This Ultimate Guide to GTA 6 Characters covers everything we know so far about protagonists, enemies, NPCs, playable characters and more in the next Grand Theft Auto.
There is no game on the planet as anticipated as GTA 6. Fans have been waiting for it since the launch of GTA 5 nine years ago.
Despite the amount of time since the last game, Rockstar has remained tight-lipped when it comes to details. This has caused rampant speculation online. Rumours have been flying everywhere for years and people don’t know what to believe.
But some credible bits of information have dropped. And the leaks have become more frequent since Rockstar officially confirmed that GTA 6 is in development.
Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest and most profitable gaming franchises ever. And that means fans want to know EVERYTHING about the new instalment. From its setting to story to graphics to map size. Every aspect of GTA 6 is discussed online each and every day.
And one of the most popular talking points is characters. People want to know who they will play as in the next GTA and how they will fit into the game’s world and story.
There have been many rumours and supposed leaks about this – so let’s get into it. This is our ultimate guide to everything we know so far about GTA 6 characters…
Who are the characters in GTA 6?
Perhaps the biggest question of all is exactly who the characters in GTA 6 are. What are their names? What are their genders? Where are they from? What are their backgrounds?
Those are just some of the many queries fans want answers to when it comes to characters. And, thankfully, details have leaked out that may provide some of the info you’re looking for.
Naturally, you should take rumours and speculation with a pinch of salt pending official Rockstar confirmation. However, some of the ‘leaked’ information certainly seems plausible.
But before we explore what information has been leaked, let’s talk about what we know for certain.
Unfortunately, Rockstar hasn’t confirmed anything about Grand Theft Auto 6 except for its active development. The company hasn’t provided any official information regarding the game’s characters.
With that being said, it’s time to delve into the rumours and leaks…
GTA 6 Female Protagonist
One of the most popular rumours relating to GTA 6 concerns its main character. For the first time in series history, Rockstar may feature a female protagonist in a Grand Theft Auto game.
Is GTA 6 main character a woman?
So, is GTA 6 main character a woman? It’s highly likely the game’s protagonist will be female. A recent and reliable report supports this.
According to the details provided by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the GTA 6 female main character will be Latina.
This is in line with a previous leak which claimed the game would feature a female protagonist who was raised by the cartel after they murdered her parents. She goes on to become a hitwoman working for the ruthless drug cartel.
This sounds super intriguing and could make for an awesome story. Particularly when you take into account all the whispers about GTA 6 having multiple main characters.
How many playable characters in GTA 6?
It goes without saying that Grand Theft Auto V was a tremendous success. After all, it’s the second best-selling game ever behind only Minecraft. It earned an incredible $1 billion within three days of its release in September 2013.
One of the key features of GTA 5 was its approach to its main characters. It had three protagonists, which was a first for the series. They were Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, and Trevor Philips. Each character was playable, and players could switch between them.
Michael, Franklin and Trevor are each beloved by gamers. And the success of having multiple main characters in GTA 5 means fans are wondering if GTA 6 will follow suit.
Will GTA 6 have multiple characters?
Will GTA 6 have multiple characters? No one knows for certain, but it’s very likely the game will feature more than one main character.
We previously mentioned the game’s rumoured female protagonist. Well, she won’t be alone. The Bloomberg report claims GTA 6 will have two main characters (as do other leaks). The aforementioned female character will supposedly be joined by a male protagonist.
According to Jason Schreier, the male and female characters are inspired by Bonnie and Clyde. However, other reports indicate the characters are actually on opposing sides of the law.
These rumours suggest the female is a cartel hitwoman while the man is a DEA agent. It has also been claimed that the characters will be brother and sister who were separated from a young age after the cartel murdered their family. This may form part of the game’s prologue, which has been rumoured to take place in Brazil.
There are other (far less reliable) leaks which claim the next Grand Theft Auto will feature as many as four main characters. This group would be comprised of two criminals and two police.
Another rumour claims the new instalment will have just one protagonist — a man called Ricardo who works for a drug cartel which smuggles narcotics between Vice City and Latin America. This will supposedly take place in the 1970s and 1980s.
Again, it’s important to note that nothing has been confirmed by Rockstar. However, it would make sense for the game to feature multiple characters given how well it was received in Grand Theft Auto V.
GTA 5 characters in GTA 6
We all loved Michael, Franklin and Trevor. They’re some of the most memorable video game characters of all time. But will they reappear in GTA 6? What about other GTA 5 characters?
Are Michael, Franklin and Trevor in Grand Theft Auto 6?
There are probably many fans who would love to see GTA 5‘s protagonists return in the next game. However, this is unlikely. No GTA game has featured a returning main character.
