Grand Theft Auto VI (Johnsonverse)

Grand Theft Auto VI (styilized as GTA VI) is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games, a subsidiary of Johnson Games. It is the first main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series since 2013's Grand Theft Auto V. Set across the United States (including the cities Vice City and Liberty City, along with the state of San Andreas), the single-player story follows six criminals across the United States and their efforts to make a living while avoiding the corrupt government and going on the run. The open-world design lets players freely roam fictionalized versions of the entire mainland United States, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, the Japanese islands, and portions of both Mexico and Canada.

The game is played from either a third-person, first-person or top-down perspective, and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Players control the six lead protagonists throughout single-player and switch among them, both during and outside missions. Many missions involve shooting and driving gameplay. A "wanted" system governs the aggression of law enforcement response to players who commit crimes. The revamped Grand Theft Auto Online allows players to do multiplayer missions in a part of the country in real time; a new feature was added in which the player can also do these missions with AI-controlled characters in response to issues with leavers and trolls in its GTA V equivalent. In addition, GTAO players can import their protagonist from the GTA V version to the new one.

Development began shortly before Grand Theft Auto V 's release. The game was released on October 22, 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, and PC, and will be released on October 21, 2021 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Extensively marketed and widely anticipated, the game broke industry sales records and became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, earning $900 million in its first day and $1.5 billion in its first three days. It received widespread critical acclaim, with praise directed at its story, multiple protagonist design, open world, presentation and gameplay. However, it caused controversies related to its depiction of violence; one major controversy involved the new destruction system, and the fact that one mission involves flying a UAV into a skyscraper very much like 9/11, as well as the presence of grossly-exaggerated caricatures of Donald Trump, critics of the series, and PETA, and a mission depicting a mass shooting at a school. Considered one of eighth generation console gaming's most significant titles and among the best video games ever made, it won year-end accolades including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications. It is currently the best-selling video game of all time with over 200 million copies shipped and one of the most financially successful entertainment products of all time, with about $10 billion in worldwide revenue. Three episodic expansion packs entitled "Life in Liberty", "Family Hood", and "The Corvino Connection", respectively focused on the characters Ellie Dyer, Lamar Davis, and Donny Corvino, were released throughout 2020. This was also the last Grand Theft Auto game with the involvement of Dan Houser and Lazlow Jones, who both left Rockstar in 2020.

Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto VI is an action-adventure game played from either a third-person, first-person, or top-down perspective. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. Outside of the missions, players may freely roam the open world. Composed of the United States (using locations from past games developed by Rockstar and incorporating the Isles of Nippon, the GTA version of the Japanese states), the world is much larger in area than earlier entries in the series. It may be fully explored after the game's beginning without restriction, although story progress unlocks more gameplay content.

Players use melee attacks, firearms, and explosives to fight enemies, and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the world. In combat, auto-aim and a cover system may be used as assistance against enemies. Should players take damage, their health meter will gradually regenerate to its halfway point. Players respawn at hospitals when their health depletes. If players commit crimes, law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display (HUD). Stars displayed on the meter indicate the current wanted level (for example, at a one-star level, a few cops will try and beat the player down with nightsticks to make an arrest, and can also be bribed to leave the player alone provided no police officers are nearby by triggering a money clip, before the FIB and N.O.O.S.E. arrive in higher levels, and at the maximum ten-star level, the Military is called in with soldiers, tanks, and Apache helicopters from all branches to lethally dispatch players, often causing more collateral damage than necessary, as well as a bounty being placed on the player that gets higher the more damage they commit). Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The meter enters a cool-down mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight that displays on the mini-map.

The single-player mode lets players control six characters—criminals whose stories interconnect as they complete missions. Some missions are completed with only one character and others feature two or three. Outside the missions, players may switch between characters at will by a directional compass on the HUD. In certain missions, players take control of protagonists from past games in the series, either from the HD Universe or the 3D Universe, as well as both Bully games, Manhunt, and descendants of the protagonists from both Red Dead Redemption games. The game may switch characters automatically during missions to complete specific objectives. A character's compass avatar will flash red if he or shw is in danger and needs help, and flash white if he or she has a strategic advantage. Though players complete missions as any of the three protagonists, the more difficult heist missions require aid from AI-controlled accomplices with unique skill sets like computer hacking and driving. If an accomplice survives a successful heist, they take a cut from the cash reward and may be available for later missions with improvements to their unique skills. Some heists afford multiple strategies; in a holdup mission, players may either stealthily subdue civilians with an incapacitating agent or conspicuously storm the venue with guns drawn. They are prohibited from holding weapons at schools such as Bullworth Academy, and beating up children triggers a four-star wanted level (beating up little kids triggers a five-star level, and actually drawing a weapon on school grounds instantly triggers a cutscene where whatever teacher is nearby pulls a gun and wastes the protagonist; this was so players couldn't do school shootings, and is also a jab at the notion of teachers having guns in their desks to take on school shooters).

Each character has a set of eight skills that represent their ability in specific areas such as shooting and driving. Though skills improve through play, each character has a skill with expertise by default. The eighth "special" skill determines the effectiveness in performing an ability that is unique to each respective character. A meter on each character's HUD depletes when an ability is being used and regenerates when players perform skillful actions.

While free-roaming the game world, players may engage in context-specific activities such as burglaries, stealing guns and ammo from military bases, scuba diving, BASE jumping, street racing, basketball, football, baseball, monster truck racing, stock car racing, going bowling, playing pool, playing golf, playing board games, playing darts, watching stand-up acts, going out on dates, and engaging in conversations with other people (the former three returning from IV, and the latter returning from San Andreas). Each character has a smartphone for contacting friends, starting activities and accessing an in-game Internet. The Internet lets players trade in stocks via a stock market, purchase special vehicles, listen to the radio (which uses different radio stations for each state), watch DVDs and old VHS tapes, watch TV, including the news, sports, and episodes of shows such as Republican Space Rangers and Princess Robot Bubblegum (with unique shows for each city affiliate), as well as replaying missions and cutscenes, and read social media. Players may purchase properties such as garages and businesses, purchase and upgrade weapons at Ammu-Nation or acquire them from dealers like Emmet Long, Phil Cassidy, and Little Jacob, eat food at Cluckin' Bell, Burger Shot, The Well-Stacked Pizza Co., among other restaurants, buy items, including frozen and fresh food, from supermarkets and discount stores, and modify vehicles at TransFender, Max Paynt, and Pay & Spray, as well as Los Santos Customs in Los Santos. Players may also visit places such as cinemas and strip clubs. Players can also customize their appearance by purchasing outfits (each individual article of clothing is customizable), haircuts and tattoos, as well as altering their body shape, either by eating food or by exercising, as well as their sex appeal, features not seen since San Andreas. In addition, they can do side missions called Rampages, in which they kill a set number of people or destroy a set number of vehicles. Side missions like "Vigilante", "Taxi", and "Paramedic" return for the first time since Chinatown Wars. Players can also buy and manage properties as they progress, by doing things like changing the building and/or sign, decorations, and wages for employees, as well as customizing the decorations of their safehouses as they gain more money.

New in GTA VI is a destruction system, which was first used in Rockstar sister company Volition's Saints Row: The Third in 2011. Everything, from trees to buildings, can be destroyed, and even the landscape can be physically deformed; humans and animals can also be dismembered in realistic ways, such as decapitations and gibs, as well as being run over by a combine harvester, and body parts can even be cut off using sharp weapons. Every single building in the game can be entered, each with their own unique interior and services. Vehicle deformation has also been improved, in that they can now be crushed flat by larger vehicles such as the Rhino. New vehicles include various types of trains (including passenger and freight trains that specifically carry Continental Rail-style lettering and colors, trams in Los Santos and Carcer City, cable cars in San Fierro, monorails in Las Venturas, the Liberty City subway, and an elevated rail system in Vice City based on the Miami Metrorail), riding mowers, combine harvesters, motorized tricycles, excavators, drones (including consumer drones and military UAVs), various military watercraft such as patrol and torpedo boats, other watercraft such as tugboats (which can tow other vessels as well as barges, a mechanic used in a series of side missions) and inland cargo ships, hoverboards (which have a tendency to randomly explode, an intentional feature meant to throw shade at real-life cases of hoverboards spontaneously exploding), and even jetpacks for specific characters. Airplanes and jets can also be entered into, with the player entering the cockpit to use them. All of the vehicles, weapons, and features (such as arcades, casinos, and biker clubs) introduced in GTA V 's online mode are included in the base game, and several weapons from previous games have also been added, such as the Silenced 9mm, Flamethrower, Dildo, Vibrator, Fire Extinguisher, Chainsaw, Shovel, Katana, and Spray Can; new weapons include the Nailgun, Paintball Gun (which does no damage but does cover the target in paint and makes them angry), Assault Sniper, Programmable AR, Claymore, Sledgehammer, Meat Cleaver, Shuriken, Boomerang, and Bow & Arrow. The pedestrian and cop AI from IV is also restored, though greatly improved. Also new in GTA VI is a mechanic where vehicles are separated by their model year, which is also displayed at the bottom right corner alongside the model's name, as well as manufacturer (for example, a 1997-2004 Übermacht Sentinel is based on the Sentinel from III). In addition, NPC characters change clothes from a selection of random choices during every mission.

