About

When the Loading Screen Takes So Long You Start Seeing Characters You've Never Seen Before is a catchphrase used in a series of captioned video memes about the loading screen in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5). Originally used as a joke about the game failing to load and the player coming to a realization that they will have to restart, the meme evolved into parodies in which various meme characters were edited into the screens, similar to GTA VI Loading Screen Parodies.

Origin

In Grand Theft Auto V, the entry screen is a sequence of images that loop while the game is loading up. The original version of the game had 12 loading screens, with eight added in the Enhanced Version.^[1] Additionally, more unique screens are used as Grand Theft Auto Online splash message backgrounds.

Depending on the system, the game usually loads for the player before all the screens are cycled through, meaning that players might only see some screens when the game is failing to load.

On October 30th, 2023, TikTok^[2] user @zvitalonyt posted a POV meme captioned, "POV: You're Loading Up GTA 5 And You Start Seeing Pictures That You Normally Don't See," showing some of the less-recognized Grand Theft Auto screens, with an image of Stephen A. Smith used as a reaction. The video (shown below) garnered over 436,000 likes in two years.

Spread

In the following days, @zvitalonyt posted more memes using the same caption but using different Grand Theft Auto V screens. For example, on January 19th, 2024, @zvitalonyt posted a meme that garnered over 164,000 likes on TikTok^[3] in one year.

On March 18th, 2024, the user posted another video to their TikTok^[4] account that gained over 685,000 likes in one year (shown below).

In 2024, more TikTok^[5][6][7] accounts posted similar memes, including posts by @gaming, @gtagamelancer and @dj_cara_official.

On April 5th, 2025, TikTok^[8] user @bleekloveskamala posted a video that altered the format, using a parody screen of the American politician Kamala Harris. The post (shown below) gained over 4.6 million views and 1.3 million likes in two months.

In the following weeks, the updated version of the format achieved popularity on TikTok, with multiple versions of the meme going viral.

For example, on April 14th, TikTok^[9] user @callam_firthy posted a meme that received over 1.7 million views and 251,000 likes in one month (shown below).

Related Memes

Grand Theft Auto 4 Intro Loading Screen Parodies

Grand Theft Auto 4 Intro Loading Screen Parodies refers to a series of video edits and remixes made to resemble the introductory loading screen of the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV using other properties and pop culture references, typically humorous or outlandish in nature. The edits first started appearing in 2010, reaching peak popularity in late 2020, leading into early 2021 on YouTube.