AIn an interview with Dan Houser, IGN was able to confirm that co-op would not be in Grand Theft Auto V's story: It would be impossible to do that and keep the level of precision we've got in this. You could make a great co-op game, but we felt that we're doing other bits of our multiplayer that will fulfill those desires in ways we think are very fun.
AMichael De Santa is one of the main protagonists and playable characters of Grand Theft Auto V. Aged in his early 40s and the husband of Amanda and father of Jimmy and Tracey, Michael met Trevor Phillips at a young age, and the two became best friends, performing several major bank heists together. Michael retired from his life of crime after making a "sweetheart" deal with the FIB (fictional version of the FBI). In the process of the deal, he and his family became rich, living in a large mansion. However, Michael's relationship with his family and friends is deteriorating; his wife barely tolerates him and spends all of his money, his children have very little time left to spend with him, and even Trevor has a severe falling out with him throughout much of the game because of Michael's deal with the FIB. Running out of money quickly and tired of being bored and miserable, Michael decides to return to the criminal life.Michael's special ability is to slow down time while in a gunfight, similar to Dead Eye in Red Dead Redemption or Bullet time in the Max Payne series.Franklin Clinton is one of the main protagonists and playable characters of Grand Theft Auto V. During his childhood, Franklin never had a family, money or education to rely on. At some point during his young life, he began the life of a gang banger and dope dealer, but was arrested soon afterward. After being released from prison, Franklin started working for Simeon Yetarian, who owns a luxury car dealership as a repo man. As a result, he is frequently seen driving around Los Santos in many stolen sports cars. During the events of GTA V, in his mid 20s, Franklin meets Michael whilst trying to get a hustle. Both men soon do a job together, and Michael sees potential in Franklin, calling him "the son he's always wanted," and later introduces him to Trevor, which is where the main events of GTA V begin.The special ability that Franklin can use is the ability to slow down time while driving.Trevor Philips is one of the main protagonists and playable characters of Grand Theft Auto V as well as a filthy individual, due to his lifestyle and appearance. Trever is originally from Canada, which is poked fun at throughout the game. At some point during the late 1980's to early 1990's, Trevor tried to join the military as a pilot, but failed to qualify after a psychological evaluation found him unfit for service. Not too long afterward, he met Michael. Both men realized that they wanted to earn money by performing heists, and both men became successful in doing so. Some point afterward, both men had a falling out, causing a major rift in their friendship, which further deteriorates throughout the events of GTA V due to a botched robbery in 2004 that Trevor blames Michael for. By the events of GTA V, Trevor is in his mid 40s living in a filthy trailer in a desert, with his best friend Ron living next to him.Trevor's special ability is to deal out extra damage, or take less damage, and he can also perform a unique melee attack when the special meter is activated.During story missions, the player can switch between the protagonists as they work together to accomplish an objective. Outside of missions, the player is free to swap between the protagonists and explore the game's open world, the fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles, and its surrounding countryside. Camera zooms out to a "Google Earth-style" perspective when switching characters and then drops into wherever the chosen character is. Even when the player is not controlling them, each character will still go about their own business across Los Santos.