Summary
- Rockstar's well-written playable characters are often selfish criminals with distinct personalities and goals.
- Niko Bellic chases the American Dream, but ruthlessly harms others along the way to achieve his selfish desires.
- Characters like Arthur Morgan and John Marston exhibit varying degrees of selfishness in their criminal activities.
Since it was first founded in 1998, Rockstar Games has given us some of the most iconic playable characters in gaming. While their first characters were little more than voiceless avatars, over the years, Rockstar has learned to flesh out their protagonists. These days, Rockstar's best playable characters are well-written and multilayered, with distinct personalities and goals.
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That being said, being well-written doesn't mean being likable or sane. Rockstar's games tend to focus on the darker side of society, and their protagonists are usually criminals and outlaws. This means, rather than the traditional selfless video game hero, Rockstar's characters tend to be selfish sociopaths who will do whatever it takes to get what they want.
8 Niko Bellic - Grand Theft Auto 4
Ruthlessly Chases The American Dream
Grand Theft Auto 4
Niko Bellic is one of Rockstar's most interesting characters. He grew up in Yugoslavia and fought in the Yugoslav Wars before turning to a life of crime. One of Grand Theft Auto's most intelligent characters, he decided to leave Eastern Europe behind to chase the American Dream he'd heard so much about in his youth.
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Niko is fiercely loyal to his family and close friends, loving his cousin, Roman, like a brother. Whatever trouble Roman gets into, Niko is always there to help him out of it. That sounds pretty selfless, but Niko is a criminal, and will selfishly kill and hurt others to get what he wants. That might mean ruining someone's day by stealing their car, or it might mean ruining someone's life by killing someone they love. Throughout Grand Theft Auto 4, Niko veers between doing things that seem selfless, and doing jobs that are inherently selfish.
7 Arthur Morgan - Red Dead Redemption 2
Depends On The Player
Red Dead Redemption 2
It's difficult to gauge how selfish Arthur truly is, because it depends so much on the decisions the player makes throughout Red Dead Redemption 2. He can either be a selfish thug who only cares about himself and betrays those close to him, or an honorable outlaw, always helping those in need. Or somewhere in between.
That means Arthur could be right at the top of this list or near the bottom. Either way, Arthur is at least a little selfish. Like Niko, he's a criminal, which means, however honorable the player plays he, at some point Arthur is going to ruin an innocent person's day for profit. When Arthur and the gang became outlaws, they decided to put their own interests above those of others, an undeniably selfish decision.
6 John Marston - Red Dead Redemption
Formerly Selfish
Red Dead Redemption
America, 1911. The Wild West is dying. When federal agents threaten his family, former outlaw John Marston is forced to pick up his guns again and hunt down the gang of criminals he once called friends. Experience an epic fight for survival across the sprawling expanses of the American West and Mexico, as John Marston struggles to bury his blood-stained past, one man at a time.
Red Dead Redemption is a Western epic, set at the turn of the 20th century when the lawless and chaotic badlands began to give way to the expanding reach of government and the spread of the Industrial Age.
- Released
- May 18, 2010
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar San Diego
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure
In his own game, the original Red Dead Redemption, John Marston seems anything but selfish. He's on a mission to save his family, but throughout the game he risks his life to help others repeatedly. He's not even really a criminal anymore, having set up a little farm to live on. He even lets the incredibly annoying Uncle live with them.
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Throw in his heroic sacrifice at the end of the original game, and it's easy to see why so many fans consider John to be the best character in the Red Dead Redemption franchise. But John wasn't always a hero. The sequel makes it clear that Arthur distrusts John because he used to be a selfish brat. At one point, he abandons his wife and newborn child, and John spends most of Red Dead Redemption 2 regaining everyone's trust. In other words, John used to be selfish, but grew out of it.
5 Claude - Grand Theft Auto 3
Obsessed With Revenge
Grand Theft Auto 3
- Released
- October 23, 2001
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Platform(s)
- PS2, Xbox (Original), PC, macOS, Android, iOS
Seeing as Claude never speaks, and rarely shows a single trace of emotion, it's pretty difficult to deduce much about his personality. One thing we can say for sure, however, is that he's pretty selfish.
Claude's quest for vengeance against Catalina makes him one of Rockstar's most dangerous characters. Claude will work for and betray anyone as long as it gets him closer to his goal of killing his former lover. He doesn't care who gets in his way or how many innocents get caught up in the crossfire. Claude's a criminal through and through, and his mission in life is a purely selfish one. The only reason he isn't higher here is his lack of characterization means there's a lot we don't know about him.
4 Trevor Philips - Grand Theft Auto 5
A Psychopath And A Friend
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Released
- September 17, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
Trevor is pretty much the definition of a chaotic evil character in GTA. He'll murder someone for looking at him the wrong way, and won't think twice about brutally torturing someone just for fun. His sociopathic tendencies and total lack of concern for others make him selfish, as does his treatment of characters like Ron and poor, poor Wade.
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Yet Trevor isn't that clear-cut. He can also be insanely loyal and repeatedly helps out both Michael and Franklin throughout Grand Theft Auto 5. He also spends a lot of time and resources looking for his and Michael's old accomplice, Brad. This selflessness towards his friends lands Trevor a middling spot on the list.
3 Franklin Clinton - Grand Theft Auto 5
Overly Ambitious
Fans seem to either love or hate Franklin, and it's easy to see why. Franklin is largely defined by his selfish ambition. He is the kind of character who is never happy with what he has and always wants more. This is a character trait that tends to push those around him away, like Lamar, his aunt Denise, and his ex-girlfriend Tanisha. Throughout the game, he's accused by those closest to him of "leaving his homies behind."
However, he can't be called Rockstar's most selfish character. In "Lamar Down", he risks his life to save his best friend and helps out both Michael and Trevor repeatedly throughout the game. Depending on the ending the player chooses, Franklin is either incredibly selfish and responsible for some of Grand Theft Auto's worst character deaths, or selflessly risks his life to save both Michael and Trevor.
2 Tommy Vercetti - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Killed His Way To The Top
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Released
- October 29, 2002
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Platform(s)
- PS2, Xbox (Original), PC, iOS, Android, macOS
Tommy doesn't care what it takes to get to the top. On his way to becoming Vice City's drug kingpin, he lies to, steals from, and kills whoever it takes to get ahead, including some of his allies. He shows little regard for others and feels no shame in pushing a drug that ruins people's lives.
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Over time, Tommy's few positive characteristics, like his loyalty to Lance, also begin to diminish. This can be seen in his treatment of his lawyer, Rosenberg. Rosenberg helps Tommy build his empire, but in the end, Tommy has his former friend disbarred and cuts ties with him, even after the lawyer gets clean. By the time he's reached the top, Tommy only really cares about himself and is solely focused on becoming richer and more powerful.
1 Michael De Santa - Grand Theft Auto 5
Betrayed Trevor And Brad
In the opening mission of Grand Theft Auto 5, Michael not only betrays Trevor and Brad, he gets Brad killed. He then goes into witness protection, where he spends his days as a retiree, living in a mansion and acting as a FIB informant. It's also made clear that he repeatedly cheated on his wife and is a pretty lousy father.
To sum up, Michael is thoroughly selfish. As revealed during his conversations with his psychiatrist, he only thinks about himself and is completely self-obsessed. While he does occasionally help out those close to him, it's almost always begrudgingly. He might be one of the best characters in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but he's selfish on pretty much every level, a trait he managed to pass on to his children.
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