GTA 5 Endings: A, B or C and Which One to Choose

Spoiler warning: this guide describes the end of GTA 5’s story in detail.

GTA 5 has three endings, chosen by Franklin after the final heist: A, Kill Trevor (mission Something Sensible), B, Kill Michael (The Time’s Come) or C, Deathwish (The Third Way). Choose C. It is the only ending where all three protagonists survive and stay playable with their full share of the money, and it is the one GTA Online treats as what happened.

How the choice is triggered

The decision comes right after The Big Score, the heist on the Union Depository. FIB agents Steve Haines and Dave Norton have already told Franklin to kill Trevor, whom they see as a liability. Then Devin Weston turns up at Franklin’s house and demands that he kill Michael instead, blaming him for the death of his lawyer and for derailing his business plans.

Weston spells out the options himself, and Franklin’s phone then offers three choices: Kill Trevor (A), Kill Michael (B) or Deathwish (C). Picking one starts the corresponding final mission.

Before you choose: make a save in a separate slot after The Big Score. It lets you come back to the choice later on the same save file, rather than only replaying the missions.

Ending A: Kill Trevor (Something Sensible)

Franklin asks Trevor to meet him at the Murrieta Oil Field off El Burro Heights, and calls Michael on the way, who is hesitant to get involved. When Franklin pulls a gun, Trevor flees in his truck. Michael joins the chase in a stolen car and rams it, Trevor crashes into a gas tanker, and Franklin fires into the spilled fuel. If you wait, Michael takes the shot.

After the credits: only Michael and Franklin are playable. Lester splits Trevor’s share of the Union Depository job between them. Michael still considers Franklin a friend but says he needs time away from him.

Ending B: Kill Michael (The Time’s Come)

Franklin sets up a meeting with Michael. Trevor refuses to help and says he is done with traitors. Michael works out why Franklin is there and flees; the chase ends at the Palmer-Taylor Power Station, where Franklin catches him on a tower. You are given the choice to drop Michael or pull him up. Either way, he falls: if you try to save him, he headbutts Franklin and loses his grip.

After the credits: only Franklin and Trevor are playable, and Michael’s share goes to his family. Trevor tells Franklin he is dead to him, Amanda messages Franklin that she knows what he did, Jimmy can no longer be called to hang out, and a “for sale” sign appears outside the De Santa house. It is the ending with the most consequences.

Ending C: Deathwish (The Third Way)

Franklin goes to Lester, who comes up with a plan: lure the FIB and Merryweather into a trap at the Grand Banks Steel Foundry, under the pretext of melting down the gold. Franklin, Michael, Trevor and Lamar fight their way out. Then the three split up to deal with their enemies:

• Franklin takes out Wei Cheng at the Pacific Bluffs Country Club;
• Michael takes out Stretch at the BJ Smith Recreational Center;
• Trevor takes out Steve Haines on Del Perro Pier;
• Trevor then storms Devin Weston’s mansion and locks him in the trunk of a car.

The three meet in the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness and push the car, with Weston inside, off a cliff into the sea. Lester then sends each of them their cut.

After the credits: all three remain playable, each with his full share, and they end the story still friends, however badly matched.

The three endings compared

	A: Kill Trevor	B: Kill Michael	C: Deathwish
Final mission	Something Sensible	The Time’s Come	The Third Way
Who dies	Trevor	Michael	Haines, Stretch, Wei Cheng, Devin Weston
Playable afterwards	Michael, Franklin	Franklin, Trevor	All three
Final heist money	Trevor’s cut split between Michael and Franklin	Michael’s cut goes to his family	Everyone keeps his cut
Mrs. Philips mission and Hot Rod Blazer for Trevor	No	Yes	Yes
Achievement	To Live or Die in Los Santos	To Live or Die in Los Santos	To Live or Die in Los Santos

The achievement is the same whichever ending you pick, and the Career Criminal achievement for 100% completion is available after all three. Our GTA 5 100% guide lists the rest of what you need.

Which one should you choose?

C, unless you are deliberately replaying for the story. The reasons are practical:

• You keep everyone. Each protagonist has his own side missions, activities and friends. A and B permanently remove one character and everything attached to him on that save.
• You keep the money. In C, nobody’s share disappears. In B, Michael’s cut goes to his family, so a large part of the final heist money leaves your hands.
• It is the satisfying one. C is the only ending where the villains of the story, Devin Weston and Steve Haines included, pay for what they did.

A and B are worth seeing for their scenes, and the game lets you watch them without ruining your save.

Can you replay the other endings?

Yes. Once the story is complete, the three final missions appear in the pause menu under Game, then Replay Mission. Replaying a different ending lets you see it, but it does not change the outcome recorded in your save. A character who died in your ending stays dead.

Which ending is canon?

Ending C. GTA Online, set in the years after the story, only makes sense if all three men survived and Deathwish happened:

• in The Diamond Casino & Resort (2019), Tao Cheng remembers his father dying at the Pacific Bluffs Country Club, which only happens in C;
• in The Contract (2021), Franklin mentions Michael’s work as a movie producer;
• in Los Santos Drug Wars (2022), Ron mentions that Trevor has retired;
• in A Safehouse in the Hills (December 10, 2025), Michael himself appears, alive and producing films, with his wife Amanda.

For who everyone is and where they live, see our GTA 5 characters guide. For the heists that lead up to the finale, our GTA 5 heists guide covers each one.