Grand Theft Auto 6 is likely less than a year away, provided there are no surprise delays to 2026 as has been rumored many times. The game is currently slated for a fall 2025 release and we’ll likely get a second GTA 6 trailer very soon, but we still know very little about the game outside of what has been leaked. Officially speaking, we know the game takes place in Vice City and follows a pair of criminal lovers in a Bonnie and Clyde-esque story. Rockstar Games has confirmed the female protagonist in GTA 6 will be named Lucia while leaks suggest the male counterpart will be named Jason, but that’s really all we know.
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The story of GTA 6 will undoubtedly be quite grand and filled with tons of action, but it will also likely be standalone as far as other games in the series are concerned. Rockstar Games is pretty adapt at letting players experience their games without having to play prior entries. Even Red Dead Redemption 2, one of the developer’s only games that directly connects back to its previous game, is a prequel to the first game, so you aren’t missing any context if you haven’t played it. The Grand Theft Auto franchise in particular is more of an anthology series, allowing players to experience new stories with new characters in different settings. Grand Theft Auto 6 is seemingly a more grounded, gritty story about an immigrant being sucked into a life of crime and violence after trying to leave that behind in his home country. Grand Theft Auto 5 is the polar opposite and is a more over-the-top action game about a trio of criminals of differing ages committing grand heists.
With all of that said, Grand Theft Auto is a series that takes many different forms and each game is its own entry point into the series. However, there are still plenty of connections to previous games for eagle eyed fans. GTA 4 character Packie returned in GTA 5 as an optional heist crew member, for instance. GTA 4: The Lost and the Damned protagonist Johnny Klebitz also cameos in GTA 5, only to be brutally curb stomped by Trevor just moments after fans are re-introduced to him.
Will GTA 5 Characters Cameo in GTA 6?
So, will we see any familiar faces from past GTA games pop up in GTA 6? It’s quite likely! Rockstar Games loves to bring back characters, particularly supporting ones, in new games. We’ve seen this the most notably with GTA Online which brings back Gay Tony, Brucie, Michelle, and a number of other characters from GTA 4. However, fans hoping to see someone like Vice City protagonist Tommy Vercetti pop up in GTA 6 probably shouldn’t hold their breath. On top of the fact that actor GTA: Vice City actor Ray Liotta tragically passed away, Rockstar Games has different GTA universes, namely the 3D universe and the HD universe. This means that the characters from the PS2-era of the franchise don’t intersect with those in GTA 4 and beyond.
As for more significant characters like former protagonists, this shouldn’t be ruled out. Johnny Klebtiz is the only playable character that has returned in the HD universe, but there may be some reasons why we never saw Niko Bellic in the flesh again. Niko Bellic’s actor, Michael Hollick, raised issue over his pay following the release of GTA 4. The actor was paid $100,000 for his performance and felt he was unfairly compensated after seeing how well the game sold. He told the New York Times in May 2008, just weeks after the game’s release, that he was thankful to Rockstar for the opportunity and blamed the union for not negotiating royalties for video game actors. It’s easy to understand why Hollick or even Rockstar itself may not have wanted to work together again after that.
GTA 5 actors Ned Luke (Michael), Shawn Fonteno (Franklin), and Steven Ogg (Trevor) seem to have had a better experience with Rockstar Games and actively talk positively about their experience on the game on podcasts and at conventions. Ogg and Fonteno both returned for GTA Online updates and Luke regularly streams GTA Online on his YouTube channel. Ned Luke has even spoken about how he believes GTA 6 will be “worth the wait.” Fonteno has also spoken positively about how Rockstar has taken care of him since GTA 5 released in 2013. While these actors are not entitled to royalties, it’s possible Rockstar has given them other bonuses over the years as gestures of goodwill or just been kind enough to keep offering them work.
While fans long to see Niko Bellic again, it seems far more likely Michael, Franklin, or Trevor would show up in GTA 6 in some capacity. Some leaked GTA 6 gameplay has confirmed it is set after GTA 5 and canonically, it’s expected that all three protagonists are alive after that game. Michael is a big time movie producer now, so they could have him in Vice City helping produce a film. Franklin could choose to go to Vice City for vacation or some other business-related reason. And Trevor… well it’s hard to imagine Trevor in Vice City, but the trailer for GTA 6 does show some more muddy, rundown areas where Trevor could feasibly visit. Of course, there’s also characters like Lester, Jimmy, Tracy, Steve Haynes, and Lamar that could show up and in some ways, they may make even more sense as hypothetical cameos.
Ultimately, it’s unlikely these potential returning characters would play a major role in the story of GTA 6. It’s possible they show up in a mission or two, possibly even a side mission, but generally speaking, the focus will likely be kept on Lucia and Jason based on Rockstar’s track record. Either way, this is likely information Rockstar will keep under lock and key until the game is in players’ hands in fall 2025.
