Grand Theft Auto V is the latest in a series of action-adventure games where you travel around one large location taking part in different criminal activities: pulling off heists, with lots of shooting and stealing and driving a variety of cars and other vehicles.

GTA V is considered a particularly technically impressive example of open-world games, which can be credited to its huge development team and budget. Similar games include Sleeping Dogs, which is set in Hong Kong, and Saints Row IV, which features similar mechanics but openly makes fun of GTA and other games.

It's the first game in the GTA series to have multiple main characters. It tells the stories of three criminals: Michael, a rich former bank robber living under witness protection; Trevor, Michael’s old partner in crime; and Franklin, the youngest of the three. The single-player campaign sees them team up to commit crimes, though their relationships – with each other and with people outside of the group – are heavily tested.

The Grand Theft Auto games are often called satire, as they parody various aspects of American life like politics and celebrity culture. However, some critics have said that GTA V doesn’t manage to get beyond simple offensive humour.

While some will undoubtedly play GTA V because they enjoy speeding away from the cops in a stolen car or carrying out acts of extreme violence, others will be drawn in by the impressive technical achievement that is its open world of Los Santos, closely mirroring Los Angeles, and filled with things to do, whether that’s driving around taking selfies, making money through the stock market, or taking in a round of golf.

Grand Theft Auto has been around since 1997:

• Grand Theft Auto (1997) on PC
• Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) on PlayStation 1, Dreamcast, PC
• Grand Theft Auto III (2001) on PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC, iOS
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) on PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC, iOS, Android
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) on PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC, iOS, Android
• Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
• Grand Theft Auto V (2013) on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PS4, Xbox One
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned (2009) on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
• Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (2009) on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC

There are handheld versions:

• Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004) on GBA
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005) on PS2, PSP, iOS and Android
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006) on PS2, PSP
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (2009) on PSP and DS, iOS, Android