Finally, if one is going on a Rampage and gets into a vehicle with a radio, instead of music, the player will hear an Emergency Alert System activation for a Civil Danger Warning or Local Area Emergency, detailing the player's various acts of violence and asking citizens to either remain vigilant, stay indoors, or evacuate the area.

Prologue
The prologue is a series of abridged recreations of big heists in past games (with subtitles representing the year the game takes place in), such as "The Job" from Vice City, "Breaking the Bank at Caligula's" from San Andreas (both of which are now set in their HD Universe counterparts while reusing the original audio; in "The Job", lines referencing SWAT are redubbed to reference N.O.O.S.E., its HD Universe counterpart), "Three Leaf Clover" from IV, and the obvious approach for "The Big Score" in V. The player then takes control of Josh Walton in a botched robbery of a Fleeca branch in Blaine County, where he manages to escape with $3,000 with the help of Trevor Philips and Lester Crest. Feeling downtrodden that he didn't get as much as he hoped, Trevor reassures him that, for his first take, three grand is pretty good, but ridicules his choice of a getaway vehicle (a combine harvester; Josh defends his choice by saying he was planning to use the header to mulch the cops, which Trevor laughs at for sounding like something he would do). He then takes him to Los Santos to get training in bank robbing from his old friend, Michael De Santa. After the logo forms, the opening credits play as Trevor drives Josh to Michael's house.

Josh's Plot
Josh is assigned by Michael to take him to the bank. When they get there, they put on masks, get in the bank, and pull out their guns. Josh successfully gets $12,000 from the bank heist. After this, he is told by Michael to go to Grove Street and hook up with Franklin Clinton, the leader of the Grove Street Families. Upon visiting Grove Street, Josh sees Franklin, who tells him to spray tags over Ballas graffiti on key Ballas blocks around Los Santos. When he does so,

Elise's Plot
While Josh is training with Michael, his twin sister Elise is snorting SPANK she got from a stranger who calls himself "T" in her run-down apartment at Vice City, and she hears a doorbell ring. When she opens, a pizza delivery man comes in, and Elise sees that her pizza was supreme, rather than the pepperoni she ordered. She then proceeds to use a butter knife to cut his neck open and slit his throat, causing him to bleed to death. Elise then eats the pizza regardless, saying it would be a waste to throw it out. She then goes to the Well-Stacked Pizza Co. store at the Warsaw Mall and blows it up with satchel charges that she bought from the Ammu-Nation as revenge for getting her order wrong. Elise outruns the cops and goes safely back to her apartment.

When Josh flies to Vice City, he and Elise meet each other for the first time since childhood. Elise tells Josh that she met the stranger with a black jacket. As they walk down the street, they happen to come across the stranger, who reveals himself to be Tommy Vercetti by unzipping his jacket revealing a teal Hawaiian shirt, and explains that he was the most respected man in the city until the arrival of even larger gangs, causing him to lose all his influence in the city, before losing all his assets and his estate to an insurance company in 2002 for defaulting on his taxes. Josh and Elise decide to help him recapture his former 1980s glory, and so they fly back to San Andreas, meeting Tommy's former lawyer Ken "Rosie" Rosenberg, who he cut ties with in 1992. Rosie is reluctant to help at first, due to seeing Tommy as ungrateful for refusing to ever answer his calls again, before Elise convinces Rosie to give him another chance by pointing a gun to his skull. They go to a TransFender in San Fierro to repair Josh's car after a drive-by shooting with the Rifa, meeting Stephen Winslow, who recognizes Tommy as the "Harwood Butcher" and respects him. Tommy decides to seize this opportunity and reform the Vercetti Crime Family. Stephen agrees to join the gang. With the gang reformed, Tommy decides that they go back to Vice City to reclaim what was once Vercetti turf, as well as regain his alliance with Los Cabrones, a band of Cuban refugees that allied with Tommy in 1986.

After the Vercetti Crime Family retakes a few of its neighborhoods, Tommy and Rosie patch things up, and Rosie reminds Tommy of when he was ordered by the Poison of the Tigers, or just the Tigers, a band of Haitian refugees whose elderly leader, Esther "Auntie Poulet" Plymouth, ordered Tommy to kill several Cabrones members against his will. Tommy laughs it off, claiming it to be extremely unrealistic, before Rosie takes out an old news article from his "personal archive", consisting of boxes of every issue of the Vice City Inquirer and the San Andreas Post from their founding dates to the present, stating that Tommy killed the Cabrones members under Poulet's orders. Tommy and Elise go to Auntie Poulet's Tea House to kill her, and is greeted by Poulet brandishing a shotgun. Expressing surprise that Poulet is still alive at 119, Tommy and Elise engage in a violent shootout in which they were aided by members of the Vercettis and the Cabrones, while Poulet was aided by members of the Tigers. After critically injuring her, Tommy and Elise drive Poulet to a graveyard, burying her alive in the process, and destroy the rest of the Poison of the Tigers's fronts with a rocket launcher, ensuring the gang would forever be in ruins.

With the Vercetti Crime Family beginning to regain its former glory, Elise comes across Reni Wassulmeier, a transgender film director who is shooting a commercial for the 2020 Maibatsu Monstrosity. Under her orders, Elise drives one through a ring of fire, before crashing it through the window of a building. At the same time, Tommy is beginning to work with the Corvino Crime Family, a Vice City Mafia family founded in 1995. He talks to its Don, Issac Corvino, a man with a short fuse and a knack for charisma. Corvino agrees to work with the Vercetti Family. Josh and Elise are notified of this, and Tommy decides to expand his gang to Liberty City, where he heard that the Forellis are nothing but a memory now. The Walson twins fly to Liberty City, where they meet Ellie Dyer, a gaming enthusiast. Ellie agrees to join the Vercetti Crime Family, and Josh and Elise take her to an Ammu-Nation gun range, as Ellie had never used a firearm before. After this, the three meet Claude Speed, a silent drifter who happened to come back to Liberty City years after the betrayal of his ex-girlfriend Catalina Ramos, and his current girlfriend Florence St. John, who tells Josh and Elise about arms dealer Phil Cassidy. They drive to Cassidy's gun shop, and Phil agrees to help the Vercetti Crime Family. Josh, Ellie, Elise, Claude, Florence, and Phil drive to Staunton Island and meet Uptown Yardies leader King Courtney, who is killed point-blank in a shootout by Claude and Josh. Without a leader, the Yardies fall apart, and all their turf is taken over by the Vercettis.

A satisfied Tommy congratulates Josh and Elise for their efforts, and he decides that they should fly back to San Andreas, hearing about a small-time street gang called the Grove Street Families, which the Vercettis can partner with to take Ballas and Vagos turf. Phil sees Tommy for the first time in years, and Tommy notes that Phil has gotten smarter since the moonshine incident, which Phil reminds Tommy to never speak of again. When Josh and Elise go back to San Andreas, they meet Franklin, the Families' leader. Franklin explains that C.R.A.S.H. has been reformed with Irving Tenpenny (the son of the deceased officer Frank Tenpenny) in charge. He hears that Carl "CJ" Johnson, a former Families OG turned rapper, is on a tour to promote his latest rap album called "C to the MFK J", and tells Elise to steal a limo and pick up CJ. When CJ walks into Elise's stolen limo, Elise tells him about C.R.A.S.H.'s resurrection, and CJ is not happy about it. He swears to take it down once and for all, and calls on his siblings Sweet (who is now an actor) and Kendl (who is now a model) to help him after being taken to his next stop. CJ has booked an appearance on a special celebrity episode of the game show Twenty Questions to a Million (a parody of the British game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) in Liberty City, where he correctly answers all 20 questions without any "cheats", winning the $1,000,000 prize. He claims that he'll give his winnings to the Autism is Alive Foundation (an exaggerated caricature of Autism Speaks), but instead gives it to Josh and Elise, who use it to start an anti-C.R.A.S.H. movement entitled "Take Out Tenpenny". Later, they blow up the Autism is Alive headquarters in San Fierro.

Chris' Plot
Chris is running the Express Car Service in Broker, Liberty City, as its owner, Roman Bellic, is competing in the bowling championship at the Memory Lanes in Firefly Island. Chris gets a call from Toni Cipriani, Don of the Leone Crime Family in Portland. Cipriani tells Chris that he's doing a better job at running the cab depot than Roman ever could, and tells him to meet face to face at Salvatore's Gentlemen's Club at the Saint Mark's District in Portland. Chris drives there, and meets Toni, his wife Emily, and their children Rafaello and Tori. Chris agrees to deal drugs for the Leones, and after distributing twenty packets from a Leone Sentinel, an impressed Toni gives Chris jobs, such as taking back Marco's Bistro from the Forelli Brothers with Chris managing it (the Leones took it from the Forellis in 1995, and lost it in 2000, when the Forellis took it back), stealing Forelli-imported tomatoes for the Bravo Ragazzo Tomatoes Co. (the Leones' tomato sauce front), scaring its leader Roger "Kid" Forelli into giving up the code for the building where Rafaello and Tori are kidnapped in by dangling him over the roof of a Sentinel, hijacking several cars for Underboss Joey Leone, among other things. Toni also blows up a Forelli-owned car dealership (the last Forelli front) in the Carraways, with its leader included, leaving the gang nothing but a memory, and teams with Chris and Joey to perform a heist at the Bank of Liberty to get money for the struggling Leones. At the same time, Chris has Marco's Bistro renovated and upgraded.