It’s also worth pointing out that GTA 5 has been available for almost a decade. It has been released across three console generations. Fans have seen A LOT of these characters and we think it’s time for something new.
However, there’s always a chance that Franklin, Michael and Trevor may make brief cameo appearances in GTA 6. Just don’t expect any of them to be playable or to have significant roles in the game’s story.
Will GTA 6 have new characters?
Seeing as GTA 6 most likely won’t feature Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, that can only mean one thing. So, if you’re asking “will GTA 6 have new characters?”, the answer is yes.
Grand Theft Auto 6 will undoubtedly include a whole host of new characters for players to meet and interact with. But what about the game’s NPCs (non-player characters)? Do we know anything about them?
GTA 6 NPCs
Grand Theft Auto is well-known for its NPCs – whether they’re a part of the game’s story or not. They are an essential part of why we all love these games.
So, what do we know about GTA 6‘s NPCs? Unfortunately, not much. As we’ve mentioned repeatedly, Rockstar has confirmed few details about the next game.
They haven’t said anything about the game’s player character(s), let alone NPCs.
However, that hasn’t stopped Internet sleuths from digging deep for details about NPCs. In January 2021, a Reddit user unearthed a patent filed by Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar’s parent company) for improved and more immersive NPC artificial intelligence.
Improved NPC AI
The patent appears to relate mostly to NPC navigation and movement behaviours. The patent was filed on October 29th 2020 and is for a “System And Method For Virtual Navigation In A Gaming Environment”.
According to the patent, the “Invention is credited to David Hynd [and] Simon Parr.” Hynd was previously Associate Director of Technology at Rockstar and is now Vice President of Technology. Parr also works at Rockstar and is Lead AI Programmer.
The patent appears to focus most heavily on vehicle movement and how NPCs act and control them. There are numerous references to “traffic” and AI making smarter decisions when behind the wheel. Drawbacks and deficiencies of “conventional” NPC systems are also noted.
Primarily, it seems Rockstar hope to make the NPC behaviour more realistic and smarter when commandeering a vehicle. This appears to involve different NPC personalities and behaviours which will make interactions with the game world unique and more logical.
“While traversing road nodes, each NPC can define its own specific characteristics for traversing the road nodes”, according to the patent.
“These characteristics can define the distinction between vehicle types/models that have various speed restrictions and benefits. By way of example, various characteristics and parameters can include acceleration, times/distances, braking times/distances, top speed, cornering speeds (i.e., maximum speeds the vehicle can take at a corner without spinning or going off line). In some embodiments, physics data defines vehicle size, width, type (e.g., boat versus car), and so on.”
This new NPC AI system hasn’t been confirmed for GTA 6. Although it makes sense that Rockstar would develop new systems for such an important game. And the vehicles referenced in the application – such as cars, boats, and airplanes – are commonplace in the GTA series.
What will GTA 6 look like?
One of the best things about any modern Rockstar game is its graphics. They’re always visually stunning. Just look at Red Dead Redemption II.
But with the recent re-release of GTA 5 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, can we really expect GTA 6 to look significantly better?
It’s safe to assume the next Grand Theft Auto will look far superior to the previous title. While the new current-gen versions for GTA V are an improvement, it’s still by and large the same game that was released for PS3 and Xbox 360. There’s only so much that can be done with a nine-year-old game.
On the other hand, GTA 6 will be built from scratch for modern hardware. That means it should take full advantage of almost a decade’s worth of technological advancements. However, we’ll have to wait and see – no in-game footage has been shared by Rockstar.
How much will GTA 6 cost?
Now we’ve discussed everything we know so far about characters, you probably want to know when and how you can play GTA 6.
How much will GTA 6 cost? Pricing hasn’t been confirmed. However, it’s reasonable to assume the game will be a full-price title. That means as much as $70/£70 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Although some retailers may sell it for less.
If the game is made available on last-gen consoles – which is unlikely – it’ll probably cost anywhere between $50/£50-$60/£60.
When is GTA 6 coming out?
Grand Theft Auto VI‘s release date is the subject of much debate. But when can you expect it to launch?
When is GTA 6 coming out? No official release date has been announced. However, recent reports suggest the game will come out between April 2023 and March 2024.
Conversely, Bloomberg claims that developers at Rockstar are skeptical of this. Some believe GTA 6 is still “at least two years away”. The game has reportedly been in development since 2014 but progress has been slow.
Despite the frustrating news that there’s still a long time to wait for the next GTA, Jason Schreier’s report highlights significant improvements Rockstar has made for its employees and their work-life balance. Overtime and crunch is supposedly being kept to a minimum.
What are your thoughts so far on GTA 6‘s characters? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
