Grand Theft Auto has evolved from a game of stealing cars and murdering prostitutes to a series of well-thought-out capers, as evidenced by the new GTA V official gameplay video (below).

Rockstar has been teasing the next installment of the popular franchise since the fall of 2011, revealing trailers and tidbits, even a final release date (Sept. 17). But until now, the studio has kept any real gameplay hidden.

Today, Rockstar dropped almost five full minutes of gameplay, showing off the expansive world players will get to explore.

“A sprawling, satirical re-imagining of modern Southern California,” the soothing narration said while introducing the video game. “Covering mountains and oceans, expensive stores and strip malls, urban decay and untouched wilderness, beaches and backwoods, the sublime and the ridiculous, greed and hypocrisy.”

Set in the streets of Southern California, Grand Theft Auto V was announced in late October 2011, when Rockstar revealed only the new logo and no other details. The first trailer hit the Web a week later, introducing a man most assumed would serve as the game’s main character.

But in a twist, the studio later revealed that, for the first time, Grand Theft Auto actually features three would-be heroes: Michael, a once-successful bank robber turned family man; street hustler Franklin; and the mysterious Trevor, about whom “the less is said, the better.”

Swap between characters for different vantage points during missions, or just to check in on Trevor and see whose neck he’s breaking.

To survive the game, players must set up and subsequently pull off a series of increasingly daring heists, using weapons, muscle, and a biting wit to collect their stolen spoils. Then, spend the money on tattoos and fast cars, or stocks and real estate opportunities.

“The world is not only huge, it’s packed with a vast array of things to see and do,” the narrator said. “Cars to customize, planes to fly, clothes to buy, sports to play, nirvanas to pursue, oceans to dive, animals to spot, hunt, and be hunted by, freaks to watch, meet, and befriend, bounties to hunt, and on and on.”

Developed with a keen focus on mechanics, this fifth game installment aims to make every aspect of play seem fluid and responsive, from driving and shooting to tennis and bike riding.

The Grand Theft Auto franchise has shipped more than 125 million units total(Opens in a new window) since it debuted in 1997.

“And then there’s Grand Theft Auto Online, which we will show you properly soon,” the video teased about the multiplayer component of GTA V, which Rockstar is expected to debut at a later date.

Grand Theft Auto V will hit shelves Sept. 17 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Gamers can pre-order the title now(Opens in a new window).

For more, see PCMag’s review of Grand Theft Auto IV.