Summary
TheGrand Theft Autoexperience is, simply put, about getting the chance to see what it would be like to break the law without consequence. As the game’s story wraps up, the main character usually ends up on top, and after a brief, player-induced rampage through the city with all their unlocked weapons and vehicles, they generally go into retirement and live a life of leisure and luxury on their ill-gotten gains. Or do they?
Did they manage to stay on top without the player’s help? Where did they end up? Does a life of crime pay, or did they face the music for their crimes against cars (and humanity) in the end? In a series that takes place in an even madder world than the real one, spanning over multiple decades, anything could have happened. However, thanks to Rockstar’s comments and some sly references hidden between each game, it’s possible to get answers to these questions. Spoilers ahead.
The ending ofGrand Theft Auto 5ultimately depends on how the player chooses to handle the final few missions, but according to Franklin, during a mission inGTA Online, Michael took a job as a producer at Richard Majestic Studios sometime before 2021, when the mission is dated. Franklin himself took on legitimate business dealings and started a family with Tanisha, despiteher parting words to Franklinbeing a bittersweet goodbye on her wedding day.
As for Trevor, his fate (in classic Trevor fashion) is much more ambiguous. He was mentioned in 2017 as having turned “Vinewood” after becoming a guru and lifestyle coach. One of Franklin’s security details recounts that he had tried to barge into the office in 2021, so at least until then, nobody had made good on his iconic “cut here” neck tattoo. Trevor’s various businesses in Los Santos and beyond stand reclaimed or abandoned.
Niko Bellic was mentioned in 2013 by Lester Crest as “An eastern European guy making moves in Liberty City” who “went quiet.” Being one ofGTA’s mostcomplex and amicable characters, and through his own musings, it seemed clear by the end ofGrand Theft Auto 4that Niko had his fill of violence, theft, and larceny. From the way things ended, Niko had no need for another paycheck, and it is likely that he unceremoniously retired.
In 2013, he used his Life Invader account to wish his cousin, Roman, a happy birthday, although due to the duel choice finale, his cousin’s status is unknown. His profile indicates that he is still working for his cousin’s taxi service company. Although he has been infrequently spoken about inGTA Onlinesince, only his past actions are referenced.
It is difficult to tell what could have happened to Claude following the events ofGrand Theft Auto 3, given that herarely (if ever) vocalizes his thoughtsbeyond a grunt or violent outbursts. Rockstar said in 2011 that Claude “certainly isn’t dead” but offered no more insight into his status or story.
While Claude hasn’t been heard from since his stint in Liberty City(which isn’t all that strange, considering his status as a mute), he appeared earlier on in the series duringGTA: San Andreas, when he faced off against CJ in a race out in the country, along with his future nemesis, Catalina.
Claude must have been a popular name for angry babies at some point in theGTAuniverse. AsGrand Theft Auto 2was intended to be setsometime in the near retrofuture(2013), it’s possible that Claude Speed could be a later depiction ofGTA 3’s Claude, but that’s just speculation. Some promotional material forGrand Theft Auto 2states that Speed had awoken from cryogenic sleep and escaped from prison and that all his “old privileges” mean nothing.
As for his fate, Speed is last seen driving into the sunset after taking down Anywhere City’s three major gang bosses with a fat retirement pot in tow. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether Speed would quietly disengage with the crime life or continue his sociopathic spree wherever he decides to settle down.
WhileGrand Theft Auto 6may have made headlines for featuring a lady protagonist, the originalGrand Theft Autoallowed players to choose a female character (at least in the PC and GameBoy versions). However, nothing much changes besides a color swap, and the game’s dialogue remains male-centric. Whoever the player chooses, after their rampages through Liberty City and then San Andreas, they attempt to kick back in Vice City (arguablythe best beach to wash up on), where their past catches up with them.
After being blackmailed by a corrupt cop (Samuel Deever) and being forced to do his dirty work, they accidentally kill his wife and end up allied with one of the gangs Deever was at war with, the Rastas. The fate of Grand Theft Auto’s original protagonist is left ambiguous, as Deever is left alive (but hospitalized) by the end of the game. However, the protagonist’s final mission is to pick up their retirement pay, after which they presumably leave the crime life for good.
TheGTAgames are set across three universes: 2D, 3D, and HD. Although details here and there get changed or retconned, there is ostensibly a connection between them, even if Rockstar tends to keep the characters from each universe separate. Possible evidence of CJ’s activities after the events ofGTA: San Andreascan be seen plastered over the streets ofGTA 4’s Liberty City and tangentially on the flagstones of Los Santos.
At the end of San Andreas, CJ has a wealth of assets and a management contract with Mad Dogg (who is seen all across Los Santos, fromthe Vinewood Walk of Fameto Franklin’s bedroom poster). It is implied that they were planning to set off on a world tour. From a poster in Liberty City, which depicts a man who looks suspiciously like him, it seems that Carl had a fruitful life after blowing away Big Smoke.
The last time players saw Tommy Vercetti, he had just risen to become the most powerful shaker in all of Vice City. During the early 90s, Tommy had enough of his former lawyer’s addictions and put him (Ken Rosenburg) in rehab in San Andreas, where he first encountered the new GTA protagonist, CJ.
Beyond the 90s, there has been no word from Tommy or the empire he accrued during the events ofGTA: Vice City,which is unsurprising considering that the series took a long break from that part of the world. However, consideringthe location of GTA 6, it’s possible that Tommy’s influence might be felt, even tangentially, across the state of Leonida.
