At the end of the first Grand Theft Auto V gameplay trailer, Rockstar teased us with a short look at the game’s multiplayer. At the time, most just assumed that it would be similar to Grand Theft Auto IV’s traditional multiplayer. That’s not entirely the case as Rockstar has something much more ambitious in mind with its latest open world game.

Rockstar Games announced today that Grand Theft Auto V’s online multiplayer is actually an entirely separate mode called Grand Theft Auto Online. The mode, which will be released as a free download for all who purchase Grand Theft Auto V, is a persistent, online world for up to 16 players to do anything they want in the world of GTA V.

So, how does all of this work? Here’s what Rockstar Games had to say about it on the PlayStation blog:

In Grand Theft Auto Online, players have the freedom to explore alone or with friends, work cooperatively to complete missions, band together to participate in activities and ambient events, or compete in traditional game modes with the entire community, all with the personality and refined mechanics of Grand Theft Auto V.

Players can invest in their character through customizing their appearance, improving their stats, owning customized vehicles, purchasing personal property, and taking part in missions, jobs and activities to earn reputation and cash to open up new opportunities to rise through the criminal ranks. The world of Grand Theft Auto Online will constantly grow and change as new content is added, creating the first ever persistent and dynamic Grand Theft Auto game world.

You’ll find the first Grand Theft Auto Online trailer below:

Grand Theft Auto Online looks to be incredibly ambitious, and it’s surprising that Rockstar has chosen to include it as a free addition to Grand Theft Auto V. The developer could have sold it as a separate game and it would have still sold millions of copies. GTA fans are no doubt happy that Rockstar chose to include it as part of the base game.

Grand Theft Auto Online won’t be available on September 17 alongside Grand Theft Auto V’s launch. It will instead be available as a free download on October 1 for all those who purchased GTA V at retail.