At the Memory Lanes in Firefly Island, Chris meets his boss Roman Bellic, his wife Mallorie, and their daughter Kate. Roman has just won the bowling championship for the third consecutive year, and decides that he, Mallorie, and Kate would go to Momma's Ristorante to celebrate, and that Chris would drive them there before returning to the cab depot. On his way back, Chris spots a warehouse containing several vans, and several people inside. Feeling one of them looks familiar, Chris decides to check it out. He talks to the person running it, and the person reveals himself to be Niko Bellic. Niko explains that he tried to get out of crime, but Russia's antics with Ukraine forced him to get back in, and guesses that Chris got back from bowling, which Niko really hates due to Roman constantly calling him at the most inappropriate times. His second-in-command and best friend "Little" Jacob Hughes walks by, and explains that he and Niko are smuggling arms to anti-Russian rebels in Ukraine. Chris agrees to drive a van to Francis International Airport while Little Jacob drives a van to Stewart International Airport (the former Francis International) in Shoreside Vale.

At the same time, Niko flies to San Andreas to track down FIB interrogator Karen Daniels, who posed as a woman named Michelle and pretended to be his girlfriend in 2008. When he finds Daniels, he is shocked to find that she had become even worse than she was back in the day, and engages in a violent shootout in which Niko shoots her with a machine gun, although Niko holds back tears in the process. When Karen lies down on the floor, she tells Niko that she secretly still loved him, after which Niko stuffs her in the trunk of a car and dumps it into the river with her still inside, causing her to drown to death.

After Chris and Little Jacob deliver the weapons, Chris gets a call from Niko, who tells him to go to Alderney. When he gets there, he is greeted by Johnny Klebitz, leader of the New Lost MC, his second-in-command Johnny Vincent, and his girlfriend Rianna Winter. Klebitz explains that after Trevor Philips eliminated the entire old Lost (he also blames Trevor for Ashley Butler's death, with the dialogue intentionally making it vague as to whether Trevor ran her over or she overdosed during an orgy), he's been wanting revenge. When Chris and the new Lost ride their bikes to Sandy Shores, they meet Trevor, Ron and Wade. Chris tells Trevor that Johnny has formed the New Lost MC. Trevor doesn't believe this at first, as he thought he'd stomped Johnny to death, but Ron and Wade tell him that Trevor was just stomping the ground, having a psychotic episode after learning Michael was alive, but Ron and Wade didn't want to say anything for their own safety. Johnny rides his bike in, and meets with Trevor face-to-face for the first time since Johnny's "death", ready to take him out once and for all. After a violent shootout ensues, Trevor is bleeding, and Ron and Wade drive him to the hospital. A furious Johnny orders Chris to follow Ron and Wade to the hospital, but not before Michael stops him first. Michael tells Johnny to give Trevor a second chance, having done so after Trevor found out that Brad was buried where Michael supposedly was, and let go of the past. Johnny decides to meet Trevor, and tells him that he (Johnny) was in the wrong.

When

Taliana's Plot
Taliana is the manager of Martinez Autos in San Fierro, a store that specializes boosting, modding and reselling cars. She gets a phone call from rival Simeon, who runs an auto company in Los Santos.

Walt's Plot
In Carcer City, Walt is an arms dealer selling weapons stolen from the U.S. Military. He sees a yellow Sentinel, and blows it up with a rocket launcher, thinking it's the same car whose driver had killed his wife. Walt sees the gang leader Vladimir Jerkov, the brother of Rudolf Jerkov, who ran the Russian Mafia in Leston from 1995 until his 1999 death. The Russian Mafia has a rivalry against the Black Spadez, a Hispanic gang whose members had killed Walt's wife. Walt decides to join the gang, and Vladimir assigns him to dress up as a Spade and blow up one of their most important fronts with several sticky bombs.

Walt also meets a man named J.R. East, who assigns Walt to kill 50 Kings members with a flamethrower he built. After Walt does this, East gets him to poison the food of Spadez leader and founder Orson Spade. After Spade gets killed by the poison, Walt is introduced to Donald Love, Jr., a real estate mogul from Liberty City. Love orders him to start a gang war between the Russian Mafia and the Spadez to drive down real estate prices, much like how his father had ordered Claude to start a gang war between the Yakuza and the Cartel back in 2001.

Karissa's Plot
In Las Venturas, Karissa Thorn is a member of the Grunge Girls, a troupe of chorus girls that is stated to combine glamour with edginess, and is affiliated with the Sindacco Crime Family. After being chewed out by fellow member Julienne Holmes for her performance, she meets up with her best friend Cyndi Lewis, the leader of the Venturas Gusanos gang. Karissa and Cyndi decide to commit heists together, as Karissa had never done a heist before. After completing their first heist, Karissa and Cyndi kill 25 Sindacco Crime Family members, participate in an illegal street race, and hijack several high-end automobiles for the Gusanos. They then meet up with Walt during their trip to Carcer City, and agree to help him avenge his deceased wife. Karissa kills the Spadez second-in-command, Keith Downey, with a chainsaw, before finding that the police are looking for her and Cyndi. They escape to San Andreas, where they meet Michael, who tells Karissa that there's a group called Mothers Against the Glorification of Gross and Offensive Trading of Sins (M.A.G.G.O.T.S.), led by former nun Margaret Wayne. Karissa is told to hijack a helicopter and fly to Vice City with it to kill Wayne. After Karissa does so, Michael introduces her to his family; his wife Amanda, his son Jimmy, and his daughter Tracey.

Karissa and Cyndi come across nightclub owner Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince. Tony states that a rival nightclub is about to open a few miles away, and asks them to sabotage its grand opening. Karissa plants an array of small but powerful bombs in the trunk of every vintage car inside, with the exception of the owner's 1969 Grotti Stinger, which she uses to escape from the club. After the club explodes, Tony congratulates them and accepts them as members of his club. He

Epilogue
When Josh goes home, he gets a visit from Toreno, who explains that the government has kidnapped Elise for ransom, that the FIB is investigating Chris, Karissa's employers are looking for her, the IAA is looking for Tallie, and the military is looking for Walt. Toreno gives Josh a choice to kill one of them.

Option A: "Love Hurts" (Go to Capital City)
Josh decides to go to Capital City to save Elise. There, Elise has uncovered Love's plan to turn the United States into a fascist dictatorship where all non-whites will be systematically exterminated. Love himself spots Josh, and orders him executed. This leads to Chuck Dollar betraying Love and Josh and Elise breaking out and fighting Love, who's using body armor. He threatens to brand Josh and Elise as terrorists supporting Japanese separatism if they kill him. When Josh and Elise critically injure him, they ask Love why he did this. Love reveals that he was a Neo-Nazi who thought the whole thing was an eldritch ritual to bring Adolf Hitler back from the dead, and only now realizes how purely insane it sounded in what seemed to be his first moment of lucidity in decades, before dying. The next day, Josh and Elise are back in their San Andreas home with Michael, Trevor, Franklin, Walt, Karissa, Cyndi, Tallie, Chris, Elise, Luis, Johnny Klebitz, Johnny Vincent, CJ, Denise, Sweet, Paul, Maccer, Madd Dogg, Zero, The Truth, Claude, Florence, Niko, Roman, Mallorie, Kerry, Kate, Tommy, Pete, Stephen, Ken, and many others all there, and watching a news report that Love was assassinated, his wife Jillian is dating a Vinewood producer named Kenny Orr, and Dollar has become the new President. He informs the nation of everything Love had done and planned to do, and promises to free the country from Love's agenda and make it great for everyone (not just the rich) again. The credits roll after Josh and Elise decide to walk off their house as the nation descends into a brief yet destructive civil war between liberals and conservatives, as described by a post-game phone call between Josh and Toreno.

Option B: "Farewell, Fallon..." (Kill Chris)
Josh decides to take his helicopter to Liberty City, where he meets up with Chris at Roman's cab depot. He pulls out his gun, and engages in a violent shootout with Chris, before shoving a grenade into his mouth, killing him. A post-game email shows a furious Roman chewing Josh out for killing his best employee, before stating that the next time he comes to the cab service, the Leone Crime Family will show him the error of his ways. The Leones are hostile to Josh from this point on. Niko also gives Josh a phone call, saying that if he's killed, then he deserves it. He and Little Jacob will also no longer provide service for Josh.

Option C: "Kickin' Her Out" (Kill Karissa)
Josh decides to call Karissa, who comes to his place. Karissa tells Josh that she and Cyndi have started a relationship together, and Josh decides to take her for a drive, supposedly to get her a wedding suit. However, Josh instead drives Karissa to the Del Perro Pier, and jumps out of the car before it lands into the water. The car is sunk, and Karissa drowns to her death. Toreno calls Josh and assures him that he'll use his connections to get the authorities off his hands, and that Elise is a free woman. A post-game phone call has Cyndi angrily phone Josh in a screaming fit of rage, and telling him that he's a dead man for killing her girlfriend. The Venturas Gusanos are now hostile towards Josh from this point on, shooting him on sight if he goes to their territory. Karissa is also no longer playable. Josh is banned from all Claudia’s Needlz locations; if he tries to come in, he’s immediately shot on sight.

