Beta Releases in GTA V

Before the release of Grand Theft Auto V, there were features that were removed from the final product. These changes range from deleted vehicles and player skins to the removal of entire characters and mission strands.

Characters

 * According to the Rush Casting Call, a lot of characters' names in Grand Theft Auto V were changed. The names mentioned were :
 * Trevor Philips - Simon
 * Michael De Santa - Albert De Silva
 * Steve Haines - Mitch Hayes
 * Andreas Sanchez - Miguel Gonzalez
 * Wade Hebert - Clyde
 * Brother Adrian - Brother Adam
 * Barry - Eddie
 * Jimmy De Santa - Kevin De Silva
 * Simeon Yetarian - Harut Vartanyan
 * Ron Jakowski - Nervous Jerry
 * Dave Norton - Calvin North
 * Lester Crest - Jerry Cole
 * Tao Cheng - Tae Wong
 * Cheng's translator - Tae's Translator
 * In the gameplay trailer, Jordan was playing tennis against Michael, but he was replaced by Rae instead.
 * Mark Fostenburg was originally named Glen Stanky.
 * Dexie was originally named Mr Muffy Cakes.

Clothing

 * In Franklin's trailer, Denise Clinton can be seen originally having a different appearance with a different hairstyle, glasses and a green hoodie representing the Families but was changed before the game's release.
 * In The Long Stretch, Lamar Davis originally wore his green cap backwards, and his T-shirt had a logo of San Andreas Magnetics on it as seen in Franklin's trailer.
 * In Prologue, Trevor's and Brad's Balaclava had a different design.
 * Franklin Clinton was meant to wear a helmet during the Dom missions, and was able to wear different undershirt.
 * In Did Somebody Say Yoga?, Amanda wore a white robe and towel on her head as if she got out of the shower.
 * Ron Jakowski wore a different outfit in the second trailer.
 * In The Jewel Store Job, Michael and the crew members originally wore balaclavas.
 * In Michael's trailer, Jimmy De Santa can be seen in Daddy's Little Girl wearing a red cap and striped shirt.

Changed Names

 * Caida Libre was originally going to be called Vinewood Babylon.
 * Three's Company was originally going to be called The Extraction.
 * Hood Safari was originally going to be called Ghetto Safari and at one point it was also called Urban Safari.
 * The Jewel Store Job was originally going to be called Pest Control.
 * The Bureau Raid was originally going to be called The Agency Heist.
 * Legal Trouble was originally going to be called Blow Back.
 * The Merryweather Heist was originally going to be called The Port of LS Heist.
 * Deep Inside was originally going to be called Agent.
 * Hang Ten was originally going to be called Paradise Lost.
 * Meltdown was originally going to be called Movie Premiere.

Changed Elements

 * In the gameplay trailer, Stanier-based Police Cruisers appear responding in the mission Blitz Play. These were replaced with standard Interceptor-based Police Cruiser cars in the final game.
 * Franklin was originally supposed to take Trevor's role in Caida Libre.
 * The JB 700 sequence of the mission Pack Man originally took place within Los Santos, as seen in the game's second trailer. The sequence takes place near Paleto Bay in the final game.
 * The car used by Franklin in the mission I Fought The Law... was originally a grey F620 compared to the red F620 used in the final game.
 * The color of the Phantom semi-truck towing Michael's yacht in the mission Father/Son was originally red as seen during the game's second trailer. This was changed to dark blue in the final game.
 * Franklin and Lamar originally took place at night.
 * At least 1 Crusader was originally supposed to appear inside the Cargo Plane during Minor Turbulence, according to the game's second trailer. This was replaced with Merryweather-variants of the Mesa in the final game.
 * In the gameplay trailer, Simeon Yetarian was Employee of the Month during Repossession. This was possibly done to conceal Franklin's surname prior to release.
 * In the game's first trailer, the loud approach of the mission The Jewel Store Job appears to utilise the equipment used in the smart approach of the final game; the Bugstars van and outfits are worn, despite the fact they enter the building with the mission's loud approach. This was changed in the final game, as the players use a black Burrito, motorcycle helmets and suits for the loud approach.


