GTA III – Billionaire365

Although the legendary Grand Theft Auto game series is mostly about illegal acts such as stealing cars and killing people, we can safely say that some characters are more evil than others. GTA started its legacy way back in 1997, and since then, it has evolved tremendously when it comes to both the graphics and the gameplay itself.

GTA 6 is on its way, and it will finally make its long-awaiting debut in 2025. While there is still a lot more to learn about the upcoming game, which is also the most anticipated game in history, if we look at the insane number of views for its official trailer, we still have to learn a thing or two about the history of the series.

Let’s speak a bit about some of the most evil characters in the history of GTA, shall we?

S-Tier:

Catalina (GTA III, GTA San Andreas)
Trevor Philips (GTA V)
Sonny Forelli (GTA Vice City)
Devin Weston (GTA V)
Dmitri Rascalov (GTA IV)

Catalina is a woman who falls in love with CJ from GTA San Andreas and proves to be the embodiment of evil. She is always willing to run into trouble and break the law in order to have her own way. She dumps CJ at some point and gets Claude from GTA III as her new lover.

Trevor Philips is easily one of the most evil characters in GTA history. He is the kind of guy who would kill someone in their sleep or eat him alive just for fun.

Devin Weston from GTA V represents the epitome of corporate greed and manipulation. He is a billionaire businessman who has a vast network of influence and resources, and thus he is one of the most powerful men in Los Santos.

Dmitri Rascalov from GTA IV has a cunning and duplicitous nature. He is the primary antagonist in the 2008 game, and his betrayal and manipulation set off a chain of events that culminate in terrible trouble for Niko Bellic and his comrades.

A-Tier:

Big Smoke (GTA San Andreas)
Frank Tenpenny (GTA San Andreas)
Billy Grey (GTA IV: The Lost and Damned)
Steve Haines (GTA V)
Michael DeSanta (GTA V)

GTA San Andreas has been the source of some of the most interesting characters in the whole series. Big Smoke was a close friend of Carl Johnson, the main protagonist of the game. Big Smoke later betrayed him because he started to be tempted by money, fortune, and fame. In the last mission, CJ has to confront Big Smoke in an epic boss battle.

Frank Tenpenny, also from GTA SA, a character who was voiced by the famous actor Samuel L. Jackson, is a corrupt police officer. He is the epitome of abuse of power and authority, and he is also the puppet master who pulls the strings behind the scenes with his manipulative tactics and disregard for the law.

Michael DeSanta is one of the three protagonist characters in GTA V. He is a retired bank robber who tries to have a normal life, but the sins of his past won’t leave him alone. He doesn’t hesitate to kill and destroy if he has to. Furthermore, his difficult character makes him a horrible husband and father.

B-Tier:

Ryder (GTA San Andreas)
Ricardo Diaz (GTA Vice City)
Vladimir Glebov (GTA IV)
Jimmy Pegorino (GTA IV)

Ryder from GTA SA was also one of CJ’s close friends in the hood, but he later betrayed by going into the team of the Ballas. CJ even has to kill Ryder during one of the game’s missions.

Jimmy Pegorino, one of the characters of GTA IV, plays a major role as one of the antagonists. He is the boss of the Pegorino crime family, which is a relatively small-time mafia organization that operates in Liberty City.

C-Tier:

Salvatore Leone (GTA Liberty City Stories, GTA III)
Stretch (GTA V)
Franklin (GTA V)
Elizabeta Torres (GTA IV, GTA Chinatown Wars)

Franklin, one of the three protagonists of GTA V, is more like the kind of guy who kills when he considers absolutely necessary. Otherwise, he is not actually the kind of fellow who enjoys mayhem and killing, although he still wants to climb through the ranks of the gangsta lifestyle.

Salvatore Leone, who is a pivotal character in the Grand Theft Auto series, has been prominently featured in games such as GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA III. He is the Don of the Leone crime family, and he exudes power and authority whenever he gets the chance, commanding respect and fear throughout Liberty City. However, he is an intelligent guy and one who prefers to act cunningly and strategically in difficult situations.

Stretch, who is also known as Harold Joseph, is a member of the Ballas gang in GTA V. He is one of the high-ranking members of the gang, and he is known for his ruthless demeanor and willingness to resort to violence to maintain control over his turf in Los Santos.

Making such a top-tier list and also being objective may be impossible, as each and every character in the GTA series has their own personality and level of “evilness.” Therefore, feel free to leave your own opinion in the comment section!

Francis E. Hagopian

I’m Francis E. Hagopian, and I’m the voice and vision behind Billionaire365.com. For the last 15 years, I’ve lived and breathed Silicon Valley culture, arming myself with insights and know-how that I can’t wait to share with you. Think of me as your personal guide in the intricate maze of technology. I specialize in translating the complex into the understandable, so you can turn knowledge into power. This isn’t just about staying in the loop; it’s about giving you the tools you need to excel in a digital age. When you’re looking for reliable tech insights, know that I’ve got your back.

As we are all waiting for news regarding the highly-anticipated game GTA 6, we need to keep in mind that Rockstar keeps giving attention to older titles of the beloved Grand Theft Auto series as well. Probably all hardcore gamers who are now in their ’30s or even ’40s have played GTA Vice City, GTA III, or GTA San Andreas decades ago. That’s because those games have been insanely successful and influential for the video game industry.

There’s no wonder why the guys from Rockstar Games decided to remaster the famous trilogy: GTA III, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas. They did so and released the remastered trilogy in 2021, but guess what? The fans weren’t nearly as impressed as expected and for good reasons. The three remastered games indeed have much more modern graphics, but you know what they say that looks aren’t everything. Therefore, the million-dollar-question is this: are the remastered games worth playing or not? Let’s find out!

Tons of bugs in the GTA Trilogy

All three of the remastered GTA games, meaning GTA III, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas, are teeming with bugs and errors. The internet is loaded with complaints and videos exposing the numerous errors that the remastered versions of the legendary GTA games have. This can only mean that people will stick with the original ones if they want to relive the nostalgia of playing old GTA games.

Nobody should care enough about the graphics to be willing to neglect the sheer quality of the game, and boy, oh boy, does the remastered GTA trilogy lack quality!

Simplified missions

Here’s one thing we like about the old GTA games a lot: the missions were a lot harder compared to the newest GTA games, such as GTA 5. While we spent numerous hours trying to untangle the mystery at a specific mission and pulled our hair out, guess what? That was part of those games’ charm! On the other hand, Rockstar has reckoned that it would be a good idea to simplify a lot of the missions of the old GTA games as they create the remastered versions. While such a move may be comforting to some gamers, most of the old-school fans of the iconic Grand Theft Auto franchise cannot appreciate such a decision.

The legendary “All we had to do is follow the damn train, CJ!” line has its charm because that specific mission in GTA San Andreas was extremely hard. In fact, a lot of the missions from GTA SA were hard, which is one of the reasons we love that game so much. It would have been a lot better if Rockstar never simplified that mission.

Conclusion

Usually in life, nothing beats the original, and that simple principle applies here as well. This means that in our book, the original GTA games are far better than GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition, which came out in 2021. GTA III, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas have the merit of being the first GTA games to make the transition from a 2D to a 3D environment, not to mention the extremely fun and addicting gameplay.

What’s your take on the subject? Feel free to tell us in a comment below if you think it is worth it to play GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition or not!

Francis E. Hagopian