10 Most Shocking Video Game Sidekick Betrayals

7. Big Smoke & Ryder - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

GTA san andreas betrayal big smoke
Rockstar

There’s some argument over which epic GTA betrayal is the nastiest, and the cruel turn of Big Smoke & Ryder absolutely belongs on this list.

The Grove Street Families stick together. Except they super don’t and the dudes you expect to have your back through thick and thin just totally screw you over after all. CJ’s lifelong friend Big Smoke and Ryder betray the GSF by meeting up with CRASH, that is, the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums, and the Ballas gang, ultimately opting to sell everyone else out for money and power.

The insult on top of the crappy injury is CJ spotting the meeting as it goes down, including seeing the same car present when his mother was gunned down by the Ballas at the beginning of the game. Extremely uncool.

Delivering your own method of justice feels fair but the scene comes as a real shock and is honestly just super freaking disappointing.

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Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.