Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) was a record entertainment release and now GTA Online is finally live, ready to captivate players even more.

Grand Theft Auto Online is an ambitious multiplayer mode that aims to give fans a vivid version of the game's world, Los Santos. Gamers who have purchased GTA V can access the new online mode for free.

The new GTA Online allows players to join gangs, participate in heists, death matches, races, and other adrenaline-pumping activities which will earn them Reputation Points for unlocking various goodies such as cars and weapons. The whole universe of GTA Online is interconnected, although each time you play you join a server restricted to 16 players at a time.

"Grand Theft Auto Online is a long-term GTA experience that you can expect to be built-upon, to grow and to evolve in many ways in the coming weeks, months and beyond," details Rockstar Games. "As part of that, there will be a massive amount of Jobs available to play over time as we will be regularly adding new ones for you to enjoy."

"Additionally, you will soon be helping to add content to the game world yourselves, by creating custom Race and Deathmatch Jobs through the Content Creator tool which we plan to release this fall. Grand Theft Auto Online is a collaborative project between Rockstar and all GTA players worldwide, so expect we'll effectively be working on it together from day one."

For now, however, the online mode has made its much-awaited debut. If you want a GTA V opponent that's tougher than what the computer can generate, you can look for an online adversary on GTA Online. As expected with such a controversial game, you will have to enter your birth date before you are able to enter the site.

With GTA V out and GTA Online now up and running, one thing remains to be seen: whether the game's servers are able to handle the massive load. There are more than 16.5 million GTA V copies in circulation already and the number is only about to get higher, so launch day connectivity could pose some issues, but let's hope for the best.