Option D: "Bang For Bucks" (Kill Tallie)
Josh goes to Tallie's garage in San Fierro, where he engages in a shootout with her. After this mission,

Option E: "Extra Crispy" (Kill Walt)
Josh decides to take a train to Carcer City, where he sees Walt. Walt tells him that he and his girlfriend are about to be married.

SECTION WORK-IN-PROGRESS

Playable

 * Joshua "Josh" Walton (Tim Johnson) is a 26-year-old aspiring bank robber based in Los Santos. It is also heavily implied throughout the game that his and Elise's childhoods were abusive. Special ability: bullet time.
 * Elise Walton (Chloe Johnson) is Josh's twin sister from Vice City, who is a mood-swinging psychopath more unhinged than Trevor Philips, to the point of bragging about having choked children to death in a fit of rage. Despite this, she loves her brother dearly, and will always be at his side until the end. Special ability: rage.
 * Christopher "Chris" Fallon (Christopher Boyer) is a 48-year-old former cop. He lives in Liberty City, and works for Roman Bellic's cab service, though he also deals drugs on the side to make extra cash. Special ability: perfect accuracy.
 * Taliana "Tallie" Martinez (Carolina Ravassa) is a 34-year-old former bank robber who, following the Union Depository job in 2013, now deals in boosting, modding, and reselling cars in San Fierro; this operation directly conflicts with Simeon's newest scam. She was a heist crew member in Grand Theft Auto V who proved popular enough to be promoted to playable. Special ability: slow down time while driving.
 * Walt Sanders (Ving Rhames) is a 51-year-old arms dealer from Carcer City, and the father of nine-year-old Alexis Sanders. His wife Leigh was killed in a gang war prior to the game's events, and he's out to avenge her by tracking its leader down to kill him. Special ability: dodging bullets.
 * Karissa Thorn (Kyla Pratt) is a 23-year-old member of the Grunge Girls from Las Venturas who is relatively new to the criminal lifestyle. Special ability: stronger kicks and punches.

Anguila, Marina and Atlántica (HD Universe Vice City)

 * Alejandro Ortiz (Antonio Sabato, Jr.) is a local criminal who has Elise do the dirty work for him.

Vice City Beach, Vice City Mainlands, Starfish Island, and Prawn Island (3D Universe Vice City)

 * Thomas "Tommy" Vercetti (Ray Liotta) is a 68-year-old washed-up crime boss seeking to recapture the glory days of the 1980s with the help of the Walton twins and Ken Rosenberg, although the latter does so reluctantly due to Tommy cutting ties with him in 1992. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Stephen Winslow (Chris Pratt) is a 37-year-old local mechanic and a member of the reformed Vercetti Crime Family.
 * Peter "Pete" Vance (Armando Riesco) is the 56-year-old brother of Victor and Lance Vance who moved to Vice City in 1999. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Dee-Dee "Dee Generate" Garcia (Holly Fields) is the 59-year-old leader of the Royals of Vice.
 * Lazlow Jones (Lazlow Jones) is a 57-year-old fading celebrity who's forced to move to Vice City and host a local, low-budget game show called Win Some, Lose Some after Gay Tony fired him from his San Andreas nightclub. He is forced to partner with the Cartel to deal drugs like SPANK, crack, meth and cocaine to make money, which he gets high on himself.
 * Mary-Beth Williams (Scarlett Johansson) is the 35-year-old daughter of Louise Williams.
 * Raymond "Ray" Machowski (Peter Appel) is a 61-year-old former Liberty City cop who moved to Vice City to avoid internal affairs and the IAA, posing under the name Randall McKinney. Now the mayor, Ray's corruption hasn’t gone away, and he hires Elise to do the dirty work for him, such as slandering his political opponents to ensure he wins his reelection campaign. He is allied with the Corvino Crime Family.
 * Umberto Robina (Danny Trejo) is the 75-year-old leader of Los Cabrones, a Cuban gang.
 * Esther "Auntie Poulet" Plymouth (Youree Dell Cleomili Harris) is the 119-year-old leader of the Poison of the Tigers (Family of the Knives), a Haitian gang. She is killed by Tommy during the mission "Date D'Expiration du Poulet" after Ken reminds him of his time with the gang.
 * Reni Wassulmaier (Barbara Rosenblatt) is a 66-year-old transgender film director. She hires Elise to act in a film she's directing.
 * Isadore Papi (Toby Huss) is the 72-year-old Don of the Papi Crime Family.
 * Katelyn Papi (Serena Irwin) is Isadore's 60-year-old wife. She has a tendency to only wear a bra, skirt and shoes every day.
 * Wallace Papi (Oscar Issac) is Isadore's 24-year-old, rather spoiled son and eventual successor. He also serves as the family underboss.
 * Giorgio Ricci (Danny Mastrogiorgio) is the Caporegime of the family. He is rude to everyone outside the Papi family.
 * Madison "Muffy" Leech (Laura Bailey) is a 19-year-old punk musician who has Katelyn as her agent.
 * Issac Corvino (Tony Sirico) is the 78-year-old Don of the Corvino Crime Family.
 * Samantha Corvino (Alanna Ubach) is Issac's 30-year-old, recently married wife and a well-known local singer. She is loyal to Issac.
 * Donny Corvino (Gary Nelson) is Issac's 29-year-old son, eventual successor, and the Underboss of the family. He is very short-tempered.
 * Dino Bianchi (Rick Corso) is the Caporegime of the Corvino family.
 * Sergio Romano (Joe Mantegna) is the 57-year-old Don of the Romano Crime Family.
 * Elsa Romano (Connie Stevens) is Sergio's 52-year-old wife.
 * Mateo Romano (Jon Favreau) is Sergio and Elsa's 24-year-old son and the family Underboss.
 * Margaret Wayne (Betty White) is a 92-year-old former nun who, in 1955, founded the Mothers Against the Glorification of the Gross and Offensive Trading of Sins (M.A.G.G.O.T.S.), a group that supports the illegalization of the sale of rock albums, violent video games and movies to minors, whom M.A.G.G.O.T.S. sees as "impressionable". She is killed by Taliana by exploding in her car during the mission "You Wouldn’t Steal A Car" after she discovers Margaret has been pirating movies and doctoring them to further her agenda (for example, editing footage of naked women into Meltdown when there wasn't any nudity to begin with, which causes Michael to give the order to kill her for disrespecting Solomon Richards' legacy).
 * Jasmond Raston (Haley Lu Richardson) is a 20-year-old ditzy model.
 * Jeffrey Tambor (himself) is a celebrity who's visiting Vice City. His agent hires Elise to be his bodyguard and take out anyone who wants to enact vigilante justice over the real-life sexual assualt allegations against Tambor.
 * Phil Collins (himself) is another celebrity visiting Vice City. His agent hires Josh to be his bodyguard.
 * Candice Shand (Jenna Jameson) is a 56-year-old former porn star and an entrepreneur. She owns the InterGlobal Films studio that Tommy lost in the 1990s.
 * Stephen "Steve" Scott
 * Mitchell "Mitch" Baker
 * Alexander "Alex" Shrub (Christopher Lucas) is a 58-year-old former congressman who was a Presidential candidate in 2000. He still hasn't gotten over his cross-dressing hobby, and is killed by Elise in the mission "The Fall of Martha".
 * Hilary King (Charley Tucker) is a man with a eating disorder who was killed in 1986. He is only seen briefly in the prologue and in flashbacks.

