The Grand Theft Auto series has been entertaining players for nearly three decades. The franchise is an especially hot topic this year due to the planned release of GTA VI in November 2026. In the new installment, we will return to Vice City, with Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval serving as the main protagonists. This means the character-switching mechanic introduced in GTA V will return, but for the first time, players will also be able to play as a female protagonist. Will the new protagonists win over the fans?
Before GTA VI launches and gives us a closer look at Lucia and Jason, it is worth looking back at the truly legendary characters who formed a key part of every entry and helped most games in the series achieve their iconic status. Here are the five best protagonists in the Grand Theft Auto series.
5. Michael De Santa (GTA V)
Rockstar Games
Before the events of GTA V, Michael was a professional bank robber who took part in a bank heist. Although the robbery itself ended in failure, it ironically secured a wealthy future for Michael and his family. After being captured, one of GTA V's main protagonists agreed to cooperate with FIB agents (GTA's equivalent of the FBI). In exchange for information, he received a new identity, a mansion in Rockford Hills, and the chance to live a comfortable life.
While that may sound like a fairy tale with a happy ending, nothing could be further from the truth. Michael is a man going through a midlife crisis who would probably trade his family life for prison. His relationship with his wife is a disaster, as shown by her affairs. His entitled son spends his time playing video games and smoking marijuana. His daughter is blindly chasing fame and is certainly far from being daddy's little girl.
Michael's family problems make him realize that crime is one of the few things he truly understands, so he returns to it throughout the game. He does not become a better person. Instead, he simply becomes more accepting of who he is. His complexity is revealed through everything from family conflicts and therapy sessions with Dr. Friedlander to the many missions alongside the other two protagonists. Michael may not be the most flashy character, but he feels incredibly authentic and is far from one-dimensional. His behavior is shaped by the people he interacts with and even by his mood on any given day.
4. Tommy Vercetti (GTA Vice City)
Rockstar Games
Tommy is a former member of the Forelli crime family who spent 15 years in prison after killing 11 people in Harwood, Liberty City, earning him the nickname "The Harwood Butcher." He was released in 1986, but learned nothing from his past. He returns to the criminal underworld to rebuild his reputation, this time relocating to the sunny streets of Vice City. Tommy's iconic blue Hawaiian shirt has become inseparable from a game that radiates the atmosphere of Scarface and Miami Vice.
Tommy is ruthless, direct, and confident. He has none of the inner conflicts that define the newer protagonists in the series. That is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. While he is somewhat one-dimensional in terms of personality and behavior, he has become one of GTA's most iconic characters. Tommy's cinematic presence is further elevated by the voice performance of Ray Liotta.
Tommy ultimately becomes the undisputed ruler of the city after settling the score with everyone who ever wronged him. His fourth-place ranking reflects the fact that his story is simpler and less layered than those of the protagonists ranked above him. Even so, his overall style and presentation have made him a true gaming icon.
3. Trevor Philips (GTA V)
Rockstar Games
Trevor is, in many ways, Rockstar's experiment. The studio wanted to see what would happen if the protagonist was someone completely free of moral restraints. A former military pilot from Canada, Trevor ended up in the criminal underworld after being discharged from the army and became one of the most capable, yet also one of the most dangerous, men in San Andreas. His life before the events of the game is filled with violence, drugs, and unpredictable outbursts. Anyone who has played GTA V knows that nothing changes.
We meet Trevor in circumstances that perfectly suit his personality, as he kills a man during a bar fight. Beneath all that madness, however, lies far more than pure destruction. One of GTA V's three protagonists is fiercely loyal to the few people he truly cares about. He also reacts with intense emotion whenever he feels betrayed. His relationship with Michael is particularly fascinating, filled with nostalgia, admiration, and pain all at once.
While Trevor could quickly become exhausting if he were the only protagonist, he works brilliantly as one of the three playable characters. He adds variety to the experience while remaining one of the most colorful personalities in the entire GTA series.
2. Carl "CJ" Johnson (GTA San Andreas)
Rockstar Games
CJ returns to Los Santos after spending five years in Liberty City. Unfortunately, his return is prompted by his mother's funeral. Arriving back in Los Santos is like opening Pandora's box. Carl is immediately pulled back into the life he once tried to escape. The Grove Street Families gang is falling apart, the neighborhood is controlled by the drug trade, and corrupt police officers blackmail him into working for them.
What sets CJ apart from the other protagonists? Without a doubt, it is the scale of his journey. He begins as a young man from a poor neighborhood with no influence and no money. He ends up as someone who has quite literally taken control of the entire state. Along the way, he loses friends, uncovers betrayals, builds an empire, and reunites his family. San Andreas is the largest and most diverse game of the GTA 3D era. CJ carries the weight of numerous storylines, and he does so convincingly.
CJ is both tough and compassionate. His love for his family, especially for his sister and his brother Sweet, gives the entire story its emotional foundation. Second place is a tribute to a protagonist who defined what GTA could achieve as a narrative experience for many years.
1. Niko Bellic (GTA IV)
Rockstar Games
Niko Bellic arrives in Liberty City with one suitcase and two goals: to escape his past and to find the man who betrayed his military unit during the Balkan War. His arrival in Liberty City is also influenced by the encouragement of his cousin Roman, who lures the GTA IV protagonist with promises of the American Dream. Niko is a former soldier and a veteran of a brutal conflict who has witnessed things that can never be forgotten. In America, he searches for something between revenge and redemption, even if he cannot fully define it himself.
GTA IV is the most grounded and realistic entry in the series, and Niko reflects that perfectly. He is not funny, nor is he cartoonish. He is simply tired. Every conversation, every moral choice, and every loss leaves a mark on him that is visible in both the dialogue and the animations. For the first time, Rockstar delivered a protagonist with such remarkable emotional depth.
No matter which ending the player chooses, the game does not end in triumph. Niko either loses someone close to him or achieves revenge that ultimately proves to be a Pyrrhic victory. It is a bold narrative decision that sets GTA IV apart from the rest of the series. It makes Niko a protagonist whose story stays with you long after the credits roll. First place is the only right choice here.
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