GTA 6 meme glossary

Let's go bowling

"Let's go bowling" is the invitation Roman Bellic keeps phoning in to his cousin Niko in GTA IV, often at the worst possible moment. Players heard it so often that the line became a meme for an overly persistent friend and a classic sound for remix videos.

GTA classics First seen: April 29, 2008 Updated October 16, 2026

Origin. GTA IV came out on 29 April 2008. Roman is the first friend Niko meets, and his calls arrive in the middle of chases, missions and dates. One of the first clips, with Roman calling while standing on a factory pipe, was posted on 27 September 2008, and Oney's parody animation "Grand Theft Awesome" from 1 November 2008 passed 16 million views.

How people use it. As a reply to anyone who keeps texting with plans, as audio in remixes and as ten-hour loops.

Example. A phone screen with 47 missed calls from "Cousin", captioned "Niko, it's Roman!".

Sources

1 Know Your Meme: Let's Go Bowling knowyourmeme.com
2 YouTube, Oney Cartoons: Grand Theft Awesome (1 November 2008) youtube.com

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