Los Santos

 * Michael De Santa (Ned Luke) is a 51-year-old Vinewood movie producer and former bank robber. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Jimmy De Santa (Danny Tamberelli) is Michael's 26-year-old son who works at the Videogeddon arcade in Los Santos.
 * Tracey De Santa (Michal Sinnott) is Michael's 28-year-old daughter who recently graduated college and is currently a nursing student.
 * Amanda De Santa (Vicki Van Tassel) is Michael's 49-year-old wife who is now a high-ranking executive at Fruit Computers (mainly thanks to Lester getting dirt on higher-ranking executives to move her up the ladder).
 * Franklin Clinton (Shawn "Solo" Fonteno) is the 31-year-old leader of the Grove Street Families, which retook Grove Street from the Ballas a month before the game's events. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Denise Clinton (Janet Hubert) is Franklin's 63-year-old maternal aunt who is a feminist. She likes to do spirit walks with her friends. Trevor kills her and her friends during a spirit walk in the mission "We Are Women, and We Are Dead!" for disowning Franklin in 2013.
 * Lamar Davis (Gerald "Slink" Johnson) is Franklin's 31-year-old best friend and second-in-command of the Grove Street Families.
 * Simeon Yetarian (Demosthenes Chrysan) is a 52-year-old egotistical Armenian car salesman.
 * Wendy Oates (Kate Locklain) is Franklin's 23-year-old girlfriend.
 * Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince (David "D.B. Cooper" Kenner) is the 53-year-old owner of a Los Santos nightclub.
 * Carl "CJ" Johnson (Chris Bellard a.k.a. Young Maylay) is a 51-year-old former Grove Street Families OG turned rapper who owns a stake in the Four Dragons Casino. CJ finds himself back in the 'hood when he hears C.R.A.S.H. has been reformed under Irving Tenpenny. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Denise Johnson (Heather Alicia Simms) is CJ's 50-year-old wife. She owns a chain of beauty shops called Denise Does It.
 * Sean "Sweet" Johnson (Faizon Love) is a 54-year-old former Grove Street Families OG who became an actor, and like his brother CJ, found himself back in the 'hood after the resurrection of C.R.A.S.H.
 * Kendl Johnson (Yolanda "Yo-Yo" Whittaker) is CJ and Sweet's 49-year-old sister and Cesar’s wife. She is now a model, and, again, finds herself back in the 'hood after C.R.A.S.H.'s return.
 * Kenneth “Ken” Rosenberg (William Fichtner) is a 66-year-old former lawyer and Tommy Vercetti’s former associate.
 * Matthew “Madd Dogg” Carlton (Ice-T) is a 55-year-old former rapper who now works as a talent agent.
 * ”Kent” Paul Higgins (Danny Dyer) is CJ's 54-year-old manager from England.
 * Maurice "Maccer" Mooneyham (Shaun Ryder) is a 54-year-old singer who is attempting to recapture his glory of the 1980s and early 1990s. He is still a chronic masturbator.
 * Irving Tenpenny (Donald Glover) is a 34-year-old corrupt police officer and the leader of the revived C.R.A.S.H. He is the son of the deceased Frank Tenpenny, and is even worse than his father ever was, to the point of killing innocent people on the streets for kicks and teaming up with the Ballas, Vagos, and Rifa to make and distribute SPANK all around the country. He is the secondary antagonist of the game, answering directly to President Donald Love.
 * Beto Alvarez (Erik Estrada) is Tenpenny's 57-year-old associate. He was an honest cop until he was coerced by Tenpenny to join C.R.A.S.H. He makes it clear that he wants no part of the operation whatsoever.
 * Karen Daniels (Rebecca Henderson) is a 48-year-old corrupt IAA interrogator. She is killed by Niko with a bullet to the head in the mission "So Long, Michelle" as revenge for using him, though Niko tried to hold back tears upon succeeding.
 * Patrick “Packie” McReary (Ryan Johnston) is a 40-year-old bank robber formerly associated with Niko Bellic.
 * Lester Crest (Jay Klaitz) is a 52-year-old, physically-disabled evil genius who helps put together heists and operations.
 * Fabien LaRouche (Michael Giese) is a 45-year-old French yoga instructor. He is killed by Michael for attempting to hit on Amanda again in the mission "Nobody Said Yoga".
 * Brucie Kibbutz (Timothy Adams) is a 51-year-old fitness enthusiast and lifestyle coach who vehemently denies being gay, despite evidence pointing to the contrary.
 * Emmet Long (Eugene Jeter Jr.) is a 78-year-old, Families-associated gun dealer who moved to San Fierro in 2004 and opened a licensed gun shop there, though he's still associated with the gang.
 * Stephen "Steve" Scott (Dennis Hopper) is a film director.
 * Barry "Big Bear" Thorne (Kurt Alexander)
 * Solomon Richards (Joel Rooks) is a film director.
 * Amy Walson (Rachel Weisz) is Josh and Elise's neglectful stepmother. She is killed by Elise during the mission "My Stepmother, the Car" for neglecting both her and Josh; Elise takes her car to the crusher with Amy in the trunk.
 * Brian Johnson (Terrell Ransom Jr.) was CJ, Sweet, and Kendl's younger brother. He was killed in 1987 at the age of 13, and only appears in flashbacks.
 * Beverly Johnson (Diahann Carroll) was Sweet, CJ, Kendl, and Brian's mother. She was killed in 1992 at the age of 51 after a Ballas ambush, and only appears in flashbacks. This was Carroll's final role before her 2019 death; Carroll was one of many dedications in the credits.
 * Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris (Clifton Powell) was a Grove Street Families OG who was killed in 1992 at the age of 27 after he, alongside Ryder, betrayed the gang for the Ballas and C.R.A.S.H. He only appears in flashbacks.
 * Lance "Ryder" Wilson (Aaron "MC Eiht" Tyler) was another Families OG turned Balla who was killed in 1992 at the age of 25 for his betrayal of the Grove Street Families. He only appears in flashbacks.

Red County

 * Jeffrey "MC Strap" Cross (Jonathan Anderson) is a 47-year-old disgraced former rapper who had a resurgence under his new nickname, "MC Strap" (after his old nickname, "OG Loc", became associated with horrible rapping), from 1994 to 2017, when he was brought down in a sexual assault scandal (a jab at the real-life Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations); his vocals in his new rap songs were digitally manipulated to make it sound like he's actually rapping. He is killed by Franklin in the mission "OG Joke" as revenge for abandoning the Grove Street Families in 1992.

Blaine County

 * Trevor Philips (Steven Ogg) is a 54-year-old psychotic drug dealer who lives in Sandy Shores. Having been a lifestyle coach and guru in 2017, Trevor went back to his old self after Ron knocked him out and gave him smelling salts laced with crack. Trevor is also utterly terrified of Elise, which is saying something. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Ron Jakowski (David Mogentale) is Trevor's 44-year-old right-hand man.
 * Wade Hebert (Matthew Maher) is a 39-year-old loyal follower of Trevor who has been stuck in a strip club for six years.
 * Eric “Chef” Sizemore (Anthony Cumia) is

Las Venturas

 * Simon Sindacco (Joe Manganiello) is the 28-year-old Don of the Sindacco Crime Family. The Sindaccos moved out of Liberty City in 1999, settling permanently in Las Venturas.
 * Cyndi Lewis (Alexandra Daddario) is Karissa's 31-year-old best friend. She is a street punk and leader of the Venturas Gusanos, a gang that is instantly recognizable by having almost their entire bodies covered in tattoos, Cyndi included.
 * Julienne Holmes (Sunny Mabrey) is a 29-year-old member of the Grunge Girls and Karissa's rival.
 * Sondra Chen (Kelly Marie Tran) is Cyndi's 23-year-old second-in-command.
 * Celestia Bardas (Nicole Oliver) is the getaway driver for the Gusanos. Oliver was cast as an in-joke to her My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic character, Princess Celestia.
 * Claudia de Lance (Ashley Tisdale) is the gang’s tattoo artist. She owns a chain of tattoo shops called Claudia’s Needlz.
 * Liam Jennings (Hayden Christensen) is the muscle of the gang.
 * Amerie Emeria (Vanessa Parsons) is the owner of the Gusanos-affiliated Nightclub of Fortune, a brothel disguised as a nightclub, and the Gusanos' Madame, hiring prostitutes both male and female. She is seen only wearing a black snake bikini every day.
 * Thornton Duggan

San Fierro

 * Cesar Vialpando (Clifton Collins Jr.) is the 61-year-old leader of the Varrios Los Aztecas.
 * Mitch "The Truth" Wells (Peter Fonda) is an 85-year-old stoner hippie conspiracy theorist who has credible proof that the government is hiding aliens from the public. This was Fonda's final role before his death in August 2019, and the game was dedicated to his memory.
 * David "Zero" Kent (David Cross) is the 55-year-old owner of Zero RC, a hobby shop that is also a front for Carl Johnson's criminal enterprises. He is notably less annoying than he was in 1992, and even looks back at his annoyance with regret.
 * Ran Fa Li (Hunter Platin) is the 79-year-old leader of the Red Gecko Tong and the Shuk Foo of the San Fierro Triads. He only speaks in grunts, like in his previous appearance.
 * Wu Zi Mu (James Yaegashi) is the 60-year-old blind leader of the Mountain Cloud Boys and the Dai Dai Lo of the San Fierro Triads. He is part-owner of the Four Dragons Casino.
 * Bernie Crane (Timothy J. Alex) is a 41-year-old homosexual lifestyle coach. He mentions being attracted to Josh.

Broker, Dukes, Algonquin, and Bohan (HD Universe Liberty City)

 * Niko Bellic (Michael Hollick) is the 41-year-old, wheelchair-bound head of a major crime ring smuggling weapons to anti-Russian rebels in Ukraine. Having wanted to get out of crime, Niko is forced to get back in to help the rebels, and really, really hates bowling due to Roman constantly calling him to bowl at inappropriate times, culminating in Niko losing both of his legs after Roman called him to go bowling while the former was driving a truck that turned out to be rigged with explosives as a trap in 2016. He is playable in a few missions, in which he fights using a rocket launcher mounted to his wheelchair.
 * Roman Bellic (Jason Zumwalt) is the 42-year-old owner of two cab depots (one in Broker and one in Algonquin) and a professional bowler.
 * Mallorie Bellic (Elena Hurst) is Roman’s 40-year-old wife. She runs the cab depot when Roman is out bowling.
 * Kerry Bellic (Jackson Bollinger) is Roman and Mallorie's 11-year-old son, and Kate's older brother.
 * Kate Bellic (Skylar Dunn) is Roman and Mallorie's 10-year-old daughter. She was named after Niko's deceased girlfriend Kate McReary.
 * Milica Bellic (Diane Keaton) is Niko's 65-year-old mother and Kate's grandmother. She is depicted as caring.
 * "Little" Jacob Hughes (Coolie Ranx) is Niko's 37-year-old best friend and second-in-command.
 * Luis Fernando Lopez (Mario D'Leon) is the 36-year-old owner of Gay Tony's old nightclub. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Huang Lee (Steven Yeun) is the 36-year-old charismatic leader of the Liberty City Triads. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Malcolm "Malc" Kenley (Walter Mudu) is the 39-year-old leader of the Uptown Bikers.
 * Kenny Petrovic (Richard Pruitt) is the 63-year-old leader of the Petrovic Crime Family.
 * Lola Del Rio (Katie Semine) is a 38-year-old, lollipop-holding prostitute. She was heavily advertised in Grand Theft Auto IV, but never appeared in that game.
 * Christian "El Burro" Estevez (Jeff Garcia) is a 32-year-old Bohan drug dealer. He doesn't like being confused with El Burro, leader of the Diablos, and has even made several attempts on his life.
 * Elisabeth "Ellie" Dyer (Belle Armstrong) is a 24-year-old gaming enthusiast. She becomes Josh's girlfriend during the story.
 * Kristen Stewart (herself) is a celebrity visiting Liberty City. Her agent hires Karissa to be her bodyguard and take out crazed fans during a public appearance and autograph session.

