Overview of the GTA 5 Story Mode

Grand Theft Auto 5 is basically two games in one. You’ve got GTA Online in which you play as your own customer-created character and you’ve got the classic GTA 5 story mode. While Online is mostly a prequel to the story mode, some events are clearly meant to take place after the completion of story mode. Even so, playing Online can give you greater insight into many of the characters and situations that happen in story mode without spoilers. Speaking of which, there will be some minor spoilers in this quick overview of GTA 5 story mode.

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The Characters

GTA 5 story mode takes place in the fictional city of Los Santos, an analog for the real-life location of Los Angeles, California, and centers around three protagonists: Franklin Clinton, Trevor Philips, and Michael De Santa. As you would expect, these men are criminals and commit a variety of crimes throughout the story mode as they work toward their goals.

In an interesting twist, each character is a vastly different type of criminal than the other. Franklin is a young thug from the hood that’s new to the world of crime, Trevor is an unhinged homicidal maniac with a high criminal IQ, and Michael is an upper-class family man that just wants to live an easy life without having to work for a living. This makes for some very entertaining, and sometimes hilarious, interactions between the three.

The Plot

GTA 5 story mode is all about how Franklin, Michael, and Trevor come together in pursuit of a major heist that will leave them all set for life. Of course, a lot of things happen as they work towards this such as Franklin’s problems with his ex-girlfriend Tenisha, Michael taking Franklin under his wing, and Trevor’s mistrust of Michael from a heist gone wrong nine years prior.

The main antagonists of the game are Steve Haines and Devin Weston. Haines is a big shot in the FIB (an analog for the FBI) and Weston is a corrupt billionaire involved in many businesses both legal and illegal in Los Santos. One of the main concerns is that Michael is still technically working for Haines and the FIB in exchange for the rich upper-class lifestyle he’s been given. This causes problems for the trio of protagonists as they pursue their criminal activities and goals.

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Activities and Missions

While not quite as extensive as what you can do in GTA V Online, there are tons of side activities and missions in GTA 5 story mode in addition to the main story missions. You can go hunting, customize your car, complete a Booty Call, or do stunt jumps with your vehicle. You can even do yoga if you want. Even though GTA 5 story mode is a single-player experience (not counting mods) it will keep you busy for a very long time if you want to experience everything it has to offer.

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