It's well-known that Grand Theft Auto 6 will have two protagonists, but it's quite possible that one of them could end up dead by the end of the game. While it would be a shocking twist for sure, it also wouldn't be a complete surprise considering Grand Theft Auto's history. The series' protagonists live in a dangerous world, and it's not a guarantee that they'll get out alive.
So far, what players do know about the protagonists of Grand Theft Auto 6 is that the two main characters are a pair of criminals working together. From there, there is any number of directions that the story can go, especially in a place like Vice City. Players already know from the original Vice City that there is no shortage of gangs and other criminal elements, so if anything, there may be too much work for them there. Among the GTA 6 rumors that could still be true, one can't discount the possibility of one of the protagonists being killed off.
The Crime Business Could Drive A Rift Between GTA 6's Protagonists
Being a criminal is not easy in the world of Grand Theft Auto. The rest of the series has shown that any attempt to climb the ranks of the underworld will be met with resistance every step of the way. Not only do they have to worry about the cops, but other criminals will be seeking to bring them down as well. That kind of constant danger can be difficult to handle, and it could potentially put a lot of stress on the relationship between the GTA 6 protagonists.
Over the course of the game, the protagonists will almost definitely be going on a lot of jobs together for a lot of different bosses, possibly even past characters returning for GTA 6. Even if things start smoothly for them, they are bound to run into adversity early and often. While things may go smoothly between them when they are successful, failures and setbacks could throw a wrench into their relationship. They could grow increasingly suspicious of each other, and perhaps even start to wonder if they're being set up to either be arrested or killed. If things get bad enough between them, it could lead to a potentially lethal showdown between the two.
If the developers decide to tell this kind of story with GTA 6, it would be a risk, but an interesting one. They could even potentially include a trust system, where pulling off side jobs successfully tilts the game towards a good ending, while failures tilt it towards a bad one. With GTA 6 taking cues from RDR2, a take on the honor system could work for this approach. Betrayal is a staple of the Grand Theft Auto series, and even the new GTA 6 protagonists may not be immune.
One GTA 6 Protagonist Could End Up Dying To Save The Other
The protagonists wouldn't have to betray each other in order for one of them to die. In fact, one of the leads of Grand Theft Auto 6 could wind up dying for the exact opposite reason. While an act of betrayal can make for a shocking moment in the story, a heroic sacrifice is a much more impactful scene, even in a series like Grand Theft Auto. It's an approach that the GTA games haven't taken before, but since GTA Online hurt 6's satire potential, it may be worth trying a new direction.
In a Grand Theft Auto game, it's inevitable that the stakes will become increasingly high as the story continues. The final act is almost always the boiling point of tension in the game, bringing about the final encounter with the game's main antagonistic force. Whether it's San Andreas' Officer Tenpenny, GTA 4's Dimitri Rascalov, or whoever their equivalent is in GTA 6, it's the moment where the protagonist can finally give their archenemy what's coming to them.
It's possible that in GTA 6, the climax may be too great for them to get through without doing something drastic, and one may end up having to sacrifice themselves, either by drawing attention or through a reckless attack, for the other to make it out. Since GTA 6 should try to emulate RDR2, reflecting a bit of Arthur's own nobility could be a good look for its protagonists.
One protagonist sacrificing themselves for the other would definitely be a high point of drama and emotion for GTA 6. While the games typically focus more on action when it comes to their climaxes, taking a different direction with GTA 6's finale may be a good move if Rockstar wants to tell a different kind of story. It would be sure to give 6's protagonists a unique place in the series.
GTA 5 Proved That GTA 6's Protagonists Aren't Guaranteed To Survive
There are still a lot of details about Grand Theft Auto 6's story that have yet to be revealed, much less anything about the story. However, if Grand Theft Auto 5 is any indication, a happy ending for the leads is not guaranteed. In two of Grand Theft Auto 5's endings, one of the three playable characters dies and becomes inaccessible in the post game. The first ending leads to Trevor's death, and the second leads to Michael's. Up until that point in the series, every protagonist was guaranteed to see the game's end credits as long as the player completed the final mission. Now that GTA 5 has changed the status quo, the destiny of every future GTA protagonist cannot be discerned until the end of their respective games.
GTA 5 was the first game with multiple protagonists, and it also showed that those protagonists could die. Now that survival isn't guaranteed, it's possible that GTA 6's new protagonist Lucia could end up alone at the end of the game. Although if that is the case, then just like GTA 5, there may also be a way to keep both leads alive depending on the ending.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is the second time that the series has featured multiple protagonists in a single game, and it could easily end like some of GTA 5's endings. The world of Grand Theft Auto is violent and treacherous, and the fact that any protagonists survived their stories is a small miracle. One of Grand Theft Auto 6's protagonists could easily die by the game's end, and it wouldn't be a major surprise.