Portland, Staunton Island, Shoreside Vale, and Chrisensen (3D Universe Liberty City)

 * Claude Speed (Scott Maslen) is a 48-year-old mute drifter who happened to come back to Liberty City years after Catalina's betrayal. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Maria Latore (Debi Mazar) is Claude's 48-year-old wife and the widow of the deceased mob boss Salvatore Leone. Formerly known as Maria La Torra, she changed her name to Latore upon returning from Las Venturas to Liberty City in 1992, having had a criminal record of her own. The gunshot at the end of III was actually Claude firing his pistol in the air to shut Maria up.
 * Florence St. John (Gia Carides) is a 20-year-old sarcastic street criminal who helps her boyfriend Rob carry out his plans.
 * Michael "Mike" Del Monte (Kirk Thornton) is a 45-year-old former Leone member who became bitter and hardened in the years since his longtime mentor Vinnie betrayed him, forcing him to come back to Liberty City to take his frustrations out on the city. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Walker Carrington (Johnny Hardwick) is the 44-year-old son of deceased real estate mogul Avery Carrington. Like his father, he’ll do anything to get prime real estate, including starting gang wars.
 * Antonio "Toni" Cipriani (Michael Madsen) is the 51-year-old, short-tempered Don of the Leone Crime Family. He became the Don of the Leone family after Salvatore's death, as his will stated that Toni be the Don; Toni decided to keep the Leone name in his honor. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Emily Cipriani (Jennifer Missoni) is Toni’s 35-year-old wife.
 * Rafaello Cipriani (Max Charles) is Toni's 16-year-old son.
 * Victoria “Tori” Cipriani (Millie Bobby Brown) is Rafaello’s twin sister. She is
 * Joey Leone (Michael Rapaport) is the 51-year-old son of Salvatore Leone, and the Underboss of the Leone Crime Family after his father's death.
 * Misty Wallis (Kim Gurney) is Joey's 37-year-old wife and a former prostitute. In the years since Claude betrayed the Leones, Misty has become significantly more menacing (especially after getting married to Joey) and is shown to fire guns very well.
 * Donald Love, Jr. (Will Janowitz) is Donald Love's 22-year-old son and the owner of Love Media. He is based on Donald Trump, Jr.
 * Frankie Leone (Finn Wolfhard) is Joey and Misty's 14-year-old son. He is set to be Don of the Leone family once Toni dies.
 * Luigi Goterelli (Joe Pantoliano) is the 67-year-old owner of Luigi's Sex Club 7, which is supposedly a nightclub but is in actuality a brothel in disguise.
 * Mickey Hamfists (Chris Tardio) is Luigi's 58-year-old bodyguard.
 * Felix "El Burro" Ramirez (Chris Phillips) is the 70-year-old Puerto Rican leader of the Diablos and a former porn star with a donkey fetish. He makes pornos (normal, gay, and donkey) for his studio, Ass in the Hole Productions, and is also a writer of adult literature, including Donkey Does Dallas and Muff and the Mule. In 1997, he posed as a Mexican-American homosexual and faked his death in Vice City.
 * Ilana "Ma" Cipriani (Sondra James) is Toni's 80-year-old, eternally unpleasable and overbearing mother who runs Momma's Ristorante. It's implied she loves her grandchildren more than Toni.
 * Phil Cassidy (Gary Busey) is the 66-year-old, one-armed owner of Phil’s Army Surplus.
 * "King" Courtney Wilson (Walter Mudu) is the 58-year-old leader of the Uptown Yardies. He is killed by Claude as revenge for using him in the mission "Long Live the King".
 * Elisabeth "Queen Lizzy" Campbell (Pam Grier) is King Courtney's 44-year-old wife.
 * Kyle "D-Ice" Veit (Walter Mudu) is the 46-year-old leader of the Red Jacks.
 * Yuka Kasen (Michelle Yeoh) is the 35-year-old shatei-gashira of the Yakuza. Her aunt Asuka was the leader of the Yakuza until her untimely death in 2001, and she became its head in 2003 on her 18th birthday (in the meantime, her sister Kagami was the leader).
 * Kagami Kasen (Kari Wahlgren) is Yuka's 39-year-old sister and the current Yakuza wakagashira. Wahlgren was cast as an in-joke to her Lucky Star character, Kagami Hiiragi.
 * Kemuri Kasen (Rio Sasaki) is Yuka's 15-year-old daughter.
 * Kaede Kasen (Fuku Suzuki) is Kemuri's 22-year-old cousin.
 * Izumi Nakamura (Wendee Lee) is Kagami's 38-year-old best friend. She is another in-joke to Lucky Star, as Lee is the voice of Konata Izumi, Kagami Hiiragi's best friend and later love interest.
 * Daisuki Nakamura (Sean Muramatsu) is Izumi's 41-year-old husband.
 * Akari Nakamura (Devon Aoki) is Daisuki and Izumi's 16-year-old daughter.
 * Allyson "Ally" Connors (Kathy Najimy) is the 56-year-old CEO of the Motlesor Channel, who is a parody of Christina Miller, Cyma Zarghami, and Brian Robbins. She seeks to pander to modern kids and has greenlit the successful series Impotent Rage, Here We Go! (a parody of the infamous Teen Titans Go!). She is killed by Josh in the mission "Ally the Above" for greenlighting a spinoff of Coralene Circleshorts (a SpongeBob SquarePants parody) called Summer Camp Circleshorts, which its deceased creator, Danny Jessup, was extremely against.
 * Roger "Kid" Forelli (Robert De Niro) is the 40-year-old Don of the Forelli Brothers, holding that role since 2006, when his older brother Franco Forelli was decapitated and killed in a violent shootout. Forelli and his entire remaining gang are killed by Toni Cipriani in the explosion of their car dealership in the Carraways during the mission "When the Kid Blows...", ending the Forelli Brothers once and for all.
 * Mullan "8-Ball" Levinsen II (Dule Hill) is 8-Ball's 28-year-old son. Like his deceased father, he is able to rig cars with bombs.
 * Darkel Harman (Bill Fiore, motion-capture performed by Gary Nelson) is a 61-year-old revolutionary street urchin who leads a group of similarly violent bums, and plans to bring down Liberty City's economy via acts of terrorism. He was a cut character from Grand Theft Auto III (all his missions were planned for that game), and the game was dedicated to his voice actor Bill Fiore's memory, as he died in 2014.
 * Curtis "Curtly" MacDonald (Curtis L. McClarin, motion-capture performed by Dule Hill) is the 31-year-old owner of the Supa Save! location in Portland. Like Darkel, Curtly was another cut character from Grand Theft Auto III. In addition, the game was dedicated to Curtis L. McClarin's memory, as he died in 2014.
 * Tom Novy (Tom Novy) is a 50-year-old German DJ who assigns Chris to take out hyperactive fans. Like Darkel and Curtly, Novy was another cut character from Grand Theft Auto III.
 * Carlos "Carl" Trejo (Renaud Sebbane) is the 43-year-old owner of the Bitch'n' Dog Food factory, and is an avid fan of the Liberty City Cocks. He also serves as a loan shark; players can borrow money from him, on the condition that they pay him back on time.

Brocklyn, Kings, Central Island, Brix, Law and Nixon, and New Guernsey (2D Universe Liberty City)

 * Robert "Bubba" Quincy (Travis Willingham) is a 45-year-old criminal-for-hire.
 * Divine West (Lupita Nyong'o)
 * Katie Andrews (Mila Kunis)
 * Oskar Kivlov (Michael J. Nelson)
 * Mikki Lee (Kristen Wiig)
 * Travis Reeves (Phil LaMarr)
 * Troy Robinson (Greg Johnson)
 * Ulrika Kivlov (Lisa Ortiz)
 * Lexi Wayne (Chloë Grace Moretz) is Margaret's estranged granddaughter. She openly applauds her grandmother's death.

Carcer City

 * James Earl Cash (Stephen Wilfong) is a man who posed as "J.R. East"
 * Mary-Ann Quinn (Dawn McGee) is a 45-year-old fitness freak who never got married. In a Strangers and Freak mission, Elise is disgusted by her misandry, accusing her of perpetuating the feminazi stereotype, and wastes little time putting a bullet in her head and dumping her body onto a passing coal train, with a news report on the radio telling of her body being found at a power plant during unloading and the plant employees allegedly engaging in necrophilia.

