Catalina: From San Andreas to Liberty City

The unpredictable psychopath who connects GTA San Andreas and GTA III through her relationships.

1992-2001 - San Andreas to Liberty City

The unpredictable psychopath who connects GTA San Andreas and GTA III through her relationships.

Catalina is one of the most important cross-game characters in the 3D Universe, directly connecting GTA San Andreas (1992) and GTA III (2001).

San Andreas (1992)

CJ meets Catalina in the countryside. She is a violent, unstable woman who forces CJ into a brief romantic relationship while robbing businesses across rural San Andreas. Her psychotic behavior and love of violence foreshadow her future as a cartel leader.

The Transition

After CJ moves to Las Venturas, Catalina leaves him for Claude - the future protagonist of GTA III. She and Claude leave San Andreas for Liberty City sometime between 1992 and 2001, where Catalina establishes connections with the Colombian Cartel.

GTA III (2001)

By 2001, Catalina is the co-leader of the Colombian Cartel alongside Miguel. She betrays Claude during a bank robbery, shooting him and leaving him for dead. This betrayal - the opening scene of GTA III - sets the entire plot in motion. Claude spends the rest of the game working his way through Liberty City's criminal factions to get revenge.

Legacy

Catalina's journey from a side character in rural San Andreas to the main antagonist of GTA III is one of the most satisfying narrative connections in the franchise. She even calls CJ from Liberty City during San Andreas, taunting him about her new boyfriend.

Key facts