Los Santos, a sub-urbane simulacrum of the auto-dependent Los Angeles, is the foundation for Rockstar North's next big heist, Grand Theft Auto 5. The studio's job is to create, not acquire: build the biggest playground yet, and fill it with more, more, more things to do.

The first thing we do is jump out of a helicopter. The mountains and snaking rivers below almost obscure the fact that there's a city just around the corner. Serenity is a rare quality in Grand Theft Auto, though I know the parachute is precursor to an inevitable descent into mayhem.

Later, protagonists Trevor, Michael and Franklin clear out an armored van in the dead of night, having blocked its route with a stolen truck. The police start arriving en masse, in waves, and Rockstar shows me the ease at which you can switch between your criminals. While Michael and wheelman Franklin are pinned down behind cover, you can leap into a manic Trevor and snipe from a distant tower.

The elaborate shootout demonstrates refinements in motion, combat and cover, Rockstar says. The driving is supposed to feel better too - another sign of the expected trajectory of improvement of the Grand Theft Auto series. Rockstar North aims to improve its monster of a game at every known level, from motion-captured walking animations and gunplay, ambiance, writing, and story-driven activities outside of the main plot. I haven't seen enough (or played any) to say how it all fits together, but there are three alterations that could put Grand Theft Auto 5 on your radar, even if, like many of Rockstar's subjects, you've been trying to elude a dour life.