The Arsenal squad when GTA 5 was released: Where are they for GTA 6?

It's been 13 years since GTA 5 was released and as the gaming world gears up for the much-anticipated release of its sequel on 19 November, fans of the Grand Theft Auto series are remembering where they were back in 2013.

So much has changed throughout the world and in football over the last decade with Arsenal seeing much of that transition, going from regular Champions League appearance makers to mid-table dwellers to Premier League champions.

The squad the Gunners boast now is significantly different and superior to the one they had when GTA 5 was released on 17 September 2013 so we've taken a look back at that team and exploring where they find themselves for GTA 6.

Wojciech Szczęsny was still Arsenal's number one goalkeeper upon GTA 5's release, but the 2013/14 season did prove to be his penultimate year in North London as he left on a two-year loan spell with Roma in 2015 before eventually joining Juventus.

The former Poland international is now deputising at Barcelona, having come out of a brief retirement to join the La Liga side in 2024, and has since won two Spanish titles, as well as the Copa del Rey.

This season ended up being Bacary Sagna's final year with Arsenal as he bid farewell to the Emirates Stadium upon the expiration of his contract to join Manchester City.

He won the League Cup with City ahead of joining Benevento and later Montreal Impact before retiring in 2019. Sagna spent time as the manager of Emirati women's club Banaat last year, but has since left the role.

Eventually going on to become the Gunners' captain, Per Mertesacker remained with the club until 2018, announcing his retirement to become the manager of Arsenal Academy. He spent eight years in the role before departing this summer.

Mertesacker currently works as a pundit and is set to become managing director for sport of the German Football Association from 1 January 2027.

Another who departed Arsenal at the end of the 2013/14 season, Thomas Vermaelen lifted the FA Cup as club captain, but was an unused substitute in the 3-2 final victory over Hull City.

The Belgian left North London to join Barcelona and spent time on loan with Roma before signing for Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2019. Upon his retirement in 2022, he became a coach for his national team and is still operating in the role.

Laurent Koscielny found himself to be one of the heroes of Arsenal's FA Cup victory this season as he scored the equaliser to help his side complete a comeback from two goals down before Aaron Ramsey grabbed the all-important winning goal.

He stayed with the club until 2019, becoming captain a year prior, but tarnished his legacy by leaving in controversial terms. Koscielny refused to take part in the Gunners' pre-season tour of the United States and forced a move to Bordeaux. His announcement video depicted him removing an Arsenal shirt to show the colours of his new club.

The Frenchman retired in 2022 following a pay dispute with Les Girondins and is now working as the sporting director at Lorient.

Tomáš Rosický's Arsenal's appearances were sparse from the 2013/14 season until his departure at the end of the 2015/16 campaign, when he returned to boyhood club Sparta Prague.

He spent two years with the Czech side before retiring in 2018, ahead of his appointment as the club's sports director, a role he continues to serve in ahead of GTA 6's release.

This one probably doesn't need any explanation. Mikel Arteta remained with Arsenal for a further three years after GTA 5 hit the shelves, retiring in 2016 and ultimately joining Pep Guardiola's staff at Man City.

He returned to the Emirates in December 2019, turning the Gunners' luck around by saving them from becoming a mid-table club and taking them back to being genuine title contenders. Arteta finally ended the agonising wait to win the Premier League title once again, claiming the prize in the 2025/26 season. His side are currently five points clear at the top of the table at the time of GTA 6's release.

Lukas Podolski was Arsenal's number nine when GTA 5 was released to the world and he remained that until he left for Inter Milan on loan in 2015. He subsequently had spells with Galatasaray, Vissel Kobe and Antalyaspor.

He signed for Polish side Górnik Zabrze in 2021 and was with the club until this summer, when he announced his retirement at the age of 40-years-old. Podolski is now the majority owner of the club, having previously obtained small shares during his playing career.

Jack Wilshere's time at Arsenal after GTA 5's release was hindered by injuries and after a loan away to Bournemouth and a final year in North London, he crossed the divide to join West Ham. A return to the Cherries and a spell with Danish side Aarhus Gymnastikforening followed before he called time on his playing career in 2022.

He quickly transitioned into coaching, taking charge of the Gunners' Under-18s for two years ahead of becoming a part of the staff at Norwich City. He ended the 2024/25 season as the Canaries' interim manager and then took charge of Luton Town in October 2025, guiding them to a second EFL Trophy triumph and currently fighting for promotion to the Championship.

Having joined the Gunners as their then-record signing, there were high hopes for Mesut Özil to set the Premier League alight with his outstanding ability. While there were plenty of glimpses of his brilliance, he was still inconsistent for the Gunners and ended up being frozen out by Arteta.

He left for Fenerbahçe in January 2021 and after a spell with İstanbul Başakşehir, he officially retired in 2023. The former German international opted against a career in management and has since moved in to politics, as well as being involved in a number of business ventures, including owning a stake in Mexican club Necaxa.

One of few players from this squad who is still playing, Olivier Giroud spent a further five years with Arsenal before joining London rivals Chelsea in January 2018.

After spells with AC Milan and Los Angeles FC, he returned to his home nation of France to join Lille in 2025, and is expected to retire at the end of the current season.

Emiliano Viviano spent the season on loan at Arsenal from Palermo and didn't make a single appearance as he acted as a third-choice goalkeeper.

