GTA V's Three Endings, Explained
Kill Trevor, kill Michael, or save them all — GTA V offers three distinct endings. Here's what each one delivers, which is canonical, and how to unlock the Deathwish path.
GTA V's campaign ends with Franklin Clinton facing a choice between three endings — kill Trevor (Option A), kill Michael (Option B), or refuse both and choose Option C: Deathwish, in which all three protagonists survive. The choice is presented at the end of the mission "The Time's Come" and locks in the campaign's final mission.
Below: each ending in detail, which is canonical, and what each one means for the characters.
Setup: how the endings activate
The endings activate after the heist finale "The Big Score." Steve Haines (the FIB villain) and Devin Weston (the corporate antagonist) want at least one of the protagonists dead — their political and financial situations both require it. Devin Weston specifically is willing to pay Franklin to choose either Trevor or Michael for the kill.
Franklin is forced to make the choice. The three options:
- A. Kill Trevor — Devin Weston's preferred outcome
- B. Kill Michael — Steve Haines's preferred outcome
- C. Deathwish — refuse both; team with the other protagonists against Devin and Haines
Option A: "Something Sensible" (kill Trevor)
Franklin reluctantly agrees to kill Trevor at Devin Weston's request. Michael helps Franklin track and trap Trevor in Sandy Shores. The mission ends with Trevor caught in a fuel-truck explosion and burned to death.
Aftermath:
- Trevor is canonically dead.
- Michael returns to suburban life with his family.
- Franklin keeps the cash from the heist.
- Devin Weston is alive, having paid out Franklin.
- Steve Haines is alive (the FIB ending).
This ending is widely considered morally compromised — Trevor is despicable but doesn't deserve betrayal by his closest associates. Most players don't choose this option on first run.
Option B: "The Time's Come" (kill Michael)
Franklin reluctantly agrees to kill Michael at Steve Haines's request. Trevor helps lure Michael to a meeting at a high vantage point; Michael falls (or is pushed) from the high ground.
Aftermath:
- Michael is canonically dead.
- Trevor's mental state collapses; he becomes paranoid and reclusive.
- Franklin keeps the cash from the heist.
- Steve Haines is alive (the FIB ending).
- Devin Weston is alive.
This ending is the most emotionally heavy of the three — Michael's death after the slow-build investment in his family arc is genuinely devastating. Most players who pick this option do so on a second playthrough.
