You Might Want to Walk Away
If Rockstar’s well-known for anything, it’s…well, it’s probably completely insane side quests for the sake of completing a game. But just below that is the collection of completely insane NPCs who make an already outlandish game even crazier. The cream of the crop can only be found in the GTA franchise, and we’re here to break down 20 of the creepiest characters you can encounter throughout the series.
1. Eddie Low (GTA IV)
Eddie is easily one of the most disturbing strangers poor Niko runs into, especially once you realize that he is, in fact, the guy from the news. During their first meeting, Eddie asks for a ride and makes increasingly uncomfortable comments about his victims. Their second encounter also proves that your gut reaction was definitely right.
2. Ursula (GTA V)
Picking up Ursula seems innocent enough…until she starts talking about her past. During the journey, she mentions everything from an abusive mother to another driver who died under suspicious circumstances. Although she never explicitly confesses to offing anyone, her creepy stories don’t exactly bode well for her.
3. Peter Dreyfuss (GTA V)
Say hello to former Vinewood director Peter Dreyfuss. Actually, maybe it’s best if you don’t. Though this freak initially seems like another eccentric celebrity, collecting 50 hidden letter scraps reveals something far more sinister. The completed confession establishes that he tortured and murdered an actress in 1975, supposedly for “artistic purposes.” You can try to get him to confess, but he just ends up running.
4. The Los Santos Slasher (GTA Online)
Investigating mysterious clues in Blaine County? You had to know that wouldn’t end well. Sure enough, your snooping brings you to the Los Santos Slasher. After discovering evidence, you then get a threatening text message warning you that you're being watched. This guy then springs up at night and attacks with a machete, so he wasn’t kidding.
5. Donald Love (GTA III and Liberty City Stories)
Donald loves to pretend that he’s a lot of things: a wealthy businessman, a media mogul, and an all-around normal dude. Well, Liberty City Stories reveals his real tendencies, including his fondness for eating people (among other things). We didn’t need to see all that.
6. Jeff Harlingford (GTA IV)
Niko can’t catch a break. Case in point: Jeff Harlingford, the guy who only bothers us because he wants Niko to catch his supposedly cheating wife in the act. If you stick around the second encounter, though, you come to find out that Jeff killed his wife—and now he needs help hiding the evidence.
7. Marty Chonks (GTA III)
Marty Chonks is having a hard time financially (who isn’t?), but rather than do anything normal, he takes an especially gruesome approach to cut costs. Through a series of payphone missions, Claude delivers Marty's enemies and associates to the factory, where they're turned into dog food. Not even Marty’s wife is safe.
8. The Altruist Cult Members (GTA V)
Of course. Of course, Trevor knows people like this. Not only does he know about the cult, but Trevor’s also the only one who can deliver unsuspecting strangers to their secluded compound in exchange for money. However, do it enough times, and the cultists turn their sights on you.
9. Auntie Poulet (GTA: Vice City)
Auntie Poulet leads the Haitian gang in Vice City's Little Haiti neighborhood, where her grandmotherly appearance is honestly just for show. She uses substances to manipulate Tommy into attacking the Cubans, despite his relationship with their leadership. He then struggles to remember what he even did, making his encounters with Poulet particularly unsettling.
10. Mrs. Philips (GTA V)
Have you ever wondered why Trevor Philips is that way? Just meet his mom. Mrs. Philips immediately begins criticizing him, completely indifferent to the fact that he literally drops to his knees and sobs at her feet. She then demands that he obtain an entire van of Deludamol medication for her. When he returns with the pills, she’s gone, and the whole cycle of his terrible temperament starts all over again.
11. Marty Jay Williams (GTA: Vice City Stories)
Marty runs the Trailer Park Mafia while maintaining an abusive relationship with his wife, Louise. His threatening behavior is unsettling, to say the least, and things only take a turn when he attempts to kidnap Louise after she leaves him. Thankfully, Victor eventually intervenes.
12. Mrs. Thornhill (GTA V)
Mrs. Thornhill might seem like an enthusiastic tourist, but she’s actually just a psychotic old crone obsessed with celebrities. And we do mean obsessed. Alongside Nigel, she convinces Trevor (of course) to collect personal possessions belonging to the big whigs, including a musician's gold tooth. Their fixation eventually escalates into abducting an actor, so that’s fun.
13. Abigail Mathers (GTA V)
The story is this: Abigail recruits Michael to recover submarine parts connected to her husband's suspicious death. During their conversations, though, Michael has some questions about the obviously tampered-with vessel, which Abigail quickly dismisses. It’s never explicitly said whether she did it, but come on.
14. Cris Formage (GTA V)
Cris is just your run-of-the-mill cult leader—the brains behind the Epsilon Program. You can only do these side quests as Michael, and it doesn’t take long to uncover increasingly strange rituals and outlandish donations. Formage's greatest talent, though? Convincing vulnerable believers to basically shower him with money.
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15. Omega (GTA V)
Omega lives in the desert, which already doesn’t bode well for him. But it’s there that he spends his time investigating alien activity and attempting to communicate with them. Poor Franklin is left to find 50 scattered spaceship parts. Admittedly, this guy isn’t openly dangerous, but it’s still obvious why he lives alone in the middle of nowhere.
16. Jizzy B. (GTA: San Andreas)
Jizzy B. operates the Pleasure Domes nightclub by day, and participates in the Loco Syndicate's criminal activities by night. Of course, things don’t go well for him or you the more you run into him. Behind his fancy clothes and personality is just another exploitative criminal who treats women like dirt.
17. The Truth (GTA: San Andreas)
The Truth is an eccentric conspiracy theorist who recruits CJ for increasingly weird missions. At one point, you’re sent into the restricted Area 69 military facility to steal a jetpack, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. His mysterious connections and constant paranoia don’t make the jobs any easier, either.
18. Catalina (GTA: San Andreas)
Catalina introduces CJ to her unpredictable personality during their criminal adventures through the countryside surrounding Los Santos. She frequently threatens people and turns routine robberies into increasingly chaotic confrontations. It’s only worsened by her yo-yoing between romantic affection and intimidation.
19. Dr. Isiah Friedlander (GTA V)
Surprise—Dr. Friedlander never really cared about Michael or his dumb problems. Though the game encourages therapy sessions, you might want to refrain; this fraudster only plans to capitalize on your experiences through a TV show. The good news is that if you’re quick, you can stop him before he runs off.
20. The Clown Slashers (GTA Online)
During certain Halloween events in GTA Online, sinister clown NPCs can pop up and attack you. These brightly dressed enemies are part of the game's Slasher encounters, which transform ordinary nighttime exploration into a free-for-all. Basically, if you want to drive around during Halloween, you'd best be packing.
