When does Doomsday Heist take place?

[MurrayAbraham]

Hello all,

 

That is my first post. After finishing all of the three acts of Doomsday Heist, I started to wonder when does this everything take place. As we know, game developers in recent updates cared a little bit less about the timeline.

 

Up until Import/Export update everything was in order - events of Online take place before Michael and Franklin meet each other in Jimmy's car. We stole cars for nice profit. Some of the collections were requested by characters that become dead at some point in Story Mode (like Jay Norris). Similarly with original Heists Update from 2015 - the Humane Raid takes place before F. M. and T. storm the same location for FIB. Contact missions from Martin Madrazo are finished by driving to his yet undamaged mansion.

 

With GunRunning things became complicated - Vehicle Work involving chasing rogue agent in Weaponized Tampa starts with a statement from Agent 14: "It is 2017". Same with Smugglers' Run - Ron says that Trevor has gone full Vinewood (probably a nod towards Steven Ogg and his role in The Walking Dead). Therefore starting with first major update in 2017 (the Gunrunning), events of Online are contemporary.

 

With all this high tech combat stuff in Doomsday Heist Update, one would that it also happens in 2017. But there are several dialogue lines which might lead to different conclusions. This is my list of doubts that arose while playing Doomsday Heist:

 

1) Lester never mentions the days he was working with our well known trio on the Union Depository score - yet somehow he refers Nico (whom he does not know) and ULP agent (whom he is about to meet for the first time) doing wet work back in Liberty City (Three Leaf Clover).

 

2) United Liberty Paper is alive - he can be easily killed in Story Mode as he is pretty much at the worst end of the barrel.

 

3) Merryweather still present in Los Santos - after finishing Story Mode they stated that they ceased all their operations on US soil. On the other hand, we still fight them in Gunrunning selling missions (so that's not really a proof of anything).

 

4) Lester wanting to come back to simple bank robberies - is it really nod towards all these players who don't really appreciate the military content? Maybe it means that all the scores in Story Mode haven't yet happened?

 

5) Lester's statement before Act III Finale: "we won't have to rob Union Deposit - IAA will give us the keys!" - if Doomsday Scenario takes place in 2017, then Lester already has his cut from 2013 UD score. Why would he then be so keen on robbing it again? His excitement whilst mentioning UD makes me think he has not yet contacted the people willing to pull off this kind of job.

 

What do you guys think?

[LeeTone]

I have two theories:

 

1. R* retconned the events of GTAV or don't care enough to keep a consistent timeline.

2. GTAO takes place in an alternate universe/timeline.

 

It's probably theory 1.

[Ash_735]

GTAO takes place in 2013, 2014 AND 2017 all at the same time. Must be fun for new players having the years jump about.

[SinZer0s]

2017 at least until Rockstar changes the year again with another update just like what happened with gunrunning.

[Yinepi]

Rockstar abused the Deluxo. That's why nothing makes sense anymore and all chronological order is screwed. The GTA timeline is like the broken watch that you never bother fixing, because it looks nice on your wrist, and you can tell the time with your smartphone now.

Though in fairness, they started doing this back in 2015 when they had Self Radio DJ's be Andee and Cliff Lane from 3D era, along with Claude and Misty be Online "parents" despite clearly expressing before GTAIV was released that HD and 3D universes were not connected.

Funny though, this isn't the only game released under Take-Two within the last 3 years that has completely f*cked up it's lore and/or timeline. Mafia III did the same.

Edited December 19, 2017 by Yinepi

[MechanicMammal]

When the game first came out I believe that it was stated that online was meant to be set before the events of Story mode so 2012 - early 2013, but now who the hell knows?

The original heists also point towards online being set before story mode because in "Series A funding" Trevor talks about setting up a cook house which is already established in story mode.

But online has vehicles which were not available in 2013 I guess you could explain this by saying they were prototypes maybe? but that is a poor explanation IMO.

Truth is I think rockstar are more concerned about Shark card sales nowadays than they were in the early years well before Gunrunning anyway so Im sure the head honchos at take 2 said "screw the story and consistency from this point on, as long as we can make people buy shark cards for flying bikes cars Batmobiles etc etc etc"

[Malibu Club]

From what I can tell, everything that came out before the heists update took place in 2013. Anything that came out after is present day.

[Rafae]

Does it really matter at this point?

 

It's all over the place, so much to the point where I believe Online truly takes place in an alternate universe.

[Yinepi]

Does it really matter at this point?

 

It's all over the place, so much to the point where I believe Online truly takes place in an alternate universe.

While alternate universe may be the easiest way to comprehend it, most of the evidence hints to it not being an alternate universe.

 

In the mission Chop, Franklin mentions that Lamar boosts Gas Tankers, to which contact missions for Lamar take place in Online that have you stealing said tankers. This inevitably ties Story Mode and Online together.

[Rafae]

Ok then I believe it takes place in present day - 2017.

