstar Games’ 2013 action adventure follows three protagonists: Michael, Trevor, and Franklin. The playable cast includes:

  • Michael De Santa, a retired bank robber.
  • Trevor Philips is a violent criminal with no regard for laws or consequences; he likes to cause trouble wherever he goes, whether it’s by shooting people in the street or robbing banks himself.
  • Franklin Clinton, a young street hustler in Los Santos.

What is GTA V Enhanced?

GTA 5 was released on PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 back in 2013. In March 2025, Rockstar Games launched a PC version with the name Grand Theft Auto V: Enhanced, which offers several improvements over the previous PC version.

This includes support for ray tracing, AMD FSR or NVIDIA DLSS upscaling technology, and faster loading times on SSDs using DirectStorage. The game also supports audio upgrades like 3D sound effects. However, these features require compatible PC hardware.

GTA Online

GTA V Enhanced includes a separate online mode called Grand Theft Auto Online, which lets you create and customize characters to build up businesses or join criminal organizations. Unlike Story Mode, where Michael, Trevor, and Franklin have their own lives that intersect with each other’s, this version of the game focuses on your character.

This means you can play some GTA Online activities alone with your own character. For example:

  • Heists are cooperative missions where crews work together to steal money from banks, casinos, and other high-value targets. You can join these with friends by creating an Online mode character in the game’s lobby or joining someone else’s session.
  • Stunt Races let you compete against others on various tracks using custom cars. These are also available solo since they don’t require a group to start them.

Can you play GTA Online alone?

GTA V Enhanced supports online sessions with up to 30 players. Some activities can be played solo, while cooperative Heists and team-based Adversary Modes have their own participation requirements. If your friends aren’t available, choose a solo-compatible activity rather than assuming every job can be started alone.

Platforms and migration

PlayStation lists GTA V for PS4 and PS5, with faster loading, DualSense features and 3D audio on PS5. Current PC players can migrate Story Mode progress and GTA Online characters from Legacy to Enhanced once. That migration transfers progress; it does not establish cross-platform multiplayer.