"That's the Blueprint" How One of the Best GTA 4 Missions Laid the Groundwork for GTA 5 and 6

This article contains mild spoilers for Grand Theft Auto 4.Former Rockstar audio designer Rob Carr has revealed that Grand Theft Auto 4‘s iconic Three Leaf Clover mission laid the groundwork for some mechanics in GTA 5 and 6. Carr also suggested that Grand Theft Auto 6 could see some features from previous games expanded and improved upon in ways that players don’t expect.

Three Leaf Clover is widely regarded as one of the best Grand Theft Auto missions of all time. The mission sees players steal from the Bank of Liberty in a major heist, which is botched when the Liberty City Police Department arrives. A chase through the streets and subways of the city ensues, resulting in one of the hardest and most intense Grand Theft Auto missions ever, holding up excellently after over 17 years.

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GTA 4’s Three Leaf Clover Was a Sign of Things to Come For the Series

In a members-only interview with YouTuber KIWI TALKZ, former Rockstar audio designer Rob Carr spoke about how GTA 4‘s Three Leaf Clover would influence future games in the series. He noted how, at the time, it was praised as “really good” by players, although its DNA can be found throughout the series since. “All three characters connect in the middle,” he explained. The “three characters” he references are Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz, and Luis Lopez, the protagonists of GTA 4, The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony, respectively. The mission begins to tie their story together before the latter two feature as protagonists of their own narratives, with Lopez even appearing in Three Leaf Clover as one of the bank hostages.

“Retrospectively, looking back now, it’s easy to see how that’s the blueprint of the three-player system in GTA 5. Only when you look back at that are you like, ‘oh, yeah. It’s actually really quite obvious.’ That’s one mission where three storylines meet in the middle.” Grand Theft Auto 5‘s three-protagonist system was extremely popular among fans, and GTA 6 appears to be taking a similar approach by featuring Jason and Lucia as dual protagonists.

At its core, Three Leaf Clover is a heist mission. Heists would become central to Grand Theft Auto 5‘s narrative as well as a prominent gameplay feature in GTA Online, and GTA 6‘s alleged Bonnie and Clyde influences suggest they could make another return in the upcoming game. It’s clear that the mission has influenced much of what Rockstar has done with the series over the last 13 years, and it’s interesting to think how the studio could continue to innovate on those ideas that it first presented back in 2008.

Carr also thinks that there may be ideas from Grand Theft Auto 5 hiding in plain sight that feel inconsequential to players, but Rockstar may feel is a major gameplay opportunity for GTA 6. “There will be things that they have in GTA 5 that they will have in GTA 6 that you will look at and go, ‘ugh, we should have seen that coming. Oh, that’s really clever.'” He expanded on his thoughts a little further, explaining, “There are things they did in GTA 5 that they will definitely want to expand on and use as either a core mechanic or a main plot point or something in GTA 6. I’d be incredibly surprised if they don’t do anything like that.”

After multiple delays, Grand Theft Auto 6 finally looks locked in on its November 19, 2026 release date. Plans can always change, of course, but last month, Take-Two reaffirmed its latest launch date, and confirmed its plans to ramp up its Grand Theft Auto 6 marketing in Summer 2026. Gamers have been waiting over a decade for the next game in the series, and the finish line is finally within sight.