Players had to choose one, the other, or both.
GTA 5 is unique because it has three playable protagonists in one game. No other Grand Theft Auto game in the franchise has ever featured more than one protagonist, let alone three. Franklin, Michael, and Trevor are all playable individually in GTA 5, yet all three can also work together to complete missions in-game.
By the end of GTA 5’s story mode, you (Franklin) will be given free rein with how you want to finish the game and how many protagonists you will have access to post-story mode. We have outlined everything you need to know about the three different endings in GTA 5 in this guide.
GTA 5 Alternative Endings
Warning: Spoilers for GTA 5’s ending/s ahead. If you haven’t finished the game’s story mode yet, we recommend doing so before you read about the three different endings in GTA 5.
After the trio’s successful heist mission on the Union Depository, Franklin will be approached by both Steve Haines and Devin Weston. Steve will order Franklin to Kill Trevor, while Devin will want Michael eliminated.
You, the player, can choose to kill either Trevor or Michael, depending on your preferences. Something Sensible will end with Trevor dead, while The Time’s Come will end Michael for good.
But, there is a third way, Deathwish, which sees the trio suit up one last time to eliminate their enemies once and for all.
With that out, let’s dive into the three different endings for GTA 5.
Ending A
By choosing Something Sensible, you will start a mission where Franklin meets up with Trevor and discusses some issues between him, Trevor, and Michael. Things get spicy and escalate, prompting Franklin to pull a gun on Trevor, accusing him of being the “crazy one” and the most likely to get all three protagonists killed.
Before the confrontation could conclude, Trevor runs off in his truck, and Franklin follows in pursuit.
The two protagonists chase for a bit until Franklin gets a call from Michael. Michael arrives in a stolen car and rams his vehicle into Trevor’s truck, which causes Trevor to crash into a gas tanker.
The mission ends with Franklin shooting at the standing fuel, igniting it, and burning Trevor alive. If you do not shoot Trevor immediately, Michael will do it himself.
After Something Sensible, Trevor will no longer be a playable character in-game, and Trevor-specific all side quests will be inaccessible.
In addition, since Franklin, Michael, and Trevor’s cuts won’t be given until the end of the game, killing Trevor will cause his cut to be split between Franklin and Michael.
Ending B
Choosing to kill Michael will start The Time’s Come mission, where Franklin calls Michael to bait him into talking about something important. Franklin will also phone Trevor to assist him in meeting with Michael. However, upon learning that Franklin plans to betray Michael, Trevor will refuse to participate before calling Franklin a traitor.
Franklin and Michael eventually meet, but Michael figures out Franklin’s motives soon enough when he starts talking about putting his life on the line for Michael, prompting him to drive away and Franklin to initiate a pursuit.
The pair end up in the Palmer-Taylor Power Station in the San Chianski Mountain Range in the San Andreas area, where Franklin and Michael engage in a gunfight while running up the stairs leading up to the peak.
Michael runs up to the top of a tower, and the two protagonists engage in a scuffle. Franklin overpowers Michael and pushes him off the rails, catching him by the arm at the last second.
From here, you have two choices: Pull Michael up or let go. There is no right or wrong choice here, as both options will leave Michael dead either way.
After The Time’s Come, Michael will no longer be a playable character in-game, and Michael-specific all side quests will be inaccessible.
In addition, since Franklin, Michael, and Trevor’s cuts won’t be given until the end of the game, killing Michael will cause his cut to be split between Franklin and Trevor.
And then there’s Ending C – Deathwish.
Ending C
Ending C will start the mission, The Third Way, where Franklin asks Lester for help to save both Michael and Trevor and deal with the rest of their enemies once and for all.
Lester, the genius he is, comes up with a plan to lure the FIB and Merryweather members by using the gold they collected from the Union Depository as bait.
The trio comes out with guns blazing – wiping out the FIB’s strike team and Merryweather’s mercenaries before setting out to dispose of each of their enemies.
Trevor will set out to kill Steve Haines, Michael will volunteer to kill Stretch, and Franklin will deal with Wei Cheng.
After the trio completes their assignments, Trevor will make his way to Devin Weston’s mansion but not before phoning up Franklin and Michael, promising he won’t do anything to Devin until they are all together so they can take out Devin Weston good.
Trevor makes quick work of Devin’s security guards and proceeds to kidnap Devin, throw him into the trunk of his car, and take him to the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness.
Franklin, Michael, and Trevor work together one last time to push the car (with Devin still in the trunk) into the ocean. After a brief pause, the vehicle explodes, instantly killing Devin Weston.
The trio makes amends and accepts their friendship as “flawed, awful, totally uncomfortable, and poorly matched.”
After The Third Way, all three protagonists will continue to be playable characters in-game, and all side missions and remaining quests will be accessible as usual.
In addition, Lester will wire Franklin, Michael, and Trevor their cuts from the final heist mission.
All’s Well That Ends Well
Flawed, awful, totally uncomfortable, and poorly matched as they might be, Franklin, Michael, and Trevor have left a generation’s worth of gamers with unforgettable memories and fun through the hours of gameplay they have spent with GTA 5’s protagonists.
Whichever ending players choose most likely reflects how each character resonated with them. Nevertheless, it might be safe to say that most players chose to see all three protagonists together at the end of the game because of how well each one complimented the other throughout the story.
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