Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013 by Rockstar North and Rockstar Games, follows three criminals, Michael, Franklin and Trevor, who plan heists in the fictional San Andreas, a version of Southern California. Players can switch between the three characters during missions and in the open world, which lets the story change perspective on the same events. The game's heist structure and open world were designed to innovate on earlier entries. Its online mode, Grand Theft Auto Online, supports up to 30 players in cooperative and competitive modes. It earned $800 million on its first day and has sold over 230 million copies, making it the second-best-selling video game of all time.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.