Can you play grand theft auto online and story mode simultaneously?
Quick Answer
There is no evidence that Grand Theft Auto V allows you to play the story mode and GTA Online at the same time; you must play one or the other, switching between them by exiting to the main menu.
Explanation
Grand Theft Auto V is an action‑adventure title that offers two distinct modes of play: a single‑player story campaign and a persistent online multiplayer mode known as GTA Online. The game’s structure requires the player to transition between these modes via the main menu; the story mode is accessed by selecting the “Story” option, while GTA Online is accessed by selecting the “Online” option. The game does not provide any in‑game mechanism for simultaneously running both modes, nor does it allow the player to remain in the story world while the online world is active in the background. Consequently, a player must choose one mode to play at a time and switch by coming back to the main menu.