The Third Way
Ending C (Deathwish) in which all three protagonists cooperate to kill Merryweather, FIB, and Weston enemies across multiple assaults.
Overview
The Third Way is Ending C, chosen when the player selects Deathwish on the post-heist phone call. Instead of turning on each other, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor coordinate strikes against shared enemies. The finale includes assaults on Triad and federal targets plus a confrontation with Devin Weston. All three protagonists survive and remain partners in the epilogue, making this the only ending where the trio stays intact. This mission is one of three mutually exclusive endings triggered by the phone call after The Big Score. The choice cannot be reversed without reloading a save from before the call or replaying the story. Post-game free roam continues with the surviving protagonist roster determined by the ending. Strangers and Freaks progress and property ownership carry over, but some character-specific activities become unavailable depending on who survives.
Walkthrough
1. Select Deathwish on the ending phone choice after The Big Score. 2. Meet the crew and plan simultaneous hits on enemy leaders. 3. Assault the Triad factory target with assigned protagonist. 4. Assault the FIB target and eliminate Steve Haines. 5. Attack Merryweather forces at the construction site. 6. Confront Devin Weston and complete the final escape sequence.
Fail Conditions
The mission fails if all protagonists die during any assault wave before the Weston confrontation concludes. Individual protagonist death fails the active combat segment until retry.
Unlocks
- Completes Ending C (Deathwish) - Keeps all three protagonists for epilogue freeroam