He had spells throughout Europe following his uneventful period in North London and retired in 2024.

Off the back of a season in which he was his side's top goalscorer, Theo Walcott missed much of the 2013/14 campaign due to injury. He recovered to win the FA Cup with Arsenal the following year though and stayed with the Gunners until joining Everton in 2018.

He returned to boyhood club Southampton from the Toffees two years later and scored his final professional goal in a 3-3 draw at the Emirates that contributed to the Gunners' failure to win the Premier League. Walcott retired in August 2023 and now works as a pundit.

Another product of the South Coast, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also missed a significant chunk of the campaign through fitness issues, which were a recurring factor until he moved to Liverpool in 2017.

He won several trophies with the Reds before joining Beşiktaş and later Celtic, where he is currently in the midst of a title race with Rangers.

Aaron Ramsey ended the 2013/14 season by scoring the winning goal against Hull City in the FA Cup final, and repeated the feat in a victory over Chelsea three years later. The Welshman remained at Arsenal until the expiration of his contract in 2019, signing for Juventus.

Spells with Rangers, Nice, Cardiff City and Pumas followed before he returned to England to retire and make the move into management in 2026, being appointed manager of League One side Oxford United in June. The U's are currently third in the table and are bidding for an instant return to the Championship.

Nacho Monreal ended his first season with Arsenal by winning the FA Cup and went on to be one of their most crucial and underrated players all the way through to joining Real Sociedad in 2019.

He remained with the Spanish side for three years before retiring in 2022, and he is now working with football agency Global Ases.

Like Ramsey and Koscielny, Santi Cazorla was instrumental in his side's FA Cup win during this season, scoring a stunning free kick to bring Arsenal back in to the game against Hull. He continued to impress for the Gunners until an injury almost ended his career, and ultimately called time on his spell in North London in 2018.

He had spells with former club Villarreal and Al Sadd before signing for the team he supported as a child Real Oviedo, earning them promotion to La Liga in 2025, only to see them relegated instantly the following year. Cazorla announced his retirement this year and is spending time away from football, but has expressed interest in coaching, and has reportedly been on the end of an invitation from Arteta.

Starting a second spell with Arsenal upon GTA 5's release, Mathieu Flamini remained in North London for three years before heading across the capital to sign for Crystal Palace. He spent just a year at Selhurst Park and later joined Getafe, before retiring in 2020.

Having co-founded biochemical company GF Biochemicals in 2008, Flamini currently serves as its CEO, a role he has held since 2022.

This season proved to be Łukasz Fabiański's last at Arsenal as he joined Swansea City on a free transfer at the end of the campaign. Despite making just one league appearance during the term, he did start the 3-2 FA Cup final win over Hull.

The goalkeeper eventually joined West Ham in 2018 and stayed with the club until this year, departing following their relegation to the Championship. Fabiański subsequently announced his retirement and is now operating as a coach in the Hammers' academy.

It never quite worked out for Yaya Sanogo at Arsenal. He ended the 2013/14 season without a goal and left the club permanently following a series of loans away, joining French side Toulouse.

He was most recently with Amazonas in Brazil, but has been without a club since 2025 and has not officially announced his retirement from playing.

Nicklas Bendtner followed a number of his teammates out the Emirates exit door at the end of the 2013/14 season, joining VfL Wolfsburg, where he spent two years.

After spells with Nottingham Forest, Rosenborg and Copenhagen, he announced his retirement in 2021 and has since moved into business and esports, founding Legendary Gaming Group.

Abou Diaby continued to be plagued by injuries throughout the 2013/14 season, managing just one appearance before ultimately departing for Marseille in 2015.

After managing only six appearances in two years with the French side, he left the club in 2017 and announced his retirement from playing in 2019. Diaby is now working as a consultant for the French league while also studying for a master's degree in sports management.

The 2013/14 campaign saw Carl Jenkinson make his most appearances in a term for Arsenal, playing 22 times across all competitions as well as scoring his sole goal for the club.

He stayed with the Gunners until 2019, subsequently spending time with Nottingham Forest, Melbourne City, Newcastle Jets and most recently Bromley, who he represented up to this year. Jenkinson announced his retirement this summer after leaving the Ravens.

One of the standout moments for Kieran Gibbs in this season came when he was sent off in a 6-0 defeat away to Chelsea due to a case of mistaken identity. He later started the FA Cup final win over Hull.

He left Arsenal for West Brom in 2017 and later joined Inter Miami before announcing his retirement in 2023. Gibbs now works in football media and is also a co-founder of academy ONE FC.

This season proved to be the only one in which Ryō Miyaichi was not loaned away from Arsenal as he made five appearances in all competitions.

He left the Gunners in 2015 and is currently playing for J1 League side Yokohama F. Marinos.

The one that got away. Serge Gnabry made 14 appearances for Arsenal in the 2013/14 season, scoring once and playing a part in their run to the FA Cup final.

He left for Werder Bremen in 2016 and joined Bayern Munich a year later, still representing the Bundesliga giants in the current day, having won a number of trophies, including seven league titles and a Champions League.

Gedion Zelalem was introduced to Arsenal's first team during the season, but it didn't quite pay off for him as he failed to break into the squad ahead of his departure in 2019.

He is now playing for New Mexico United in the USL Championship , the second tier of US football.