 * "Cult Intervention" objective for Unknowing the Truth was originally named "Extremist Exit".
 * "Show Me The Money" objective for Unknowing the Truth was originally named "Judas".
 * "Zondar The Bridge" objective for Delivering the Truth was originally named "Canyon Crusader", and required the player to fly under a bridge in Raton Canyon.
 * "Out of The Frying Pan" objective for Surreal Estate was originally named "No Time for Bacon".

Cut Missions

 * GTA V
 * A mission involving Michael stealing a Harrier jet for Solomon Richards was cut.
 * A mission involving Michael saving the film studio for Solomon Richards was cut.
 * A mission called Social Networking for Devin Weston that included an appearance of Brucie Kibbutz was cut.
 * A heist called The Sharmoota Job was cut. It had three options (Night Stealth, High Impact and Clown Day Stealth) and two preparation missions.
 * A mission called Final Furlong for Solomon Richards was cut. It is unknown if it was a separate mission or the old name for The Ballad of Rocco as both missions take the same place in a mission strand.
 * Michael had two Strangers and Freaks missions with a lady called Magenta that were cut. She still appears in game at the start of the mission The Long Stretch.
 * Franklin had two Stranger and Freaks missions with a man called Dale.
 * Franklin had five Stranger and Freaks missions with two fighting neighbours.
 * Two unknown missions for "The Band" were cut. One involved bringing the band members back together and the second involved stopping Trevor from sabotaging the concert.
 * Another Strangers and Freaks mission for Barry was cut. It involved Franklin stealing a helicopter with weed.
 * Cinema Property had two more missions; Protest and Recover Stolen Film.
 * Six Bail Jumper missions were cut. Marshes, Winery, Surf Shop, Subway, Coast, Venice.
 * Devin's mission strand originally had an intro cutscene.

Cut Side Missions

 * Vigilante Missions were removed.
 * Drug Dealing in Grand Theft Auto Online was cut.
 * Pimping was removed.
 * Minigames like Basketball, Air Hockey, Pool, Bowling, weightlifting, and stealing/exporting were cut.
 * The following Random Events were cut: Broken Down 1, Broken Down 2 'Hot Chick', Broken Down 3, Broken Down 4, Broken Down 6, Broken Down 7, Broken Down 8, Broken Down 9, Broken Down 10, Hitch Lift 4, Mugging 4, Pick Pocket, RC Challenge Mode, Rescue Hostage, Tow Truck, Ungrateful Whore and Wanderer.
 * 14 Arms Trafficking Ground missions were cut.
 * Towing Patrol odd job was cut. It involved the player driving a Tow Truck on a freeway, towing away broken cars to keep the traffic flowing as long as possible.
 * Towing Illegally Parked Vehicles odd job was cut.
 * Taxi I know a Way mission type was cut. The player would have to follow the passenger's directions with no blips or GPS.
 * A street race for Hao in the Terminal was cut.
 * Formation Display Flight School lesson was cut.
 * Escort Cargo Flight School lesson for GTA Online was cut.
 * The Dancing minigame from GTA San Andreas and The Ballad of Gay Tony was going to return. Textures of the on-screen ratings exist in the game files.
 * The Kickstart event from GTA San Andreas was meant to return but was cut. Collision for Kickstart arena can be found in the game files.

Other

 * There was possibly another heist involving a 'Heat'- style bank robbery where the 3 protagonists dressed in suits and balaclavas had a massive shoot-out with the LSPD in the LS Downtown core (probably removed due to similarities with the GTA IV mission Three Leaf Clover - a screenshot with Michael in a white suit not available in the game and numerous artworks with the 3 protagonists dressed in suits and balaclavas can be found)
 * The Heat styled heist was possibly a beta version of the Big Score: Obvious approach.

Animals

 * Chop originally wore just a plain brown collar (as seen in screenshots and trailers).
 * There were more dog breeds (eg. Huskies, Files can be found). These were postponed till the enhanced version.
 * Horses were meant to appear in the game, most likely would have been seen at the Vinewood Racetrack, Ranch or Farms, (removed for unknown reasons, as files "left over" could have been similar to Red Dead Redemption).

