6. Persistent World
This new feature is just a small touch, but one that shows attention to detail in an innovative way. In previous titles, you'll finish a mission and then be placed back in the free roam world. Any characters you were with vanish, and it's almost like whatever you just did never happened. This is a thing of the past, as Rockstar have made a change to how it works. Say, you finish a mission and Trevor happens to be on a Sanchez, blasting down a dirt road, and you're playing as Michael on the other side of the map? You're placed back into the open world, free to do as you please. If you then switch to Trevor, he'll be on that same Sanchez, making his way home or to the nearest strip club. As well as this, there are no breaks before and after cut-scenes. Like in Max Payne 3, gameplay and cut-scenes blend together perfectly, meaning that you're never looking at a blank screen. It's all of these small, magical touches that help make it feel like a living, breathing world.