GTA 6 is All But Confirmed to Have This Plot Twist, But I Really Hope it Doesn’t Happen

This article contains MAJOR spoilers for the entire GTA and Red Dead Redemption franchises.

Although there have been plenty of leaks and theories about the plot of Grand Theft Auto 6, there are very few confirmed details about the game’s narrative. The story is set to follow Lucia Camino and Jason Duval, a Bonnie-and-Clyde-inspired criminal couple, and their rise through the underworld of Vice City. Between Jason’s history of running drugs and Lucia’s former imprisonment, the two seem destined to be star-crossed lovers, setting the stage for one trope in the Grand Theft Auto franchise that I’m tired of seeing.

So far, some details shared about the backgrounds of GTA 6‘s protagonists could provide fans with a clue as to how their stories will play out in the game. Lucia is confirmed to have ties to Liberty City, potentially connecting her to GTA 4‘s Luis Lopez, and Jason has a military background, giving him potential law enforcement connections. With GTA 6 bringing Vice City into the franchise’s HD universe, I’m expecting the game to pull a lot from the series’s past, including the common betrayal plot twist that is used throughout Rockstar’s library of games.

Nostalgic Vice City Fans Should Prepare to Be Disappointed by GTA 6

Although GTA 6 is taking fans back to the iconic location of Vice City, longtime fans looking to revisit favorite locations may end up disappointed.

Based on Rockstar’s Past Games, GTA 6 Will Likely Feature a Major Betrayal

As someone who’s played the majority of Rockstar’s games, it’s obvious to me that the surprise betrayal plot twist is a popular tool in the developers’ narrative toolkit. Grand Theft Auto is notorious for using this narrative device, likely because the franchise revolves around criminal activities, and that premise naturally lends itself to the greed and paranoia that lead to betrayal. But this type of narrative isn’t exclusive to GTA either, and has also been a significant part of the Red Dead Redemption series’s themes as well.

Major Betrayals in the Grand Theft Auto Series

Claude is betrayed by Catalina at the start of GTA 3
Lance Vance betrays Tommy in the finale of GTA: Vice City
Big Smoke and Ryder betray CJ and Sweet in GTA: San Andreas
Dimitri Rascalov betrays Niko in GTA 4
Franklin betrays either Michael or Trevor in GTA 5

In each of the mainline GTA games, the protagonist is involved in some kind of significant betrayal. While this betrayal is often the inciting incident of the game, such is the case with Claude being betrayed by Catalina in the opening of GTA 3 and then spending the game preparing for revenge, other times this betrayal occurs at the game’s climax, such as the case with Lance Vance betraying Tommy in the final mission of GTA: Vice City or Franklin’s choice between whether to kill former partners Michael or Trevor in the final mission of GTA 5. Regardless of where in the story it occurs, betrayals always seem to follow Grand Theft Auto‘s protagonists, which has me worried about the fates of Lucia and Jason in GTA 6.

Major Betrayals in Red Dead Redemption

Agent Ross betrays John Marston at the end of Red Dead Redemption
Micah Bell betrays the Van der Linde Gang in Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar doesn’t limit this betrayal plot device to just the GTA series, either, as Red Dead Redemption makes full use of the device as well. After finding and killing his former Van der Linde Gang mates at the behest of FBI Agent Ross, rather than returning his family and letting John Marston walk free, Ross instead executes Marston in a shocking final betrayal. Red Dead Redemption 2 has a similar climactic betrayal, as Micah Bell escapes with the gang’s robbery earnings after selling them out to the Pinkertons and driving a wedge between Arthur and Dutch. Although both of these betrayals happen at the ends of their respective games, they still carry just as much weight within the plot as those in the GTA franchise.

GTA 6 is Rumored to Include a Betrayal Plot Twist

With betrayals seeming to haunt the majority of Rockstar’s protagonists, there’s a good chance that GTA 6 continues this trend in some way. The current theory floating around the GTA community is that Jason is actually an undercover cop and will betray Lucia at some point in the game, marking a dramatic end to their relationship and crime spree. While this idea isn’t confirmed, I really hope that GTA 6 steers away from the betrayal plot twist and takes the narrative in a different direction.

Why GTA 6 Should Subvert the Betrayal Plot Line

Given Rockstar’s past use of the betrayal plot twist and the current speculation around Jason potentially betraying Lucia, a twist like this in GTA 6 can be seen coming a mile away. I think there are still ways to do the betrayal plot twist justice and keep it unexpected for the player, but GTA 6 might be better off hanging its narrative hat elsewhere for the main story. There are plenty of chances for other minor characters to betray Lucia and/or Jason throughout GTA 6‘s story without the central narrative having to depend on this narrative device.

Fit the 9 games into the grid.

Instead, I’d like to see GTA 6 use another narrative device to build tension in the game’s finale. One way GTA 6 could pull this off is a situation where Lucia and Jason truly fulfill the star-crossed lovers trope, potentially dying beside each other in a shootout with police after a job gone wrong. While this type of ending might feel narratively similar to the endings of the Red Dead Redemption games, I think it would fit thematically within GTA 6‘s Bonnie and Clyde story inspirations and would be a change of pace from the obvious betrayal warning flags.