Game Informer's exclusive GTAV article has landed, and along with it comes a treasure trove of new information.
Be sure to check out the article now, as we round up some of the juicy details below.

Gameplay:

• There are three protagonists, which you can switch between at the press of a button when not in a mission.
• When switching characters, the game zooms out in the same way style as accessing the main map in Midnight Club: Los Angeles.
• The three continue living their lives when you're not in control of them.
• In missions where two or all three of them work together, switching will be instantaneous.
• Driving, shooting and melee combat have all been improved in a huge way.
• Cars hold more firmly to the ground than in GTAIV, and it is said to feel more like a racing game now.

Story:

• Theme is heavily based around heists.
• Several heist missions throughout the main story, following the style of "Three Leaf Clover" in GTA IV.
• Each protagonist has their own story arc.

Features:

• Los Santos is larger than the worlds of Red Dead Redemption, San Andreas and GTA IV combined!
• The environment includes...
  • beachfronts
  • wine country
  • a fully explorable Mt Chiliad
  • a Salton Sea region
  • a fully explorable ocean floor
  • a military base
  • and sub-urban hills - not to mention the bustling urban centre of Los Santos also.
• Activities include...
  • yoga
  • triathlons
  • Jet Skiing
  • base jumping
  • tennis
  • golf
  • along with "funny new stuff that's pretty odd to do in a game"
• Each protagonist can be customized with different clothing
• No RPG-style player customization like in San Andreas, but it was originally considered.
• No property buying like in PS2-era games, but "there will be loads of other stuff [to spend money on]".
• No dating, but each character has a cast of friends. Dating will return in the future though, just not in GTAV.
• Each player will have unique hobbies, skill set, traits, etc.
• The world adapts to the player you select - their feelings on the world are reflected in the world.
• Some characters from GTA IV will make appearances, but not Niko, and no PS2-era characters.
• You'll have a phone again, only this time it'll be more modern, used for Internet access, and won't ring constantly with friends wanting you to go bowling.
• Random encounters as seen in GTA IV are back, only not they are fully mo-capped and will feel more interactive.
• Dynamic missions as seen in Red Dead Redemption are migrating to GTA V also - these short missions will pop-up ad-hoc, for different scenarios, and can be ignored or investigated.

Multiplayer:

• Rockstar isn't revealing anything about multiplayer yet, but from the reveal so far, we can already see possibility. For example, three players means missions could be played online with two friends. That being said, obviously an open-world game means open-world multiplayer, along the lines of what we saw in Red Dead Redemption in 2010. Red Dead's mutliplayer was a huge success, and with Max Payne showing that Rockstar can integrate multiplayer into a story-based game in a complementary way, there is no doubt excitement over what GTA V could offer.

Protagonists:

• Michael
  • Early 40-year-old
  • Retired successful bank robber, thanks to a deal with the FBI
  • Currently in witness protection
  • Hates his wife (Amanda) and doesn't quite understand his two teenage children (Tracy and Jimmy)
  • Money is running out and he needs to get back into the game
  • Voice from the first trailer
• Trevor
  • Early 40-year-old
  • Career criminal, drug dealer
  • Prone to violent outbursts and destructive rampages
  • Former military pilot
  • Worked a few bank jobs with Michael
• Franklin
  • Mid 20-year-old
  • Young and ambitious hustler, working for a luxury car dealership
  • When clients default, he plays the role of grim repo man
  • Stumbled into Michael while looking to hustle

Apologies for the delay in posting this, not quite as simple while rushing through airport terminals. There may be some details I've missed in this re-cap, but I don't want to give too much away either, Game Informer has a terrific article and it really should be read in it's completeness.

Excited? I sure am, GTA V is shaping up to be something truly amazing. It is going to encompass all of the best features from Rockstar's games since GTA IV; and that, mixed with GTA's always impressive story, can only lead to a blockbuster.

Stay tuned.