Obbesen

 * Leanne Wynn (Jennifer Morrison) is a 22-year-old criminal who works for the Petersen City Yakuza. She is an internet scammer who provides funding for the Yakuza.

Capital City

 * Donald Love (Alec Baldwin) is the 56-year-old cannibalistic and corrupt President of the United States, who was a Liberty City media mogul and mayoral candidate years before, and is the overall main antagonist of the game. He hires Chris to do work for him, such as killing his political opponents (both liberal and conservative) to ensure he wins his re-election campaign, defrauding and destroying liberal and/or left-leaning charities, slandering his remaining opponents by saying things like "He has six wives!" and "She kidnaps innocent people's dogs and eats them!", among other statements, blowing up a Mexican-American town in Matar to create a new Grand Penetrator, etc., threatening to frame him as a child rapist if he doesn't. It is heavily implied that Love is a pedophile who molests immigrant children personally. In the epilogue "Love Hurts", Love reveals that he was planning to turn the US into a fascist dictatorship known as the "First American Empire", with the ultimate goal to take over the world, kill everyone who isn't a straight white non-transgender Christian and sell their remains as food, send women back to the kitchen, and enslave the working class while he, his administration, and other wealthy figures (referred to as "fat cats" by Josh and Elise) prepare to take to the stars and do the same to alien races, treating non-rich citizens as objects rather than people, and also reveals that he orchestrated C.R.A.S.H.'s resurrection, hoping to use it to serve his purpose, and, along with Vladimir, ordered Walt's wife killed under the pretense that she was killed by a gang member; Jillian leaves him upon this revelation, taking Tiffany and Crispin with her. He and his entire remaining administration are killed by Josh and Elise in a violent shootout. Moreso than in previous games, Love is a very unflattering caricature of Donald Trump in terms of personality (though he still retained his III-era appearance, albeit much older), right down to being portrayed by Alec Baldwin (who plays Trump on Saturday Night Live, though Baldwin uses his normal voice) which sparked massive backlash from conservatives.
 * Jillian Love (Maisie Williams) is the 31-year-old First Lady. It's implied throughout the storyline that her husband abuses her and forces her to go along with his agenda under threat of rape, which is confirmed in "Love Hurts". She is based on Melania Trump.
 * Crispin Love (Julian Edwards) is Donald and Jillian's eleven-year-old son who has a tendency to wear suits every day, and is very soft-spoken (to the point of having only one line, being "Come on, let's go. Leave this schmuck of a father to his fantasies" after Jillian leaves Donald). He is based on Barron Trump.
 * Tiffany Love (Genevieve Hannelius) is Crispin's bratty, 17-year-old step-sister and an aspiring model. She is based on Tiffany Trump.
 * Charles "Chuck" Dollar (Michael Douglas) is the 59-year-old Vice President, and is also a conservative. He is utterly disgusted with Love, but stays with him because he has Stockholm syndrome. He ends up betraying Love in the epilogue by taking the last shot, and becomes the new president after Love is killed, promising to actually make America great for everyone, and not just rich whites. He is based on Mike Pence.
 * Donner Gill (John Goodman) is Love's 69-year-old lawyer and the former Mayor of Liberty City. He is based on Rudy Giuliani.
 * Mike Toreno (James Woods) is a 72-year-old government agent turned head of the IAA. He disapproves of some of the IAA's more heavy-handed tactics, and becomes one of the Walton twins' most valuable allies in waging a shadow war against Love.
 * Jay Cook (Tom Wilson) is the 60-year-old head of the FIB.

Alderney

 * Jonathan "Johnny" Klebitz (Scott Hill) is the 45-year-old founder of the New Lost MC and President of its Alderney chapter. He survived Trevor stomping his head in because it never happened in the first place; Trevor was actually stomping the ground, having a psychotic episode after learning Michael was alive, but Ron and Wade didn't want to say anything for their own safety. Johnny seeks to find and kill Trevor for destroying the old Lost. He is playable in a few missions.
 * Jonathan "Johnny" Vincent (Rocco Rosanio) is the Vice President of the New Lost MC.

Bullworth

 * James "Jimmy" Hopkins (Gerry Rosenthal) is the 28-year-old mayor of Bullworth. In 2006, he uncovered the many problems of Bullworth Academy, and successfully changed the school for the better. He is playable in the mission "Lockdown", being the only playable character who can't use weapons because he chooses not to.
 * Peter "Pete" Kowalski (Matt Bush) is the 27-year-old Headmaster of Bullworth Academy. He became the head after Dr. Crabblesnitch retired in 2017, having been the head boy after Gary got expelled.
 * Gary Smith (Peter Vack) is a 29-year-old SPANKed-up street criminal who assigns Elise to do some work for him. He is killed in the mission "Lockdown" when he instigates a mass shooting at Bullworth Academy, and is thrown off of the school building by Jimmy again, this time fatally.
 * Zoe Taylor-Hopkins (Molly Fox) is Jimmy's wife.
 * Pedro De La Hoya (Daniel Tay) is the 27-year-old Deputy Mayor of Bullworth.
 * Karen Johnson (Cai Oglesby) is Pedro's wife.
 * Seth Kolbe (Tom Vergow) is a former prefect. He is the coach of the Bullworth Bulls.
 * Ralph Crabblesnitch (Ralph Gunderman) is the former Headmaster of Bullworth Academy.
 * Earnest Jones (Jesse Tendler) is a teacher at Bullworth Academy.
 * Elise Peabody (Flo Salant) is the hall monitor at the Girls' Dorm.
 * Algernon "Algie" Papadopoulos (Brett Tabisel) is a 28-year-old teacher at Bullworth Academy.
 * Beatrice Trudeau (Caitlin Greer) is the nurse of Bullworth Academy.
 * Derby Harrington (John LaVelle) is the rich and snooty owner of the Harrington Oil Corporation. He is a noted supporter of Donald Love.
 * Christy Martin (Maine Anders) is the 29-year-old creator of T.M.I. (a parody of TMZ).
 * Angie Ng (Sue Jean Kim) is Christy's 28-year-old best friend and the owner of a bunny sanctuary.
 * Sheldon Thompson (John Magaro) is
 * Robert "Bob" Bradley (Tom Vergow) is a 29-year-old homosexual football player.
 * Tad Spencer (Baron Vaughn) is the CEO of Spencer Shipping.
 * Clinton "Clint" Albert (a.k.a. Henry Jefferson) (Justin Mortelliti) is a wanted criminal.
 * Ted Thompson (Alex Cendese) is a professional football player. He plays for the Bullworth Commandos.
 * Russell Northrop (Cody Melton) is Jimmy's personal bodyguard.
 * Daisy Adams (Kiernan Shipka) is a 21-year-old New Coventry graduate. She is playable in a few missions.
 * Cheyenne Matthews (Abigail Breslin) is Daisy's 23-year-old best friend.

Houser

 * Edward Olsen (Norm MacDonald) is a 51-year-old propane salesman affiliated with the Fallons. MacDonald was cast as Olsen based on his impersonation of Burt Reynolds in the Celebrity Jeopardy! skits on Saturday Night Live; Tommy remarks that Olsen reminds him of "some rug-wearing prick I once knew in my past".
 * Karl Fallon (Norman Lloyd) is the 85-year-old Don of the Fallon Crime Family. He is typically polite and civil, but will get enraged when provoked. He is killed by Kurt Adams during the mission "Karl Retires".
 * Raymond "Junior" Fallon (Amos Crawley) is Karl's 48-year-old son and eventual successor, and the family Underboss. After "Karl Retires", Junior becomes the Don.
 * Renee Jacobs (Dakota Fanning) is the 30-year-old crackpot founder and leader of the equally-crackpot PAAC (People Against Animal Cruelty).
 * Kurt Adams (Clancy Brown) is the 49-year-old, corrupt Mayor of Houser.
 * Fred Peters (Jack Quaid) is a 19-year-old street criminal.

Leston (a.k.a. Anywhere City)

 * Cinco Carbine (Joseph D. Kucan) is the leader of the Zaibatsu Corporation. He is the son of Uno Carbine, who was killed in 1999. He is killed by Claude during the mission "Carb's Last Call".
 * Bob Welsh (Randall Park) is the co-leader of the Zaibatsu Corporation, and the brother of Trey Welsh, who was killed in 1999. He and several Zaibatsu guards are killed by Claude during the mission "Instant Justice - Just Add Blood".
 * Calligari Hisashi (Alex Landi)
 * Candace “Candy” Robertson (Keke Palmer)
 * Edward “Eddie” Skinner (Dwayne Johnson)
 * Gretchen Austin (Debi Mazar)
 * Paulo López (Gael García Bernal)
 * Ruben Conner (Anthony Anderson)

Songs

 * "Gangster Friday/Grand Theft Auto (Joyride)" by Craig Conner a.k.a. Da Shootaz (1997; Flash FM)
 * "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson (1983; Vice City FM)
 * "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio (1995; Vice City FM)

"Good Old" Avery

 * Avery Carrington (Burt Reynolds) was a real-estate mogul. He would do anything to get prime real estate, like starting gang wars to lower property values. He was killed by Toni Cipriani under the orders of his old apprentice, Donald Love, who proceeded to eat his corpse, in 1998. The game was dedicated to Reynolds, who died in 2018, but had completed all of his scenes.

