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The best GTA characters of all-time

Ever since the GTA franchise became what it is today with Grand Theft Auto 3, Rockstar has packed their worlds full of colorful and rich characters. While we’ve only been able to control male characters up until now (though that is set to change if the GTA 6 rumors are true), they have all had distinct and interesting personalities and stories. That said, sometimes it’s the side characters that can steal the show too. Looking back at the entire series, we’ve come up with our picks for the best GTA characters of all time.

Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson — GTA: San Andreas

CJ walking down a sketchy alleyway.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Good old Carl Johnson, better known as CJ, is way more than just a meme. San Andreas was the second game in the series to really focus on character in a major way, and the team nailed it with their lead. Not only was the entire cast filled with bonafide actors, but CJ’s personal story as a gang member whose mother is murdered was far more nuanced and emotional than the media would lead you to believe. The real draw was the relationship CJ had with the main antagonist Officer Tenpenny (who may or may not be mentioned later on). This game set the standard for how Rockstar would reveal more about the characters and world through casual conversation throughout the story.

Tommy Vercetti — GTA: Vice City

Tommy talking at a bar.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Vice City still feels a bit like it was getting its grip on refining the GTA formula after 3, but as far as the world and characters are concerned, Rockstar was leagues ahead of the competition. Tommy’s entire arc wears its Scarface inspirations on its sleeve and is all the better for it. He cracks-wise, has a simple goal of becoming the most powerful gangster in the city, and is just a fun character to follow. This also marked the first time in the series we got a protagonist voiced by a Hollywood actor in the form of Ray Liotta, who absolutely nails the role. He feels like a second attempt at the character Claude from GTA 3 was meant to be but with the benefit of a sun-soaked Miami-inspired setting.

Trevor Philips — GTA V

Trevor hitting a dude with a bat.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You can love him or hate him, but whichever side you land on we all can agree that Trevor is a good character. Not a good person — not even close — but a good character. Of the main trio featured in GTA V, Trevor stands out as the unpredictable wild card. Not only do you never know what Trevor is going to do, or how he will react, to a given situation, but even his dialogue is unpredictable. Sure, you could say that he lacks any character growth, but that’s somewhat the point — he contrasts Michael and Franklin’s development. He’s easily the funniest character on this list, while simultaneously being the most terrifying. That’s no small feat, and easily earns him a spot on this list.

Officer Tenpenny — GTA: San Andreas

Officer Tenpeny on the ground by a firetruck.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Our only non-player character, and antagonist, to make the list is the best villain of the series. This character might’ve earned a spot simply for being voiced by none other than Samuel L. Jackson himself, but the character himself pulls as much weight as the performance. Like any great villain, Tenpenny is just as three-dimensional as CJ, with strengths, weaknesses, and relatable motivation. We just wish he could’ve survived so we could get more of him in later games.

Niko Bellic — GTA IV

Niko talking about war in a kitchen.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Taking us back to Liberty City, Rockstar switched things up on players by giving us perhaps the most “American” story told through the eyes of fresh immigrant Niko Bellic. This modern tale (well, modern for the time anyway) of a man looking for a fresh start in a new country, only to have his past continue to haunt him, was a fresh direction for the series. This is really where Rockstar’s ability to write empathetic characters who were trying to do the right thing, but was destined to fail was perfected. We loved the tragedy of seeing Niko try his best to live an honest life, only for outside forces to drag him back into a life of crime and violence.

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
GTA 5 cheats: codes and phone numbers PS4, PS5, Xbox, and PC
The main characters of Grand Theft Auto V stand side-by-side.

A slam-dunk of a game for the talented developers at Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto V has been out for several years now, but it’s still an extremely popular title. We’re also guessing there’s some renewed interest in the game because the world knows we’re getting a Grand Theft Auto VI in the somewhat-near future. If you’ve ever played a GTA game, you’ll know the going can get a little tough from time to time. This is why it’s nice to live in a world with cheat codes. 

Whether you just want to have a ton of fun with unlimited health and ammunition, or you’re seriously struggling with a certain section of the game, we’ve rounded up all the cheat codes you’ll need to know for GTA V, for platforms including PS4, PS5, Xbox, and PC.
How to use GTA 5 cheats
There are a few ways to enter GTA 5 cheat codes. The first and easiest is to use your cellphone. You can open your cellphone by pressing Up on the D-pad. From there, enter the corresponding number, and the cheat will fire. You can also classically input cheats by following a specific button combination. The combinations are the same across PlayStation and Xbox, but we've split them up to account for their different button-naming conventions, so it should feel more natural reading and entering them.
GTA 5 character cheats
Max Health and Armor

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Will GTA 6 be on PC?
Woman in the GTA 6 trailer at a rooftop pool party. She's in a white bikini.

Whenever a new Grand Theft Auto game drops, it instantly becomes the biggest game of the generation. We saw it with 4, 5 and we expect GTA 6 to once again shatter all sales records when it finally comes out. After a lot of rumors, leaks, and even hacks, GTA 6 is officially revealed, but not everything about the game is out in the open just yet. Aside from story and gameplay details, some big questions surrounding where and when we can hope to play GTA 6 when it does come out are swirling around. PC players especially are concerned since Rockstar has yet to release a GTA title on PC at the same time as consoles. Will that be the case once again?
Will GTA 6 be on PC?
Yes, but not at launch. For now, GTA 6 is only confirmed to be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles. Where does that leave PC players? Well, if history tells us anything, we might be in for a little bit of a wait. GTA 5 took almost a year and a half to get a PC port, while Read Dead Redemption 2 took a year and one month. Who knows if Rockstar plans to speed up the process for GTA 6, but at worst you should plan on waiting about a year for a PC version.

According to a former Rockstar dev who spoke to IGN, the reason Rockstar delays the PC version is twofold. "The reason why a PC port comes later and not the first thing that comes out, is because they want to prioritise what sells. Most of the time, especially in the past, PlayStation was the big seller. PlayStation was the console to have. It sold more than any other console for the most part. Everybody’s playing PlayStation."

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Grand Theft Auto 5 story DLC was cut due to ‘cash cow’ GTA Online, dev says
Trevor firing an assault rifle in GTA 5.

Despite us being close to the Grand Theft Auto 6 launch, we're still getting news and anecdotes from Grand Theft Auto 5's development. According to a former Rockstar Games developer, the game was set to get a story DLC, but that it was canceled in favor of GTA Online.

Joe Rubino guested on the SanInPlay YouTube channel, and you can watch the whole interview below. Rubino, who was an editor and did second-unit directing on the DLC, described it as "kickass" and "awesome," but said that the success of GTA Online meant leaders at the company didn't think it was worth investing in both projects. He didn't offer up details on specifics, but said that Trevor actor Steven Ogg was involved.

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