Why did Big Smoke betray CJ in GTA San Andreas?

GTA San Andreas was a grounded and well-designed game. It had an amazing storyline with great missions that not only kept players immersed but also did an incredible job in setting the tone.

When players get to know Big Smoke and Ryder's real colors, it really was tragic. Rockstar did an amazing job in capturing CJ's life and his rise to the top. In the end, during the End of the Line mission, when CJ kills Big Smoke in a gunfight, players got to know a new side of CJ which was something that players still admire about GTA San Andreas.

Players have been wondering why Big Smoke betrayed his friends and his gang even though he had everything he wanted. This article will answer that question.

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Why Big Smoke betrayed CJ in GTA San Andreas

If the players look closely, there are subtle clues in the game foreshadowing Big Smoke's betrayal. Rockstar very brilliantly laid out the characters and the missions around them.

Big Smoke's alliance with Officer Tenpenny and Ballas was not revealed to players up until the Green Sabre mission. This mission changed everything. Even though CJ was reluctant to accept this at first, after the events of badlands and photo opportunity missions, CJ came to terms with it.

When entering Big Smoke's crack palace, he saw Big Smoke wearing an armored vest, smoking crack, and playing video games. Big Smoke saw CJ with a gun but he refused to accept any wrongdoing. He said:

"I made it, CJ, I'm a success, I can't be touched! I don't give a f***, f*** the whole world".

After killing Big Smoke in a gunfight, during his end minutes Smoke explains to CJ that he betrayed the gang because he ultimately saw an opening to become rich and famous and took it without considering the outcomes. He also said that because of his greedy nature, he had no choice in the matter.

This shows that Big Smoke just wanted money and popularity over anything. He did not want to end up like an ordinary gangsta. This was the reason he betrayed CJ.