Grand Theft Auto 5 Character May Be Jumping Ship to GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto Online players believe they have discovered a Grand Theft Auto 6 teaser in the game’s latest update, which they believe references the potential return of Jimmy De Santa. While Jimmy was not a playable character in Grand Theft Auto 5, he is the son of Michael, one of the game’s three main protagonists, which means he was a pivotal figure throughout the game’s story and could return in some capacity for Grand Theft Auto 6.
On December 10, developer Rockstar Games released the highly anticipated mansions update for Grand Theft Auto Online, officially titled ‘A Safehouse in the Hills.’ The free content update is a big one, as it finally adds purchasable luxury properties to the game, but for a hefty fee, of course. The overall cost of each mansion varies depending on how much customization a player intends to do, but the base value is between $11,500,000 and $12,800,000, with three properties currently available. The update also adds brand-new missions, vehicles, benefits for GTA+ subscribers, and the surprise return of Michael De Santa, one of Grand Theft Auto 5‘s three main protagonists.
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Grand Theft Auto Online Fans Think Jimmy Will Return In GTA 6
With today’s update, all three Grand Theft Auto 5 protagonists have now made their return in Grand Theft Auto Online. Other supporting characters, such as Lester Crest and Lamar Davis, have also returned, as well as Michael’s son, Jimmy, who fans believe could be catching a flight to Vice City following the December 10 update. As spotted by Twitter user Rockstar Universe, during the introductory cutscene for A Safehouse in the Hills, Amanda notes how their son is “finally moving away from home.” While this could be, and likely is, just a simple way to say Jimmy has finally moved out of his parents’ house, some believe it’s Rockstar’s way of alluding to the character possibly moving to Vice City and appearing in Grand Theft Auto 6.
While this might seem like a bit of a stretch, Rockstar has brought back previous Grand Theft Auto characters for new installments before, which means it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to see Jimmy make a cameo in Grand Theft Auto 6. The most notable return in Grand Theft Auto 5 was Johnny Klebitz, who was the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto 4: The Lost and Damned, and made a brief appearance at the beginning of the game. Other iconic GTA 4 characters to return in GTA 5 include Packie and, most recently, Tony Prince, who wasn’t in the game’s single-player story but did reappear for Grand Theft Auto Online.
This isn’t the first time that fans have theorized on a Grand Theft Auto 5 character returning for GTA 6. In Grand Theft Auto Online‘s December 2024 update, fans noted how a message from Lester Crest had seemingly retired and moved away on a permanent vacation. And with the next installment set in the fictional state of Leonida, players speculated that the character has likely retired to the neon-kissed streets of Vice City, and could be pulled out of retirement during Grand Theft Auto 6.
Unfortunately, all of these theories are likely to remain unconfirmed for quite some time. The next installment in the series was initially due to launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in Fall 2025, but an unsurprising delay pushed the game back to May 26, 2026. The community then hoped and prayed that this would be the one and only setback, but Rockstar had other ideas. Earlier this year, the studio announced yet another delay to Grand Theft Auto 6, this time pushing the highly anticipated title all the way back to November 19, 2026.