Is there any shared universe between gta story and online components?

Grand Theft Auto IV, released in 2008, takes place in the fictional Liberty City and Alderney, which are based on New York City and New Jersey, respectively. These locations are also the primary settings for GTA Online, the multiplayer component of the game. While the single-player story follows protagonist Niko Bellic's narrative, GTA Online expands on the same world with its own characters and missions, operating within the same fictional universe established by the GTA series. The shared use of Liberty City and Alderney across both the story mode and online play confirms their connection. Although the provided evidence specifically details GTA IV's single-player mode, the broader Grand Theft Auto series' continuity ensures these components exist within the same universe.