Sonny Forelli: A True Story

 * Stefano "Sonny" Forelli (Tom Sizemore) is the second Don of the Forelli Crime Family, taking over the position in 1965 after his father was killed in a gang war, becoming the youngest Don in Mafia history at the age of 19. He was killed by Tommy Vercetti in 1986 in an attempt to expand his family to Vice City.
 * Angelo "Lucky" Forelli (Dominic Chianese) is Sonny's father, who was born in 1903. He was the original Don of the Forelli Crime Family from its inception in 1929 until his 1965 death.
 * Giuseppe Forelli (Steve Buscemi) is Sonny's older brother, who was born in 1934. He and Sonny clashed on who should run the Forellis until Sonny ordered several henchmen to kill him in 1975.
 * Marco Forelli (Joseph Badalucco Jr.) is Sonny's younger brother, who was born in 1952. He founded Marco's Bistro in 1980, and was the third Don of the Forelli Crime Family from 1986 until his death in a shootout in 1992.
 * Franco Forelli (Tony Darrow) is Sonny's eldest son, who was born in 1970. He was the fourth Don of the Forelli Crime Family from 1992 until his death in 2006.
 * Michael "Lips" Forelli (Joe Mantegna) is Franco's younger brother, who was born in 1974. He was the Underboss of the Forelli Crime Family from 1992 until his death in 2001. His favorite hangout was Marco's Bistro, where he had all the food he could eat, giving him his "Lips" nickname.

Leone

 * Salvatore Leone (younger version: Richard Portnow; older version: Frank Vincent) is the second Don of the Leone Crime Family from 1985 until his death in 2001 at 66. Unlike in the games, the movie downplays his severe paranoia and portrays him as an unambiguous hero and family man, a jab at how the 2018 film Gotti treated real-life mob boss John Gotti. This game lists Frank Vincent (who died in 2017) as one of the many dedications.
 * Eufrasio Leone (Bruce MacVittie) is the first Don of the Leone Crime Family from its 1939 founding until being forced to leave the family in a power struggle in 1985.
 * Antonio "Toni" Cipriani (Danny Mastrogiorgio) is Salvatore's right-hand man. He is portrayed in a way that favored the real Cipriani.

Jack & Cynthia

 * Jack Rogers (Roger Craig Smith) is the host of the show. He is
 * Cynthia Hill (Grey Griffin)

Tapeworm

 * Tapeworm (Mark Hamill) is a friendly worm. He loves all kids, and is known to have fun with them, including crawling through kids' windows and giving them big hugs.

Horny the Unicorn

 * Horny (Nika Futterman) is the titular character. She is depicted as a cocky yet likable jerk who has a short temper; when she goes into rage mode, her eyes turn red.

Impotent Rage

 * Impotent Rage/Braxton Hunter (Joseph May) is the titular superhero. As billionaire Braxton Hunter, he is the head of the environmentally-conscious Braxton Industries. Impotent Rage is described as being a judgmental hypocrite and smug, while his civilian cover is described as being a rich, entitled playboy with too much time on his hands. While his appearance is based on the stereotypical superhero (Superman-equse costume, large chin, pompadour hair, etc.), his powers are more similar to Marvel Comic's Hulk, where he has superhuman strength when enraged, as demonstrated by demolishing a factory with his rage and his origin story is a parody of either Batman or Iron Man. Impotent Rage drives a compact electric hovercar called the Impotentmobile, which has a solar panel mode for high speed.
 * Uberman (Maurice LaMarche) is Impotent Rage's right-wing arch-nemesis. Uberman is the exact opposite of Impotent Rage, eating meat from endangered animals and supporting environmentally-unfriendly practices. His supersuit is a parody of Iron Man.
 * Violet (performed by Jules De Jongh) is Braxton Hunter's personal assistant. She has a crush on Braxton Hunter; however, he is completely oblivious to her advances.

Funny Frolics

 * Snooty Squirrel (Billy West) is, as his name implies, a rich and snooty squirrel who lives in a big mansion.

Jack Howitzer

 * Jack Howitzer (Randy Pearlstein) is a fallen celebrity. He is forced to move to Liberty City to escape from the sexual assault allegations against him.

Twenty Questions to a Million

 * Rex Shafer (Darrell Hammond) is the show's host. He is a parody of Regis Philbin. Shafer is a veteran in the television business.

Win Some, Lose Some (Vice City only)

 * Emma Klont (Katey Sagal) is the 25-year-old co-host of the show.

The JBN Club

 * Mortimer McHale (Frank Conniff) is the show's host. Based on televangelists like Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, Peter Popoff, and Oral Roberts, McHale is a fundamentalist Christian who is prejudiced against gays, Asians, non-Christian religions, and rock, and constantly tells people to donate money to him to get on God's good side. He also attempted a Presidential campaign in 2000, although he lost the nomination. McHale is killed by Karissa during the mission "Hallelujah! Another Soul Saved!" after she discovered that McHale had ordered the explosions of ten mosques and a Christian rock concert and paid the authorities to absolve him of all responsibility.
 * Audrey McHale (Julie Kavner) is Mortimer's wife and co-host. She is implied to have been abused several times by her husband, and is visibly applauding Mortimer's death.
 * Brian McHale (Patton Oswalt) is Mortimer's son. He hosts the show on Fridays, and shares the same bigoted views as his father. He takes over the show and the network after his father's death.

Judge Charles

 * Gerald Charles (Trey Parker) is the title judge. Charles is rude, condescending, and arrogant, being a caricature of normal television judges.

Dr. George

 * George Williamson (Howie Mandel) is a therapist who is the star of the show. He is a caricature of Phil McGraw, host of Dr. Phil.

Lolita's Home-Style Burgers
Lolita's Home-Style Burgers is a burger chain based in the United States. It is based on the restaurant chain Wendy's.
 * Lolita Double ($5)

Momma's Ristorante (Liberty City only)

 * Spaghetti ($10)

Lotso Yella (Isles of Nippon only)

 * Ikizukuri ($10)
 * Fish
 * Crab
 * Lobster
 * Eel
 * Squid
 * Frog

The Presidential House
Based on the White House, the Presidential House is Love's residence. The Oval Office is decorated in red and yellow, serving as foreshadowing that Love is a Communist supporter.

The Capital
The Capital, based on the Capital Building in Washington, D.C., looks similar to its real-life counterpart, except it has a second dome, in keeping with sexual themes in the game (as it looks like a pair of breasts).

Hipcrates Monument
Based on the Washington Monument, the Hipcrates Monument includes two geodesic domes sandwiching the monument, both serving as museums. The monument is named after the fictional god Hipcrates, said to be the god of greed. The name “Hipcrates” comes from the word “hypocrite”, foreshadowing the US government’s corruption under Love.

The Gallus Memorial
Based on the Lincoln Memorial, the statue itself bears the likeness of infamous lawyer Jack Thompson (similar to how the Statue of Happiness bears the likeness of Hillary Clinton) holding a knife (parodying his hatred of violent video games), and a plaque that tells the story of the statue's subject Jim Gallus.

Love Media Building
The Love Media Building is the corporate headquarters for Love Media. It was built in 1994, and boasts an Oriental-style rooftop garden. Before becoming President, this is where Donald Love lived.

Casting
This was the first Rockstar game since Vice City Stories to use an all-star cast.

Advertising
The game was heavily advertised, in an advertising campaign that tied it in with Grand Theft Auto 2, including the tagline "This Time, Respect is Not Just Everything", along with advertisements on the side of buildings, subways, buses, etc.

"Well, It's Been a Blast" mission
In this mission, Karissa is ordered to fly a UAV into a Papi-owned skyscraper in Vice City by Joey Leone, instantly destroying it. This mission bears similarities to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and has seen criticism for attempting to trivialize the attacks.

Donald Love’s characterization
The character of Donald Love has seen criticism from key Republican figures due to the way he is portrayed; namely, he's designed as an exaggerated caricature of the 45th and current President of the United States, Donald Trump. Radio host Rush Limbaugh called the character "an acknowledgement that Johnson refuses to be patriotic as long as Republicans are in the White House".

"Lockdown" mission
The mission "Lockdown" was infamous for its depiction of a mass shooting at a school, which was caused by Gary Smith on Bullworth Academy. This led to several lawyers attempting to get the game banned from all store shelves, believing that the mission might offend victims of school shootings and their families. Johnson's response was "We took it as seriously as we could".

PETA controversy
The PAAC, designed to be a caricature of PETA, has garnered criticism from the organization, which claims that the game was intentionally designed to slander them. One mission, "Saucy Sabotage", involves Walt being assigned by PAAC to steal a wrecking ball and use it to destroy seven Cluckin' Bell locations and five Burger Shot locations, as well as an Up-n-Atom Burger location in Carcer City, all done without the owners' permission.

M.A.G.G.O.T.S. controversy
The M.A.G.G.O.T.S., designed to be a caricature of people who criticize the series for its violence,

Trailers
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San Andreas
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Vice City
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Liberty City
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Music

 * Theme song