[CaliMeatWagon]

Food for thought:

Oct. 2013 the game releases with Online contact missions that coincide with single player missions, mostly through Lester:

"I need you to steal these diamonds that are about to leave to Liberty City by way of helicopter"

 

"There is a stick up crew trying to steal explosives from the subway project, steal the explosive first"

"I got a crew that needs a police distraction, go around the city and attack the cops for X amount of time"

[KUZMITCHS]

In the Act 2 mission where you save ULP, lester mentions that the events of GTA IV took place around a decade ago. So I think it's still 2017 since GR.

 

Edit: Also, in the Act 1 finale, the female IAA agent mentions ULP as the "buffoon that caused the incident at the museum."

Edited December 19, 2017 by KUZMITCHS

[Arrows to Athens]

The timeline is the least of my worries.

[BLACK DYNAM1TE]

OP its not important unless your making a book report for history class and it still wouldn't matter because its all fiction. Just use your imagination...which isn't important either.

[Sunny_D]

I just sort of shrugged it off and still made the story work in my own way. The way i did so

>ULPs death isnt cannon

>after I/E, the updates after takes place AFTER the story

>the trio cuts ties with each other and lester, leaving them out of the game

[Jimbatron]

Some thoughts:

 

If it's consistent then the following must be true:

1) The original Heists are in 2013, before the SP story - Lester's garmant factory hasn't been burned down.

2) Lester says ULP was running an LC bank robber (Niko), a decade ago, which puts the Doomsday Heist as 2017.

 

If I'm being generous the best we can say is:

A) ULP's death in "The Wrap Up" isn't cannon (as above) - Michael doesn't have to kill him and can rush past the IAA squad to the next checkpoint.

B) Maybe Lester's talk about the Union Depository is a bit of a bluff trying to convince people he had nothing to do with it, as it would be a well known incident.

 

Why Lester would still be doing jobs after the UD score at all is a bit of a mystery. Maybe he's just bored if M, F and T all retired.

Edited January 8, 2018 by Jimbatron

[Shadowfennekin]

It isn't the first time they made a possible death not canon, though C was always obviously canon.

 

Don't forget the "The UD's never been hit" - Three guys are robbing it in a SV mission, and I/E was pre-2013 since Jay Norris was still alive.

 

I wonder if Lester just wants to try robbing the UD again because the security's been beefed up after the last robbery(And of course, cause it won't be THAT easy for us to just leave in armored trucks like that)

[Gtaman_92]

GTA Online originally took place in 2013 but ever since the gunrunning update the game has been set into 2017.

Edited January 9, 2018 by Gtaman_92

[Pepperjack]

The IAA Lady also mentions ULP's operation at the museum, which was a mission in singleplayer when the fbi attacked

[kidtwist81]

Try not to lose any sleep over it guyz.

[Rammer2k]

If it does take place 4 years after Story Mode, I'm sure the UD would have restocked their gold supply for Lester to crave another raid on it again.

[les999]

We have a hover car that looks like a Delorean, so anything is possible timewise...

[dieseltech20]

Well, I’ve been playing it in 2017 and 18, so.......

 

They have given up completely, 100% on story mode, everything is current. When it comes to Online, forget single player ever existed.

[Jimbatron]

We have a hover car that looks like a Delorean, so anything is possible timewise...

Digression but what a dissapoinent Oct 21st 2015 turned out to be irl. Why don't I have a fax machine in every room in my house?

[Smokewood]

The calendar in my bunker says it's 2013....

 

I guess I haven't bothered to take it down yet?????

 

NO, it says 2003!

Edited January 22, 2018 by Smokewood

[Piro]

The answer is - don't think about it. R* stopped caring about the timeline years ago, so should you. They made countless mistakes by now.

For me most events from online are not even canon anymore. They exist only in this imaginary sharkcardland with pink flying bikes and people who dress like idiots. Everything from freeroam to advensary modes is not part of the real story.

Everything else? "Somewhere before and after the story mode" is the only real answer you will get.

[Ezekeil2Ofive17]

As soon as we got flying rocket bikes I decided that my character died on his flight to ls and gtao is the afterlife. Still not sure if it's heaven or hell though

 

Funnily enough, there is actually plane wreckage of the north west coast

[Piro]

As soon as we got flying rocket bikes I decided that my character died on his flight to ls and gtao is the afterlife. Still not sure if it's heaven or hell though

 

Funnily enough, there is actually plane wreckage of the north west coast

 

[Rafae]

It takes place in modern day that's all you need to know

[thepiebaker]

All optional pathways (ron dying, merryweather, ulp) etc are in their most koombiyah situation.

 

Don't act like C* is the first to scramble a timeline like this

(I LEFT YOUR DECAPITATED HEAD MOUNTED ON THE URN OF A FEMALE JESUS' ASHES. HOW ARE YOU LEADING MY SPIES!?!?!?")