Grand Theft Auto Online has once again been making headlines in recent weeks, thanks to the announcement and subsequent arrival of its largest ever post-launch content drop. Dubbed fittingly as ‘The Contract’ by Rockstar Games, players have been diving back into the seedy crime-riddled underworld of Los Santos since the end of last week, in an attempt to track down Dr. Dre’s missing phone and music tracklist. Amongst all of the returning real-world celebrities and multiplayer shenanigans, the latest update to the game also reintroduces the fan-favorite and former playable character Franklin to the mix.
Franklin’s return to the limelight, albeit whilst no longer being under the player’s direct control as many had likely once envisioned, answers a number of questions that fans have had about Grand Theft Auto Online’s lore for several years at this point. The first of these relates to when exactly the latest update, and wider events within the multiplayer mode, take place within the sometimes complicated GTA timeline. Answering that question isn’t as straightforward as just providing a concrete when-based response, however. Thanks to the concept of parallel dimensions, ‘where’ The Contract expansion takes place in relation to the single-player narrative of GTA 5 is also of vital importance as well.
When The Contract Takes Place
Throughout its life, Grand Theft Auto Online’s place within the wider timeline of GTA 5 has been a frequent topic of discussion amongst fans. When the multiplayer mode finally arrived back on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, most of the initial content that was available was understood to actually take place just before the main events of the single-player story. Establishing that events like the main heist missions, import/export update, and biker gang content, all take place just two weeks before the aforementioned narrative adventure allowed Rockstar to pull in characters from the main game. As GTA Online has continued to grow and persist since then, however, condensing everything into that shrinking time frame has become a harder feat for the publisher to convincingly pull off.
It’s for this reason that Rockstar Games has gone to some considerable effort to point out that recent updates, like this year’s Los Santos Tuners content, all roughly take place in fictionalized versions of the time they were initially released. This trend has in many ways led up directly to The Contract content drop, which is subsequently said to take place during December 2021. Thanks to this clarification, players now know for certain that 8 long years have taken place between the latest missions, and the end of Grand Theft Auto 5’s 2013-set single-player story. Fittingly and somewhat conveniently, just like in the real world.
Changes to Grand Theft Auto Online’s map that weren’t present in GTA 5’s single-player story, like Los Santos’ popular Vinewood Casino, now make more sense and can be viewed as physical representations of time having passed within the wider region of San Andreas. The fact that character’s like Franklin, Lamar, and Chop, have all been noticeably aged up for The Contract expansion is perhaps the most obvious consequence of the time jump that fans will pick up on.
The Contract’s Connection to Other Missions
Thanks to the interconnected nature of Grand Theft Auto Online’s version of San Andreas, and the fact that players can undertake missions in any order they choose, it’s worth keeping in mind that The Contract is a continuation of another point in the wider GTA 5 timeline as well. While Franklin and his past are no doubt the biggest pull and concept players should be aware of before playing, the fact that the DLC revolves around the retrieval of Dr. Dre’s phone ensures that it’s also a direct sequel to 2020’s Cayo Perico Heist expansion.
During the introductory cutscene for the aforementioned heist, Dr. Dre and his associates realize that his contact and music-loaded device has been stolen, which in turn plays into the narrative of the island-based crime-themed adventure. Seeing these events play out in real-time isn’t a requirement to trigger the latest expansion, however, as a call from Lamar will unlock it once the update has been successfully installed. Being primarily a cameo-based setup also ensures that playing through the previous content shouldn’t be a barrier to entry for those looking to reconnect with Franklin. The Contract takes place a year after the robbery events have escalated for all involved either way, which arguably further demonstrates Rockstar Games’ desire to now utilize its timeline to a greater extent.
Where The Contract Takes Place
Even though the idea has gained mainstream publicity in recent years thanks to its incorporation into institutions like Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series is no stranger to the concept of the multiverse either. Over the years the publisher has routinely reconfirmed the existence of three distinct universes within the franchise. The 2D era one that’s made up of the original PS1 and PC entries in the series, the 3D era featured in the Grand Theft Auto: Trilogy, and the HD era that currently includes GTA 4 and GTA 5. Barring a few noteworthy exceptions, and a few cheeky winks to the past, characters and events rarely ever crossover directly between the universal divides.
With the release of Grand Theft Auto Online’s latest content expansion, things have taken a step into uncharted territory. That’s because during the conclusion of GTA 5’s single-player campaign, three distinct endings were presented for players to choose between. Two where Franklin either kills Trevor or Michael, or a third where the youngster pulls the team together to overcome their pursuers and metaphorical demons. GTA Online’s The Contract expansion directly continues one of these timelines whilst discarding the others, due to the fact that Franklin alludes to both of his former associates still being alive and active within 2021’s version of Los Santos. Canonizing GTA 5’s most wholesome ending as the one that happened in the multiplayer mode therefore places the events of the expansion 8 years into the future of that one specific universe.
Grand Theft Auto Online is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S support planned for March 2022.
