Despite GTA V's massive success--or perhaps because of it--Rockstar has not indicated what form GTA VI will take, including when it's coming, what city it will take place in, or who will star in it. The subject of the playable protagonist in GTA has been a topic of some discussion of late, with a rumor suggesting that a female character could headline the next game in the series. That would be a first for the long-running franchise, which to date has exclusively starred male characters, dating back to the first game in 199X.

With this in mind, we wanted to take a look back at the various playable protagonists to appear in the core Grand Theft Auto games throughout the franchise. Dating back to the nameless antiheroes from the early games to the personable hustlers of modern GTA, we’re shining a spotlight on the franchise's key players and what this could mean for a potential GTA VI. We do go into some spoiler territory, so be warned about the info ahead.

Grand Theft Auto | The Protagonists

In the original Grand Theft Auto, players had a bird’s eye view of the action as they took part in missions to strike it rich and take out rival gang leaders across the explorable locales of Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City. While the franchise would eventually settle into telling stories with evolving characters, the mega-franchise's first game took a more modest approach with a playable protagonist, allowing you to choose from a set of eight characters to serve as the basis for your anti-hero.