5 Best GTA Plot Twists Of All Time, Ranked

There's no doubt the "Grand Theft Auto" games are best known for allowing players to embark on spontaneous criminal rampages. The ability to create chaos on the fly has been the hallmark of this beloved series since the very first "GTA" back in 1997. But since then, the franchise has grown to deliver memorable narratives with each installment, many of which rival great movies in their complexity and depth. Indeed, ever since "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" cast Ray Liotta as its protagonist, Tommy Vercetti, in a cinematic tale heavily indebted to "Scarface" and "Miami Vice" the "GTA" games have been known as much for their storylines as for facilitating virtual crime sprees.

Along the way, fans have come to expect plot twists from the Rockstar Games writers. Twists have been part of every game in the series, going all the way back to the 2D era when we were tasked with rounding up civilians only to deliver them to a meat processing plant in the controversial "GTA 2" mission "Hot Dog Homicide." Since then, the twists have become more sophisticated, with many GTA characters double crossing us during our various journeys to the rank of criminal kingpin. 

Now, fans think they've figured out a future twist by theorizing that "Grand Theft Auto 6" protagonist Jason Duval will actually be an undercover cop. It wouldn't be the first time a "GTA" character has been revealed to be working with the feds. But we've seen even more dastardly double crosses than that over the years. Here are the best "GTA" plot twists of all time, ranked.

Niko Bellic didn't have the easiest time on his mission to conquer the U.S. The Eastern European transplant was double crossed multiple times in "Grand Theft Auto 4," and while Darko Brevic's backstory wasn't exactly the most shocking betrayal, it certainly felt like a major revelation for Niko himself.

Brevic and Niko grew up together in a Yugoslavian village and fought alongside one another in the military before their squad was ambushed. Only Niko, Brevic, and their friend Florian Cravic survived, after which Niko learned that Brevic sold out their squad. But it's not until later in the game that we discover why.

The mission "That Special Someone" sees Brevic delivered to Niko via the cargo bay of Francis International Airport. Niko then picks up his older cousin and one of the best supporting characters in "GTA" history, Roman Bellic, and the pair head to the airport. There, Niko confronts Brevic and learns that he sold out their squad in order to earn just $1,000, which he used to buy drugs. The twist in this instance affects Niko more than it does players, as the protagonist suddenly learns that one of the defining and most harrowing moments of his life all came down to a paltry sum of money and a drug addiction.

After the revelation, players are given the opportunity to either kill Brevic or keep him alive. Given the audacity of this scoundrel, surely every player opted for the former. It wasn't as if Brevic was a character we as players had gotten to know well, which is why this is our number five entry. But he was a major figure in Niko's life, making his decision to double cross his teammates over drugs a significant plot twist.

"Grand Theft Auto 5" was the first time players could switch between three different protagonists. Over the course of the game, we became intimately familiar with Franklin Clinton, Michael De Santa, and Trevor Philips as we took on everything Los Santos had to throw at us. In the end, however, we were faced with a choice that nobody saw coming.

Near the end of the main "GTA 5" storyline, Franklin is approached by Federal Investigation Bureau agents Steve Haines and Dave Norton, who ask him to kill Trevor for his reckless behavior. Meanwhile, billionaire Devin Weston has a task for Franklin: kill Michael. As such, we're given three options, one of which is to simply ignore both the FIB agents and Weston by banding together with Michael and Trevor. But we're also given the option to actually follow through on their demands by either killing Michael or dispatching Trevor.

While most players will have gone with the first option, thereby unlocking the canonical ending to "GTA 5" via the mission "The Third Way," almost every player will surely have been taken aback by the game actually providing the option to kill off one of the three protagonists. This is the first time such a thing ever appeared in a "GTA" game and felt like a major plot twist simply due to the audacity of it all. When you consider the "GTA 5" endings were originally much more brutal, it becomes even more shocking.

"Grand Theft Auto 4" was the first game in the so-called "HD Universe" timeline. This was the point at which the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise evolved from the low-polygon aesthetics of the PlayStation and PS2 era to deliver a much more realistic experience, with "GTA 4" presenting a detailed, gritty, and grounded version of Liberty City.

