Grand Theft Auto V is one of the best-selling games in history. Gigantic Los Santos, three playable protagonists, perfect spiral narrative, pharaonic GTA Online. A total masterpiece, absolute reference of open gaming.
Your verdict
Category
Open-World4 players18+
Co-op
Description
Fifth main installment of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto saga plunging three protagonists into a renovated Los Santos and its vast hinterland. Published by Rockstar, released in Europe in September 2013. Three switchable protagonists, Los Santos and Blaine County to explore, evolving GTA Online mode, cooperative heists, and exceptional quality radio soundtrack.
Grand Theft Auto V review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Los Santos and its surroundings recreated with astonishing breadth, from sunlit beaches to mountains: the Californian light and the density of the world impress. The coherence and richness of the smallest detail compose an unequalled living panorama. This visual ambition, vast and polished, marks the peak of the PS3 open world.
Between dozens of licensed radio stations and an original score signed by Tangerine Dream, Woody Jackson and The Alchemist, the music reaches an unprecedented breadth for the series. Each heist and each drive pulse with a tailor-made cinematic tension. This colossal sonic richness remains a monument of game music.
Following three criminals who could not be more different, the adventure interweaves their fates through spectacular heists and a biting satire of America. The tale juggles cynical humour, tension and family drama with unprecedented scope. This criminal triptych, brilliant and ferocious, became a generational phenomenon.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Juggling three protagonists mid-heist constantly renews the way you approach an open world of dizzying scale. Smoother driving, snappier gunfights and countless activities make up a sandbox of rare generosity. A peak of the genre, it retains a fluidity and a richness that have nothing to envy in today's productions.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Three protagonists, a sprawling metropolis and unprecedented freedom of action: elaborate heists, races, extreme sports and urban chaos chain together without limit. Switching between characters mid-heist delivers an exhilarating sensation. Rich, alive and masterfully made, a monumental open-world whose density and freedom remain an absolute benchmark of the genre.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Switching between three criminals to prep a heist, then getting lost in a metropolis teeming with activities sets up a sandbox of rare richness where the next goal springs up at every street. Missions, challenges and online mode endlessly renew the urge to come back. The cynical tone and the online grind divide opinion, but the scale of the world grips you for hundreds of hours.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Switching between three protagonists with distinct lives instantly multiplies the angles on a vast Los Santos, extended by a whole hinterland to roam. Heists prepared as a crew, countless side activities and the perpetually expanding GTA Online mode make each session a new way into the world. This evolving scale explains why people still return, years after release.
One of the best-selling entertainment products of all time, whose PS3 version was the original release before its ports to later consoles. Printed in the tens of millions, it is everywhere and without value. Its only desirability lies in its status as the original version of a colossal phenomenon, pure heritage interest, any scarcity ruled out by its absolute ubiquity.
Better with friends
An urban sandbox turned legend, whose open playground lends itself to a thousand improvised antics between players, from wild races to coordinated heists. The fun springs as much from freedom as from unexpected situations that spiral into fits of laughter. The online side, once colossal, now depends on servers whose activity is no longer assured, but the sandbox spirit keeps a unique pull.
A cult cover
On a brilliant white ground, a mosaic of illustrated vignettes — a skydiver, the dog Chop, masked robbers — frames a massive "V": the cover sums up the trio of heroes and the sunny chaos of Los Santos at a glance. The clarity of the montage and the humor of the panels cut against the previous entry's darkness. Bright and iconic, it shows up everywhere.
A questionable morality
Under the pretext of climbing the criminal ladder, you borrow other people's cars, lose the police and settle every dispute with gunfire, all across open cities built for chaos. The game makes no secret of its irony, yet the thrill of total freedom makes you accept, without flinching, a daily routine of crimes chained together with a slightly guilty grin.
Is Grand Theft Auto V still worth playing in 2026?
Grand Theft Auto V is one of the best-selling games in history, and its status as the absolute open-world benchmark stays justified. Los Santos, a sprawling metropolis of unheard-of detail, serves as the playground for three playable protagonists whose alternation energises a perfectly orchestrated spiralling narrative. The biting satire of American society lands from start to finish. Even on PS3, the technical feat impresses. GTA Online extended the experience endlessly, despite now-reduced activity on the console. A total masterpiece that has lost none of its brilliance.
