The Grand Theft Auto experience 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?

3:23

Related

GTA 5 Locations That Are Based On Real-Life

Like previous Grand Theft Auto games, Grand Theft Auto 5 contains locations that are based on actual real-world places.

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.

Franklin, Michael, Trevor (Grand Theft Auto 5)

The Entrepreneur, The Producer, And The Ghost Guru

• Depending on the player's choice, GTA 5 has three different endings, but one is stated to be canon
• Two protagonists seem to be doing well, while the third is alive but has mysteriously vanished

The ending of Grand Theft Auto 5 ultimately depends on how the player chooses to handle the final few missions, but according to Franklin, during a mission in GTA 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, despite her parting words to Franklin being 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 (Grand Theft Auto 4)

Peacetime For The War-Weary

• Given his dislike of meaningless violence and desire for peace, it is likely that Niko left crime behind
• From a Life Invader profile, it seems that Niko still works for his cousin's taxi cab company

Niko Bellic was mentioned in 2013 by Lester Crest as "An eastern European guy making moves in Liberty City" who "went quiet." Being one of GTA's most complex and amicable characters, and through his own musings, it seemed clear by the end of Grand Theft Auto 4 that 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.

Related

Grand Theft Auto: Every Game’s Story, Ranked

The best Grand Theft Auto storylines find ways to complement the chaos for which the series is best known rather than simply facilitate it.

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 in GTA Online since, only his past actions are referenced.

Claude (Grand Theft Auto 3)

The Man, The Mute, The Mystery

• Claude made an appearance earlier in the 3D timeline where he raced CJ in GTA: San Andreas
• While his status is unknown, Rockstar has stated that Claude definitely "isn't dead"

It is difficult to tell what could have happened to Claude following the events of Grand Theft Auto 3, given that he rarely (if ever) vocalizes his thoughts beyond 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 during GTA: San Andreas, when he faced off against CJ in a race out in the country, along with his future nemesis, Catalina.

Claude Speed (Grand Theft Auto 2)

Speeding Off Into The Sunset

• Although protagonists from the 2D and 3D universes can never overlap, this Claude strangely shares traits with GTA 3's Claude
• Given that Speed ended the game with no enemies alive and a pile of cash, he likely retired

Claude must have been a popular name for angry babies at some point in the GTA universe. As Grand Theft Auto 2 was intended to be set sometime in the near retrofuture (2013), it's possible that Claude Speed could be a later depiction of GTA 3's Claude, but that's just speculation. Some promotional material for Grand Theft Auto 2 states 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.

Various (Grand Theft Auto)

Retirement On The Beaches Of Vice City

• The custom protagonist ended up in Vice City after running jobs in Liberty City and Los Santos
• Although they won big in the end, the main antagonist explicitly survives

While Grand Theft Auto 6 may have made headlines for featuring a lady protagonist, the original Grand Theft Auto allowed 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 (arguably the best beach to wash up on), where their past catches up with them.

Related

GTA: 6 Best Landmarks In The Series

The Grand Theft Auto series is packed full of memorable landmarks. These tend to stand out in players' minds.

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.

CJ (GTA: San Andreas)

Propping Up Vinewood Stars

• CJ finished up with real estate assets, money, and a management deal with notorious rapper, Mad Dogg
• Mad Dogg and CJ appear to make several appearances in posters across GTA 4 and GTA 5

The GTA games 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 of GTA: San Andreas can be seen plastered over the streets of GTA 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, from the Vinewood Walk of Fame to 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.

Tommy Vercetti (GTA: Vice City)

No Longer Taking Calls

• Tommy's success lasted until (at least) the 90s, when he can be heard rejecting his former lawyer's calls
• As the series had four games set outside Vice City since his first appearance, news of Tommy has been sparse

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 of GTA: Vice City, which is unsurprising considering that the series took a long break from that part of the world. However, considering the location of GTA 6, it's possible that Tommy's influence might be felt, even tangentially, across the state of Leonida.

Related

GTA 6: 5 Locations That Should Return

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is home to some of the most iconic locations in the series. Here are some places that should return in GTA 6.