The Biggest Plot Holes In GTA 5

The Grand Theft Auto series is quite often fully ridiculous, and there may not be a more ludicrous installment than Grand Theft Auto 5. After all, this is a game that features drug-fueled hunts for sasquatch, alien conspiracies, and actual ghosts. It's completely bonkers, and that's before we even get to the actual plot of the game's story mode. 

The plot of Grand Theft Auto 5 follows three friends — Trevor, Michael, and Franklin — as they navigate the criminal underworld of Los Santos. There are betrayals, heists, and government stooges making trouble for the trio along the way. With such a sprawling and complex story of backstabbing (and occasional front-stabbing), it's understandable that a few things go without much clarity. 

Okay, there are some things in Grand Theft Auto 5 that just plain don't make sense. A few story beats feel a little unclear, while some moments in the game seem to skip over major things, like character motivations, just to get to the next set piece. Let's take a look at some of the annoying plot holes in an otherwise fantastic game.

Beware of spoilers ahead for Grand Theft Auto 5.

The plot of Grand Theft Auto 5 is kicked off by a bank heist that goes horribly wrong. One of the members of Michael and Trevor's crew is killed, Michael is put into witness protection, and Trevor is presumed dead by Michael and his pal Lester Crest. 

Here's the thing, though: Michael is seen retiring from crime and living with his family in Los Santos, so it's kind of understandable that he wouldn't be aware of what Trevor has been up to. Lester, on the other hand, is seen to have never gotten out of the game. He's still coordinating robberies, assassinations, and all other nasty business through the many, many criminals in the surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, Trevor has been running his own little criminal empire out in the desert...and it's literally called Trevor Phillips Enterprises. How in the world did Lester, the guy who has his finger on the pulse of all that's bad in San Andreas, not have any idea that Trevor was still alive and kicking? It seems like a major oversight for a guy who seems to know everything else about the world of crime.

When we join Michael in the present day, we see him living it up in a small mansion and spending his days lounging by the pool. He doesn't seem to really get out of the house unless it's to visit his therapist. Meanwhile, his wife doesn't appear to have a job, either. He also has two adult children living with him, neither of whom seem to be bringing in any kind of income. Yet, they're all living the high life. So where did the money come from?

It'd be easy to make the leap and assume that the money from Michael's bank robbing days are keeping him comfy. However, he's also in Witness Protection and under government surveillance, so it's highly unlikely that the feds just let him hang onto all of his ill-gotten gains. 

It's possible that the house was given to him by his government handlers as part of his deal, but that still doesn't account for the rest of his disposable income. Michael has to keep a low profile, so how is he such a high roller before he even returns to crime?

Toward the very end of Grand Theft Auto 5's story, Franklin is confronted by Steve Haines and Dave Norton, who instruct him to kill Trevor. To make matters worse, corrupt billionaire Devin Weston also visits Franklin and tells him to kill Michael, tying up a loose end on Weston's behalf.

At this point in the game, the three haven't been on the best terms, but it's still a little ridiculous when you consider the choices the game gives you: kill Trevor, kill Michael, or team up with the two of them to go after Weston and his men. Even with things on rocky terms, Michael has been portrayed as a father figure to Franklin since the beginning of the game. It makes literally no sense for Franklin to turn on him like this, just for the sake of giving the player a "choice."

And honestly, what sounds like more fun: taking out one of your partners, or mowing down an entire group of unsavory scumbags?

It's even more annoying when you realize the three could have taken the fight to Weston in the first place, and should have. At this point in the game, Weston has already sent assassins after Michael's family. If they could have just gone after the jerk before, why did they wait until the last possible minute? It's clearly done for dramatic effect within the game, but it makes little logical sense.

One of the main antagonists of Grand Theft Auto 5 is Martin Madrazo, the head of a major drug cartel and a constant thorn in the side of our protagonists. After Michael and Franklin wreck Madrazo's house early on in the game, the gang find themselves running various missions for the kingpin to save their own skins. 

Things are going relatively well until Trevor kidnaps Madrazo's wife about midway through the game.  This causes Madrazo's men to come out in force and for Michael and Trevor to go into hiding outside the city. Until this plot thread is resolved, the two will be attacked basically as soon as they set foot within city limits. 

However, the player can still control Franklin within the city, who will be able to carry out missions and roam freely. So what's the deal here? Franklin is a known associate of Michael and Trevor; in fact, he even contacts them multiple times while they're on the run. The idea that Madrazo — who isn't the most well-adjusted dude — would just let another loose end run free is absurd, especially with his wife's safety seemingly on the line.

One of the greatest pleasures to be found within the GTA series in general is the ability to just cruise around town and blast some sweet tunes. The various in-game radio stations in Grand Theft Auto 5 provide players with plenty of variety, from punk rock to old-school country and bluegrass. However, if you pay attention to the lyrics in a few of these tracks, you'll begin to notice something kind of odd.

See, Grand Theft Auto 5 takes place primarily in Los Santos and Vinewood, which are analogues for the real world locations Los Angeles and Hollywood. The use of fictional geography here is in line with the rest of the series (for instance, the use of Liberty City in place of New York City). 

However, a few of the songs heard within GTA5 seem to fly right in the face of this conceit. Two in particular, "Los Angeles" by X and Bob Seger's "Hollywood Nights," mention the specific real-life counterparts of your current video game residence. It's a nitpick, sure, but one can't help but feel that Michael and the gang have fallen into a crack between dimensions when one of these songs starts playing. It'd be like watching Die Hard and all of sudden John McClane is enjoying The Fifth Element on TV. It doesn't necessarily break the universe, but it's a head-scratcher.