Every GTA Protagonist: From Claude to Jason and Lucia
Grand Theft Auto has changed a lot since 1997, and the clearest way to see it is through its main characters. Early games used silent stand-ins. Later games built full stories around complex criminals. GTA 6 takes the next step with two playable leads, Jason and Lucia. Here is every major GTA protagonist, game by game.
The 3D era: silent heroes to full characters
Claude (GTA III, 2001)
Claude never says a word. He is betrayed during a bank robbery and spends the game climbing through Liberty City’s gangs for revenge. His silence made him a blank slate for players, which suited the first 3D open world. Read more about the city in our Liberty City history.
Tommy Vercetti (GTA Vice City, 2002)
Tommy was the first fully voiced lead, played by Ray Liotta. Fresh out of prison, he loses a drug deal in 1986 Vice City and decides to take over the city instead of paying his bosses back. He set the template for the ambitious anti-hero. See how the city evolved in our Vice City history guide.
Carl “CJ” Johnson (GTA San Andreas, 2004)
CJ returns to Los Santos after his mother’s death and gets pulled back into gang life with the Grove Street Families. San Andreas gave him stats, gym training, haircuts and a story that crosses an entire state. Many fans still call him the most likeable protagonist in the series.
Toni Cipriani and Victor Vance (the Stories games)
Liberty City Stories follows Toni, a Leone family soldier, while Vice City Stories follows Victor Vance, a soldier whose brother drags him into the drug trade. Both prequels expanded familiar cities on handheld consoles.
The HD era: realism and multiple leads
Niko Bellic (GTA IV, 2008)
Niko is an Eastern European war veteran who arrives in Liberty City chasing the American dream and an old betrayal. GTA IV traded over-the-top fun for a darker, more grounded tone, and Niko’s moral choices shaped the ending.
Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez (GTA IV episodes)
The Lost and Damned stars Johnny, vice president of a biker gang. The Ballad of Gay Tony stars Luis, a bodyguard in Liberty City’s nightlife scene. Both stories cross paths with Niko’s.
Michael, Franklin and Trevor (GTA 5, 2013)
GTA 5 split the story between three playable characters you can switch between at almost any moment: a retired bank robber, a young hustler and an unpredictable career criminal. The three-way structure made the heists possible. We cover each one in our GTA 5 characters guide and their final choice in GTA 5 endings explained.
GTA 6: Jason and Lucia
GTA 6 brings the series back to Vice City in the state of Leonida, with a criminal couple at its centre. Lucia is the first female lead of the main series, and the story follows the two of them working together. It is the first time a GTA game is built around a partnership rather than one person or a rotating trio.
How GTA protagonists changed
- Voice: from a silent Claude to fully performed, motion-captured actors.
- Story: from simple revenge plots to stories about family, loyalty and identity.
- Structure: one lead, then three switchable leads, now a playable duo.
- Setting: the same three cities, Liberty City, Vice City and Los Santos, reinvented each generation.
Quick answers
Who was the first voiced GTA protagonist? Tommy Vercetti in Vice City.
Which GTA has the most playable characters? GTA 5, with three switchable leads in story mode.
Is Lucia the first female GTA protagonist? She is the first female lead of a main numbered game.
Want to play them all in release order? Start with our list of every GTA game in order, or see where each one lands in our best GTA games ranked.