This Popular GTA 6 Fan Theory is Virtually Impossible

Over the years, GTA 6 fans have developed numerous theories about what the game will entail, with the most popular being Project Americas, which first surfaced in 2018. Fast-forward seven years, and GTA 6 theories are more rooted because of the trailers but are sometimes still too popular for their own good. Managing fan expectations is always important, if not especially for this game, and the fan theory that there is a third protagonist in GTA 6 simply doesn’t make sense.

That said, it is understandable as a theory. GTA 4 had three protagonists (counting the DLC), and GTA 5‘s base game had three protagonists. Based on recent releases (GTA 5 and Red Dead 2), single-player DLC to introduce a third GTA 6 protagonist simply isn’t going to happen. The truth is, GTA 6 is not going to be these games and keeping it on the hook for that is a tad unfair, but looking at the history is what makes it understandable as a theory.

From Project Americas to Leonida and Vice City

To understand the three protagonist theory, we need to go back to the original leaks and theories. The Project Americas leak originated in 2018 from Inside Gaming/The Know which claimed a few early details, including two possible cities—Vice City and a South American city. Of this, many fans have long believed Vice City would be GTA 6‘s setting, so it’s not really hard to simply speculate that detail. Other details could have been true, or at least true at one point. This dominated GTA 6 rumors for years as it twisted and developed, but there may have been some kernel of truth to it. Axios’ Stephen Totilo reported, in 2022, that he had sources claiming that GTA 6 planned to have three cities and four protagonists in development.

Some fans no doubt latched onto the number of cities and number of protagonists, with the protagonists not sounding far-fetched because of GTA 4‘s DLC and GTA 5‘s protagonists. However, the detail that perhaps went overlooked was that this was planned early in development. And in production/development, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Development has only gotten longer, meaning GTA 6‘s release date would likely not happen in the 2020s if the game were to reach such a scope without serious compromises. Somewhere, possibly, between that plan and the release is the fact that it was dialed back to focus on Vice City and its two protagonists: Jason and Lucia.

Not to mention, Rockstar Games’ history of crunch culture is well-known and reported. The conditions for Red Dead Redemption 2‘s development were far from ideal, with many developers working ridiculous levels of overtime to ship it. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, just before Totilo’s statement, reported that Rockstar was cleaning this up, which is important for every developer at the studio. More than that (but less important than that) are three key details from the report about the game: the number of protagonists being 2, the fact that it would be a “moderately-sized release” that is expanded over time, and its Bonnie and Clyde influence. Perhaps Rockstar will support it and expand it to get closer to the original scope over time, but based on information in 2022, expecting this scope at launch makes little sense. Despite these reports, the rumors of more protagonists than Jason and Lucia have persisted, but their roots are in this reporting.

A Timeline of Events for GTA 6's 3 Protagonist Theory

• Inside Gaming’s Project Americas rumor/leak began back in 2018.
• In 2022, it is somewhat corroborated/expanded by Stephen Totilo’s source, who reportedly claimed the planned scope of GTA 6 was 3 cities and 4 protagonists.
• Around the same time, however, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reports that there will only be 2 protagonists.
• However, years of rumor and speculation ensure that speculating about the number of cities and protagonists has remained persistent in the community.

The GTA 6 3 Protagonists Rumors Persist in 2025

If these reports, especially Bloomberg’s reliable reporting, suggest that there is only 1 city and 2 protagonists for launch, the question becomes: why do these rumors persist? Well, that’s Rockstar marketing GTA 6, right? Not that it really needed any push, but GTA 6 has only released 2 trailers so far. Each encouraged fans, by nature, to dig deep into them, sometimes seeing red herrings ias official teases. Fans will understandably do this, given how long the rumors and chatter persisted with nothing to sink their teeth into. By nature, GTA 6 trailer 1 only revealed Lucia. This lined up with Bloomberg’s report, meaning fans thought Jason would be revealed in GTA 6 trailer 2. He was, even if not directly named, and so fans have their two protagonists.

