GTA 5 Online gets team heists, races and more in new video

Hot on the heels of the very first gameplay trailer, game publisher Rockstar has given Grand Theft Auto 5's multiplayer mode an official airing -- teasing the kinds of features and modes that gamers can look forward to.

And wowsers, is there a lot to take in. Check out the video below to get a glimpse of the races, team heists and deathmatch scraps that you'll be enjoying if you pick up a copy of GTA 5 come September.

The power to join up with other online players for co-operative heists is perhaps the most exciting prospect, as are co-ordinated activities like hurling yourself of a mountain on a motorbike and peacefully parachuting to Earth with a bunch of other folks.

What's really interesting is that Rockstar says the online version of Grand Theft Auto 5 is a persistent game world, which means that you'll get the same freedom to roam around as you would in single-player mode, encountering other players and choosing to get into organised scrapes, or simply tooling around by yourself in a nicked virtual sports car.

Taking part in challenges will earn you currency with which to buy vehicles, which you can enter in races, while you can also customise your virtual avatar's hairstyle and buy an apartment should you choose to.

One particularly intriguing feature is 'content creator' mode, which lets you design racetracks or multiplayer arenas, and try out those that other gamers have designed too. Rockstar promises it'll be "constantly developing" new antics for the online universe.

There are still a few unanswered questions -- I'd be interested to learn whether the 'persistent' online world contains everyone that's playing in mulitplayer mode, or only contains those on your friends list, or something else. Gamers are also waiting to hear whether or not GTA 5 will make it to the Xbox One and PS4.

What do you think of the Online gameplay trailer? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.