GTA 5: Why Michael Hallucinates Aliens When He’s High

Grand Theft Auto 5 is as much about exploring the colorful city of Los Santos as it is about uncovering the treasure trove of secrets that Rockstar Games has hidden in it. One of the game’s most well-known anomalies is the appearance of aliens throughout GTA 5’s campaign. There are several UFO extraterrestrial sightings in the game, but most of them occur to protagonist Michael De Santa while he’s under the influence of drugs. Could aliens be communicating with Michael, or are they just a figment of his imagination?

Extraterrestrials don’t play a pivotal role in GTA 5‘s story and are instead reserved as fascinating Easter eggs meant to confuse and intrigue players. Still, there’s compelling evidence that aliens actually exist in the GTA universe and aren’t just specters that haunt Michael’s mind. Players can stumble upon a UFO sighting after reaching 100% completion in GTA 5, which any of the games’ three protagonists can witness. Regardless of the existence of aliens, there are a couple of reasons why Michael sees them while he’s high.

Michael hallucinates aliens twice in GTA 5. The first time occurs during the Strangers and Freaks side mission, Grass Roots, where a marijuana legalization activist convinces Michael to smoke a special strain of weed. The joint makes Michael see an army of aliens that players need to defeat by using a minigun. The next time Michael has a run-in with aliens in Grand Theft Auto 5, it’s because he accidentally sips a ketamine-spiked drink his son Jimmy gives him. This time, he’s abducted by aliens and is thrown off a flying saucer. Both of these events happen in Michael’s head, which reveals a lot about his character.

Why Michael Thinks About Aliens In GTA 5

Both of Michael’s hallucinations can be explained by his relative inexperience with marijuana and ketamine. Throughout the game, he’s only seen consuming alcohol while shaming his son Jimmy for smoking weed. He’s also never seen partaking in harder drugs like his associate Trevor Phillips, which suggests that Michael’s general tolerance for drugs makes him susceptible to having bad trips. Players can have him smoke out of his son’s bong at the De Santa house, but Jimmy’s marijuana is apparently not as strong as the one peddled by GTA 5’s weed activist. But, still, why do all of Michael’s drug-induced hallucinations involve aliens?

Rockstar doesn’t give gamers a straight answer, but it could have to do with Michael’s obsession with movies. The protagonist is a known movie buff and has worked in the film industry in the past, including during some of GTA 5’s missions, which means he could have been involved with action movies and sci-fi flicks. Michael could have a deep-rooted fear of aliens, which flairs up when he’s uncomfortably high – and seeing how Xenomorph-style beings appear to exist in Grand Theft Auto 5, his fear might not be so irrational after all.