With rumors and speculation about GTA 6 trailer 3 ramping up (because of Take-Two’s upcoming earnings call/holiday pre-order), so too has the theory. Some fans think we’ll get to see protagonist 3 in GTA 6 trailer 3, which is not a bad marketing plan if there were indeed three protagonists. But if we stripped down the history and focus on concrete reports, the big problem with this theory is that it completely undermines the story of the game. GTA 5 had three protagonists because that’s what the game needed; GTA 4‘s DLC expanded the protagonist count because that’s what each one needed. Jason and Lucia, ergo GTA 6, do not need a third.

It's Lucia and Jason—Not Lucia, Jason, and Lenny

Every message around GTA 6 indicates that there are two main characters: Jason and Lucia. Now, it could be that Jason is a cop; that’s a popular theory. But at the end of the day, it is just them in all official marketing. There is no official indication from Rockstar that there is a third, switchable protagonist. But perhaps more important than all that is that a third protagonist is simply not what the game needs. Lucia and Jason are a couple, lovers, who seem to go on a crime streak akin to Bonnie and Clyde. Whether that ends in tragedy or not remains to be seen, but the possibility of that tragedy, the dynamic of the two, and the way the story connects them and unfolds around them all hinge on their being a duo. Insert a third into this dynamic, and it fundamentally changes the entire game and story. The third protagonist just becomes a third wheel, no matter if they are the cop or someone working with the duo. It’s hard to imagine a third protagonist serving any major function if the strongest narrative beats revolve around Lucia and Jason’s relationship with each other (and crime).

Who Do Fans Think May Be GTA 6's Protagonist #3?

There are 3 popular protagonist #3 theories (which are also contradictory to how the trailers revealed Jason and Lucia).

• Kai
• Raul Bautista
• A Cop

Kai is easily dismissible, however. The Pre-Alpha leak for GTA 6 indicated a playable character model was named Kai, but this dated back to 2019 at the latest. This would have been easily cut or reworked or a placeholder for the time, as much of that leak does not line up with the quality seen in GTA 6‘s trailers. It was early development leaks, and things change fast.

Raul Bautista is probably Rockstar baiting fans into this theory because he is shown in a way that makes him seem less like an NPC and more like a major player. That much is true, but just because he is a major player in the story doesn’t mean he’s playable. He could be a friend, he could be a villain, or he could be a teammate. Still doesn’t make him playable, but if anyone would make me reconsider this, it would be Raul. He has major main character energy, but even if that’s the case, inserting him into Lucia and Jason’s dynamic makes little sense. Now, if Rockstar were to go back to its original plan of four protagonists (two couples), there may be some way to make that story work. But a third injection into that dynamic still makes little sense.

Some fans also think Raul Bautista is an epilogue protagonist akin to Red Dead 1 and Red Dead 2; however, it’s worth noting that this did not happen in GTA 4 or GTA 5. Red Dead is more about the outlaw way of life and its cycle; GTA has always been more about living with the consequences of crime. On that note, I just can’t see it happening.

Raul’s promos also show him alone, which has led fans to believe he is independent of the rest of the characters and setting. That is possible from a certain perspective, but given that the trailers have shown the whole of Vice City and the surrounding areas, it only makes sense to focus on key players. Similarly, this is what fuels the cop theory in GTA 6, but it could well be narrative or cinematic moments, a showcase of the atmosphere, and/or a key scene that doesn’t need Lucia and Jason. If there is a cop, the more dramatic telling is that it’s Jason. A third cop chasing them, being playable, may be a fine story, but it is not the best story. It is not what the game needs.

GTA 6 Doesn't Need Another Protagonist

Theories are definitely fun, including this one, but the simple truth of it is GTA 6 doesn’t need another protagonist. The weight of its narrative, the sharpness of its gameplay, and the key beats it seems to be developing, especially under the Bonnie and Clyde influence, mean this is practically impossible.