Game of the Month: May - Grand Theft Auto 5

We live in a land of plenty, in which the bountiful supply of videogames to play can feel like a gift in one moment and a suffocating deluge in the next. That's what Game Of The Month is for. Each month, we'll pick one game that we think you should play if you have time for just one game. Then we'll write a flurry of features spread across the month to explain why.

In May: you should play Grand Theft Auto V [official site].

We'll have a group verdict along shortly to talk about some of the reasons why. In the meantime, you can read our review.

Still have questions about this whole Game of the Month thing?

For starters, wasn't this thing meant to happen on the first Monday of each month?

Yes, but yesterday was a Bank Holiday in the UK and someone needed to copy the header logo over Trevor's face.

Why is May's game a game that was released in April?

We want to be able to play the games we choose as Game of the Month, not speculatively guess at what might be worth your time. That means that the games we choose will already be out, and in some cases may have been released years previously if they suddenly become relevant again. In GTAV's case, there's lots of reasons the game will remain relevant for months to come - heck, even if you've completed it, you've got the beginnings of a mod scene to get involved with.

Have you guys done this before?

Once, last month. The game was Cities: Skylines and you can see all of its Game of the Month coverage here.

Seriously, why didn't you pick Pillars of Eternity, you mugs?

Look, John, stop leaving these questions here. But starting later this week, we will do a post of runners-up each month, where the staff can select individual games they'd like to push upon you like an insistent aunt offering you a slice of sponge cake.