Set both months before and years after the single-player campaign,[N 3] Grand Theft Auto Online comprises cooperative missions where multiple players complete tasks to advance the narrative.

[10] Aside from the open world, there are three main types of set activities: racing (by car, bike, aircraft, or boat), Deathmatch (team or free-for-all), and objective-based Contact Missions (simplified single-player-like storyline jobs, usually cooperative).

[13] The game's narrative begins in 2013, several months before Grand Theft Auto V. Players take on the role of a silent protagonist who moves to Los Santos in search for new pursuits.

After a street race against the player, Lamar introduces them to drug dealer Gerald (Douglas Powell Ward) and corrupt Armenian car salesman Simeon Yetarian (Demosthenes Chrysan) for work.

As the player slowly builds up their reputation, they attract the attention of individuals like illicit business proprietor Trevor Philips (Steven Ogg), hacker Lester Crest (Jay Klaitz), and Mexican drug lord Martin Madrazo (Alfredo Huereca), who also employ them.

[N 10] Later, Lester introduces the player to billionaire Avon Hertz (Sean McGrath) and his AI network Cliffford, who recruit them to help prevent an undisclosed future catastrophic event.

During their mission, the group collaborates with the International Affairs Agency (IAA),[N 11] including Agent 14, and clash with a rogue Russian special ops unit led by Bogdan (Vyto Ruginis).

However, after eliminating most of the unit, Avon and Cliffford turn on the group, revealing their true intentions to trigger a nuclear armageddon, having already gained access to the state's defense grid.

[N 14] The following year, the player becomes a VIP member at the newly opened Diamond Casino & Resort, and assists the staff with the various problems they are facing, primarily involving Texan businessman Avery Duggan's hostile takeover attempt.

With the help of their recently purchased nuclear submarine and its one-man crew, former Russian Navy sailor Pavel (Brandon Beilis), the player plans a robbery of El Rubio's private compound on his heavily guarded Caribbean island, Cayo Perico.

[N 25] In 2023, the Fooliganz's hangout is attacked by assailants who kidnap Dax's "personal physician", Labrat (Courtney Gains), and steal blacklisted precursor chemicals previously acquired by the player.

The player discovers Dr. Isiah Friedlander (Bryan Scott Johnson), a renowned former therapist turned pharmaceutical corporation owner, to be responsible, using Labrat to create a new psychedelic drug for therapeutic purposes and make a fortune.

[N 27] The player also opens a salvage yard with the help of Liberty City real estate developer Yusuf Amir (Omid Djalili) and his cousin Jamal, which they use as a front to plan and execute various vehicle thefts.

Vincent informs the player of a new drug cartel that is in league with the Los Santos Police Department (LSPD) and is operating out of a chicken farm owned by the Cluckin' Bell chain of fast food restaurants.

[N 29] Later, the player starts a bail enforcement agency with retired bounty hunter Maude Eccles (Jodie Lynne McClintock) and her daughter Jenette (Lexi Nimmo), capturing fugitive criminals in exchange for the rewards on their heads.

[N 30] Through Pavel, the player is also introduced to retired FIB agent Jodi Marshall (Regina Schneider), who has them run several clandestine operations to exact retribution on her former employers, using the Darnell Bros. Garment Factory as their front.

[22] This was criticised by Forbes writer Paul Tassi, who felt that Rockstar was "cutting out a lot of potential customers" who continued to play on the older systems, adding that the re-releases on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were lacking in additional content.

The patch added new properties to Grand Theft Auto Online and the "On Call Matchmaking" feature that lets player accept a job invite and keep playing until the lobby is full.

[46] The Heists update, which added five multi-part missions with large payouts that can be completed by teams of four players, was a highly anticipated feature of Grand Theft Auto Online.

Some gameplay features were also affected, such as a redesign of the in-game car websites, the addition of a first-person vehicle hood camera in the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, and the ability to cycle through targets when using lock-on missiles, among other minor changes.

[56] The Executives and Other Criminals update released on 15 December and added new customisable Penthouse Apartments, new vehicles, and a new game mode entitled Extraction, as well as the ability to form organisations of players with exclusive missions.

[61] Further Adventures in Finance and Felony was released on 7 June, and added executive offices and cargo warehouses, available for purchase to all players who are part of an organisation, as well several new organisation-related missions, challenges, vehicles, clothing items, weapon attachments, and Adversary Mode called Trading Places.

The update also added new missions, vehicles, clothing items, one weapon, and songs by real-life DJs Solomun, Tale of Us, Dixon and The Black Madonna, all of whom can be hired to work for the players' nightclubs after assisting them with several favours.

[75] One of the vehicles introduced in the update, the Oppressor Mk II (a hovering motorcycle that can be equipped with machine guns or homing missiles as well as flare countermeasures), has since gained notoriety within the game's community for facilitating griefing.

The missions added with The Contract are structured similarly to past Heists, in that players are required to complete several prerequisite investigation jobs before they can move on to recovering the stolen music.

The update also introduced a number of new vehicles, customization options, and long-requested quality-of-life improvements, such as an increased payout and lower setup cost for older Heists, a reworked Interaction Menu, and the ability to sell products from all businesses in non-public sessions.

[102] On 22 December, new Christmas-themed weapons and clothing items were added for a limited time, along with snowman collectibles and two random events (one inspired by the 1988 film Die Hard and the other by Dr. Seuss' Grinch character) that have a chance of triggering in the open world.

[108] Released on 12 December, The Chop Shop update introduced a new business, the Salvage Yard, which is used as a front to perform high-stakes vehicle robberies in collusion with Yusuf Amir (Omid Djalili), returning from Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

[113] On 31 October, for that year's Halloween update, the game world was temporarily modified to include UFOs flying in the skies of Los Santos, which had a chance to abduct players and transport them to the Fort Zancudo military base, from where they would have to escape.

VG247's Patrick Garratt felt the San Andreas Flight School update incentivised player engagement with the oft-neglected aircraft missions by offering more liberal reward payouts.