Certain objects in the environment can be examined for clues and flashing buttons can be shot to open doors and gates. For cinematic effect there is a bullet camera that follows the projectile until impact. The player can manually slow down the camera and rotate, and then continue shooting. Not all of the story is told in chronological order. Some parts are played from flashbacks and next to locations such as restaurants, clubs, rooftops, docks, hotels and the favelas, there are sequences where Max shoots from a helicopter or while on a boat racing on a river. Many times cut-scenes seamlessly turn into gameplay scenes. Next to the main objectives the shooting style is rewarded through grind achievements and optional golden gun parts can be collected to form sets. The main scenario is supplemented with an arcade mode, and the New York Minute mode unlocked after completing the game once.
Multiplayer is entirely new to the series. Next to regular deathmatch games it has a Gang Wars team mode based around gaining experience, using perks, defining custom loadouts, etc. The games include variants of capture-and-hold and capture-the-flag. It also incorporates the bullet time mechanic where activating it affects every opponent in the character's line-of-sight. Crews that are set up through Rockstar's Social Club environment can be carried over to different games.