The GTA Online experience is held together by an overarching narrative that sets the backdrop for many of the missions that players will take on while logged in. Set shortly before the events of GTA 5's single player campaign, the GTA Online story helps to guide the player along their online experience while providing some great opportunities for cooperative play. As in the single player campaign, players will meet certain characters that offer them paid missions to perform while they are online. Each player is given the choice to perform these missions alone or to invite other members of the 16 player session along for the ride.

After creating a character and joining a session, the player is thrust directly into the action and treated to a cut-scene where Lamar introduces them to the ropes of GTA Online. Following this short cut-scene, the player is put into a race and it is here that the tutorial truly begins.

• Tutorial