The second trailer for Grand Theft Auto V, released over a year after its debut video clip, shows its three main characters in action for the first time and prepares viewers for various Los Santos pleasures -- from car chases to counselling sessions, shoot-outs and skydives.

It introduces Michael, an ex-con with a cushy pad and turbulent family life; Trevor, the apparently uncomplicated career criminal who wears his psychopathic tendencies on his sleeve; and Franklin, a sharp kid on the up with a fondness for fast cars and motorway scrapes.

Rockstar Games, notoriously secretive about its projects, has Grand Theft Auto IV scheduled for a Spring 2013 release; the label's thee most recent efforts in Max Payne 3, L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption all received mid-May issue dates, along with restrictive age ratings.

Grand Theft Auto IV, released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and then Windows PC in 2008, enjoyed what were then record-breaking sales. It sold 10 million copies in four months, 15 million in ten, and 20 million within its first two years.

By comparison, 2008's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare required seven months to shift 10 million copies -- but that soon changed. Call of Duty: Black Ops, the predecessor to this year's Black Ops II, managed 25 million copies in nine months. For GTA V, the stakes have been raised.

Grand Theft Auto V: Official Trailer #2 - youtu.be/Vzue74y7A84
Official website - rockstargames.com/V