GTA V endings

Updated 30 October 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

Grand Theft Auto V (2013) ends with a choice for Franklin Clinton after The Big Score. He can kill Trevor (Something Sensible), kill Michael (The Time's Come) or refuse both and take on everyone who wants the crew dead (The Third Way). Only the third keeps all three leads alive, and gta.wiki treats it as the canon ending.

How do you get the endings in GTA V?

Once the Union Depository gold is safely away in The Big Score, a short scene shows Devin Weston calling on Franklin. According to gta.wiki, Devin orders him to kill Michael, while Steve Haines and Dave Norton of the FIB want him to eliminate Trevor. Franklin refuses on the spot, and the player then picks one of three final missions from a menu.

Wikipedia frames the build-up in a similar way: Steve and Dave argue that Trevor has become a liability, while Devin still wants revenge on Michael. Franklin is stuck between two powerful sides who both expect him to do their killing, and the three options are his possible answers.

Fans call them endings A, B and C, matching the order of the options. Whichever one you play, gta.wiki says you earn the same achievement, To Live or Die in Los Santos. Lester only pays out the heist money after the final mission, so the choice also changes who collects a share.

What happens in Something Sensible?

The FIB sees Trevor as a liability. In this ending Franklin asks Trevor to meet him at the oil field near El Burro Heights in Los Santos, and pulls a gun on him. Trevor escapes in his truck and a chase follows. Michael arrives in another car and rams him, and Trevor's truck ends up against a fuel tanker. Franklin sets the spilled fuel alight, and if he hesitates, Michael does it. Michael and Franklin then agree to go their separate ways.

After the credits, gta.wiki notes that Trevor can no longer be played and his properties and activities disappear. Michael and Franklin each receive half of Trevor's share of the gold, and the two can no longer hang out.

What happens in The Time's Come?

Devin wants Michael dead over a list of grudges from earlier in the story, gta.wiki explains, including the death of his lawyer Molly Schultz. Franklin calls Michael out to a field of satellite dishes off Route 68. Michael senses the trap and drives off, and the chase ends at the Palmer-Taylor Power Station, where the two fight on a walkway high up a chimney. Franklin knocks Michael over the rail and catches his hand. Whether the player chooses to pull him up or let go, Michael falls to his death.

In this ending Franklin walks away alone. gta.wiki records that Michael is no longer playable, Jimmy and Trevor refuse to spend time with Franklin, and Lester sends Michael's share of the money to his family. See the De Santa family for who they are.

What happens in The Third Way?

In option C, labelled "Deathwish" in the menu, Franklin refuses to kill anyone and asks Michael and Trevor to fight with him. Lester plans the trap: he lets word out that the gold is being melted down at a foundry, which draws the FIB and Merryweather there. With Lamar covering Franklin, the three hold off the attack.

They then split up to settle their scores. gta.wiki lists the targets: Franklin kills Wei Cheng at a country club, Michael kills Stretch, and Trevor kills Steve Haines on the Ferris wheel at Del Perro Pier in Del Perro. Finally Trevor kidnaps Devin, and the three push his car, with him locked inside, off a cliff in the wilderness around Mount Chiliad. Michael says he is retiring as the credits roll. Wikipedia sums it up: Michael and Trevor make peace, and the trio stop working together but stay friends.

Which GTA V ending is canon?

The Third Way. gta.wiki calls the other two non-canon and says Rockstar confirmed the third through later GTA Online content. That fits what our character pages describe: Michael and Franklin both appear alive in later Online updates. The Wikipedia article on GTA V describes all three options without naming one as official.

Does the ending change the free-roam game?

Yes. After options A and B, one lead is gone for good, along with his safehouses, vehicles and side activities. After The Third Way all three stay playable, Michael and Trevor can meet up again, and Trevor's return home starts the extra mission Mrs. Philips, according to gta.wiki. The full mission list is on our GTA V missions page.

The endings also move the stock market. gta.wiki records that Merryweather shares jump by 250% after The Time's Come. Before The Third Way the same wiki points out that Devin owns about 11% of Merryweather, so his death is a known event for players who trade shares. These figures come from fan testing rather than from Rockstar.