It was into this impressively-realized urban jungle that protagonist Niko Bellic ventured back in 2008. "GTA 4" sees the Eastern European ex-soldier arrive Stateside in pursuit of the American Dream. Of course, he's very quickly drawn into Liberty City's criminal underworld, but he at least formed a romantic connection with Michelle, whom he first encounters in the mission "Three's a Crowd." After picking up Michelle and Mallorie Bardas, Niko begins dating the former, with players being given the option to take this Liberty City local out on dates. It seems, then, that while Niko's American Dream isn't playing out how he imagined, he might just have found love.

That is, until the mission "The Snow Storm," in which Puerto Rican drug dealer Elizabeta Torres tasks Niko with returning her stolen drugs. When Niko manages to secure the duffel bag of narcotics, however, Michelle emerges and reveals her real name is Karen Daniels and that she's been an undercover agent all along. Her job has been to keep tabs on Niko, and her employers are even willing to allow him to continue operating as long as he helps them. It isn't the most devastating betrayal, given Niko only meets Michelle/Karen after his move to Liberty City. But it is somewhat of a shock and a reminder that things aren't always what they seem in a "GTA" game.

If you grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s, you'll surely remember the thrill of being immersed in a virtual South Central Los Angeles. "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" debuted at a time when hip-hop very much still ruled the world, and mainstream culture had been irrevocably changed by more than a decade of its influence on pretty much every facet of society. As such, "San Andreas" allowed middle class kids the world over to finally live out a narrative they'd previously only heard about in songs and seen in movies. That in and of itself made "San Andreas" feel more culturally relevant than any other game in the franchise. It also made Melvin Harris (aka Big Smoke) and Lance Wilson's (aka Ryder) betrayal all the more bitter.

How dare these longtime Grove Street associates double cross us so blatantly on our journey out the hood. Having seemingly been two of protagonist Carl Johnson's most stalwart allies from the beginning of the "San Andreas" narrative, we learn in the mission "The Green Sabre" that Big Smoke and Ryder have been working with the Ballas and several other local gangs, as well as the corrupt C.R.A.S.H. unit of the Los Santos Police Department, to try to take over the city's drug trade. It's an unthinkable betrayal, and it hits especially hard as players have gotten to know both Big Smoke and Ryder well over the course of the game. By the time their shady dealings are revealed, we as players were as shocked as CJ himself, making Big Smoke one of the best "GTA" villains of all time and the revelation of his nefarious actions one of the most effective plot twists in "GTA" history.

"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" was the first time the "GTA" games felt truly cinematic. The inclusion of Ray Liotta's voice talents helped a lot in that regard, but this was also the first time a "GTA" protagonist had even been given a name. What's more, Tommy Vercetti was granted a whole rags to riches story that evoked the spirit of the great gangster movies. With "Vice City," then, we were part of a cinematic narrative — all of which made Lance Vance's final betrayal hit that much harder.

Vance is a Vice City drug dealer who previously accompanied his brother Victor Vance to a drug deal with Liberty City crime lord Sonny Forelli and his men. Tommy was likewise at this drug deal, which fell apart after an ambush that left Victor shot. Tommy is then sent to Vice City to try to track down those responsible for the ambush, and he teams up with Vance along the way. But the story of 'Vice City" is essentially that of Tommy's rise to power. By the end of the game, Vance has helped Tommy become nothing short of a kingpin, and the pair are seemingly bonded for life.

Yet, Vance becomes frustrated with being treated as a subordinate and hatches a plan. Forelli wants his cut of Tommy's Vice City earnings, but Tommy plans to pay with counterfeit cash. When Forelli arrives at Tommy's mansion, he reveals that Vance told him about Tommy's plan, thereby betraying him. This backstabbing reprobate finally reveals his true colors in what is easily the most memorable plot twist in "GTA" history. Thankfully, we all had the pleasure of dispatching Vance and Forelli shortly thereafter, forever establishing our standing as Vice City kings.