Rockstar Games released its most successful entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, Grand Theft Auto 5 almost 10 years ago in 2013. Over a decade since, Rockstar has continued to expand, improve, and remaster Grand Theft Auto 5 across multiple consoles with a breadth of engaging content.
With Grand Theft Auto 6 confirmed to be in the works but without a confirmed release date or solid development details, it's worth revisiting Grand Theft Auto 5 and understanding why the game excelled. Grand Theft Auto 5 offers something for everyone, and it's this versatility and commitment to players that helped inform its lead characters' designs.
Trevor Phillips
Trevor is one of the most memorable characters from Grand Theft Auto 5 thanks in-part to his deranged mental state and disregard for any kind of restraint. This instability makes Trevor a stand-in for the chaotic and destructive fans of Grand Theft Auto who approach the game as a sandbox to fulfill their fantasies through guns, vehicles, and more. Rockstar facilitates this destructive compulsion by pairing the player with an equally violent character, sending them on rampage missions or enabling them with Trevor's special invincibility skill.
By extending this thinking, many players similarly believe that Trevor and his unhinged design are indicative of Grand Theft Auto's roots, back when the series was still comprised of top-down 2D games. Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2 were games that focused less on their stories and more on giving players freedom. They were not the most technologically advanced games of their time, but they were not sold on the basis of their immersive experiences like future entries would be.
Trevor parallels this ethos, serving as Rockstar allowing the player to let loose and have fun without feeling constrained. Designed not to be a character to relate to, Rockstar ensured that Trevor's still fun and enjoyable a character for the player to live vicariously through.
Franklin Clinton
Moving to the more traditional type of Grand Theft Auto player, Franklin serves as the ideal embodiment of how the game ought to be played. Formed from the rags-to-riches story of a good-natured individual who wants to move up in the world, Franklin is the perfect career criminal. At the start of the game, he serves as a fledging criminal the player can mold however they like across the game. This aligns with the very foundation that Grand Theft Auto is predicated on, seeing the player expand their wealth, earn street cred, and accumulate influence until they're at the very top. Franklin is the everyman for players, and it's a formula that Rockstar has used across plenty of its games since adopting more story-driven approach.
Franklin and CJ from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas have a lot in common. Both characters come from disadvantaged backgrounds, both see criminal life as a means of escaping the hood and making a life, and by the end they have both achieved what they wanted. Many Grand Theft Auto games from 3 to Vice City follow this pattern. Franklin is therefore Rockstar's expectation of how Grand Theft Auto should be played, and has designed Franklin in such a way that he best serves to enable that standard experience.
Michael De Santa
Lastly, Michael represents the players who come after the likes of Franklin. Rockstar is aware many of its players have grown up alongside the series, so the experiences that Grand Theft Auto offers them are par-for-the-course. Michael is the veteran player, himself being a successful career criminal who has seemingly retired. He is the type of player who has already spent the last decade chasing that criminal lifestyle and embarking on dangerous Grand Theft Auto-style heists to earn his fortune, and now is finding new ways to enjoy life. Players who relate with Michael recognize a greater need for multifaceted characters with a deeper story than what Franklin might offer. Thus, Rockstar set Michael up as a criminal who needs to make amends and recapture his passion, an emotionality that draws in veteran players.
Grand Theft Auto has seen a significant shift in its narrative focus with games such as Grand Theft Auto 4, Liberty City Stories, and additional DLC content like The Ballad of Gay Tony. These games introduce players to characters who are complex and have lives beyond whatever the player ascribes to them. Niko came to Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto 4 to make a new life for himself, but through criminal connections he similarly moves into the life of crime like Michael does when he comes out of retirement. Rockstar offers Michael to players as a more nuanced, interesting character they can relate to easily, one who can simultaneously provide moral challenges while rekindling their excitement for high-stakes crimes.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.