Oldest Playable Characters In Rockstar’s Games, Ranked

Summary

• Rockstar game protagonists show signs of aging, reflecting maturity in storytelling and character development.
• Characters like Johnny, Tommy, Arthur, John, Trevor, Max, and Michael’s ages are highlighted in the article.
• These characters face varied fates; some meet their tragic demise, while others continue living life on the edge.

Just like their namesake, the protagonists of Rockstar games tend not to make the sort of thoughtful decisions that would ensure a long life. Larger-than-life, action-prone, and occasionally nihilistic, the stars of excessively violent games like Grand Theft Auto tend to be young guns who shoot first and ask questions later.

However, as the studio aged, their storytelling aspirations also matured, as did their player’s in-game avatars. Grizzled and world-weary, these protagonists are starting to feel the weight of the world after so many bank robberies and carjackings. Beware a few aged spoilers for games in the Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto, and Red Dead Redemption series.

7

Johnny Klebitz – 34 Years Old

Riding Wild Until The Big 40

• Date of birth: 1974
• GTA 4: The Lost and Damned takes place in: 2008

Johnny Klebitz, acting VP of the Lost Motorcycle Club, appears as a minor story in Grand Theft Auto but appears as the protagonist of the “The Lost and Damned” episode. As he appears in the episode, he is 34 years old.

With the player’s help, Johnny survives the events of “The Lost and Damned” and rides on, all the way to his 39th birthday in 2013, where, as a non-playable character, he meets a grizzly fate when he is mercilessly killed by another protagonist, Trevor, in the desert during one of his temper tantrums in Grand Theft Auto 5.

6

Tommy Vercetti – 35 Years Old

The Undying Avatar Of The Gratuitous 80s

• Date of birth: 1951
• GTA: Vice City takes place in: 1986

As a former hitman who survived a deadly ambush before rising to become Vice City’s most powerful crime boss with a sweet mansion, it is a miracle that Tommy managed to outlive most of his peers (and even a few of his former superiors).

Tommy Vercetti was born in 1951, and the story of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City takes place in 1986, which makes Tommy around 35 years old. Tommy survives at least until the time of San Andreas, which would put him at 41 years of age. If he managed to survive until 2025, he would be 74.

5

Arthur Morgan – 36 Years Old

The Gunslinger With Dusty Boots (And Lungs)

• Date of birth: 1863
• Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in: 1899

Arthur Morgan spent his whole life as an outlaw but began questioning the cost of that lifestyle all too late. Born in 1863, Arthur is 36 years old in Red Dead Redemption 2‘s story. By the standards of the late 1800s, Arthur is already approaching an old age.

Most people in the olden days never reached their twenties, but Arthur’s longevity cut short should hardly be a surprise given his violent and nomadic existence. Unfortunately, his hard life catches up to him when he contracts tuberculosis, leading to his inevitable and tragic demise before ever reaching his forties.

4

John Marston – 38 Years Old

A Man With Plenty Of Ill, Bitter History

• Date of birth: 1873
• Red Dead Redemption takes place in: 1911

Since his birth in 1873, John Marston hardly had an easy moment in his life. By 11, he had already killed a man, and around a year later, found himself inducted into a gang after narrowly avoiding a lynching.

Red Dead Redemption takes place during the closing of the so-called “Wild West,” 1911, by which time John has 38 years of tumulous life under his belt, and plenty of bad history to contend with and confront (in his case, with pistols).

3

Trevor Philips – Mid-40s

Running On Rage For Over Four Decades

• Date of birth: sometime in the late 1960s
• GTA 5 takes place in: 2013

Mentally disturbed and terrifyingly violent, it is scary to think what this guy would have been capable of in his “spring chicken” years. Trevor’s exact age is never explicitly stated in GTA, but it is mentioned that he was around 20 years old at the end of the 80s.

This would put him in his mid-40s by the time of GTA 5. Nothing that comes out of Trevor’s mouth can be trusted given his demonstrable insanity, but his sun-damaged and time-haunted appearance does seem to back this up.

2

Max Payne – 47 Years Old

Looking Pretty Good Considering The Years Of Abuse

• Date of birth: November 30, 1965
• Max Payne 3 takes place in: 2011, 2012

Poor Max is living up to his name by the time his 50s come into view. Born in November of 1965, Max has endured a life of tragedy, action, and addiction. All that crazy bullet time starts to catch up with him by 2011 when he finds himself needing a regular dose of painkillers and a chaser of the hard stuff just to get out of bed.

The last the world sees of Max Payne is in 2012, making him 47 years old, seemingly willing to embrace healing and rest after years of revenge and brutality.

1

Michael De Santa – 48 Years Old

Hardly One Of The Saints, Nor Softened With Age

• Date of birth: 1965
• GTA 5 takes place in: 2013

According to Michael’s tombstone (which he narcissistically visits during his funeral after faking his death), he was born in 1965. This would make Michael De Santa (known as Michael Townley in his past life) 48 by the time of Grand Theft Auto 5‘s story.

Thus far, Michael is the oldest Rockstar protagonist to feature in his own story. Michael was last heard of in 2021, with confirmation that he was still working at Richard Majestic Studios as a movie producer, making him 56. However, he is never playable or actually seen in-game.

Honorable Mention: Red Dead Online Multiplayer Characters – 50+

These playable characters are a special mention as they only appear as playable in Red Dead Redemption‘s multiplayer mode. Some of the youngens of this group are Harold MacDougal and Bill Williamson, who are in their early 40s. Leigh Johnson, Agustin Allende, Dutch van der Linde, and Edgar Ross, who are in their late 50s to early 60s are also available as playable avatars.

The old timers of no specific age but of clear sagicity Uncle, Drew McFarlane, and Landon Ricketts make an appearance in multiplayer. Kyle McGinty and Christy Weller, both of the Legendary rank, are in their late 60s or early 70s, with Christy making a regular comment about her age.