City

 * Fort Zancudo had a civilian-accessible road passing through it.Debugmap.png
 * The Great Chaparral had a different system of trails.
 * The Zancudo River was wider, had less islands, and didn't flow into the Alamo Sea.
 * Zancudo Road extended further to the west.
 * The road from Route 68 to Bolingbroke Penitentiary took a different angle.
 * The roads in Braddock Pass overlapped.
 * The Lago Zancudo section of the Great Ocean Highway ran closer to the shore.
 * Numerous changes were made to Los Santos' road grid and the landmass, including:
 * Elysian Island had a completely different road layout.
 * The island LSX and La Puerta are situated on was larger.
 * Mirror Park had a third cul-de-sac stretching out as an extension of East Mirror Drive.
 * Murrieta Oil Field had a more complicated road trail system.
 * Changes were also made to Paleto Bay's road grid and landmass, including:
 * A large section of Procopio Promenade was cut off by the shoreline. It was not also connected to the main road grid, probably serving only as a detour for the Paleto Bay section of the Great Ocean Highway.
 * North Point did not exist in the beta.
 * La Puerta and the La Puerta Freeway was planned to be named Los Puerta and the Los Puerta Freeway, but it was changed because of the incorrect translation from Spanish.
 * Road signs mentioning Los Puerta can still be found in Elysian Island.
 * The Grand Senora Desert was originally going to be much bigger.
 * The stretch of Milton Road to Didion Drive was formerly Vine Drive. Vine Drive can be referred to on numerous road signs ingame on Marlowe Drive in Vinewood Hills, Lenny Avery's website and GTA V's physical map itself.
 * Route 68 was originally going to be named Route 69.
 * Martin Madrazo's mansion in Vinewood Hills does have an interior, however it is of low quality and inaccessible. It has two floors. In the first trailer the beta version seemed more detailed and it looked like it would have been accessible to the player.
 * Similarly, the Paleto Bay Sheriff's Office has an interior, however it is also of low quality and inaccessible.
 * Los Santos Elementary School shown in Sue Murry's campaigning got changed to as the training center for the ULSA in Richman.Beta_Vespuco_Beach.jpg
 * There were more pedestrians and palm trees around Vespucci Beach, they were removed possibly due to the limited RAM of the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.
 * Sandy Shores Airfield was going to be named Alamo Sea Airfield.

Weapons
So far, this is the list of the weapons removed or changed during development, though they could be released as DLC in the future:
 * The Shovel - HUD Icon
 * The Wrench (as seen in the mission By The Book; returned in the online mode in an update) - HUD Icon
 * The Fire Extinguisher - HUD Icon
 * The Fire Axe - HUD Icon
 * The Lasso - HUD Icon
 * The Heavy Rifle, a SCAR-like assault rifle, probably being replaced by the Carbine Rifle. - HUD Icon
 * The Assault Sniper, a M14 sniper rifle.
 * The Programmable AR, a XM25 airburst grenade launcher.
 * The Assault MG, a LMG Light machine gun.
 * Some weapons had the green tint by default.
 * Some weapons had an older more realistic wood-cast model.
 * The Pistol had a darker skin.
 * Laser sights were cut.
 * The RPG originally had a grip attachment as indicated by the BradyGames guide.

Vehicles

 * The Taco Van originally featured a plain white body color underneath its livery, as seen in the mission Father/Son in the game's second trailer, but appears to use a yellow color in the final game.
 * The Police Cruiser and the Police Maverick seen in the first trailer were depicted in their old designs, specifically from GTA IV, albeit with black/white patterns to match LSPD's final design.
 * The Bodhi and Cognoscenti Cabrio, as seen in the first trailer, were originally used by civilians.
 * The Park Ranger was primarily used, or designed, as the NOOSE's main SUV, likely as a placeholder for the Sheriff SUV.
 * An Unknown high-wing plane, based on the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, was cut from the game for unknown reasons. The model, however, was brought back as a seaplane named Dodo.
 * Similarly, a seaplane was depicted in the first GTA V trailer, seen far away from the wind turbines. It is currently unkown if the aforementioned vehicle is the Dodo, since it is too undetailed, however it could have been the Skimmer or even the Beagle from previous games.
 * Police cars were depicted with blue emergency lights on the driver's side of the car and red lights on the passenger side - the opposite is found in the final game.
 * In the beta, some police vehicles, particularly Sheriff's Cruisers had older coloured San Andreas license plates, as opposed to the SA Exempt plate found in game on all emergency vehicles.
 * The Dominator had slighty different tailights, resembling more the ones of its real life counterpart, the Ford Mustang.
 * The Hydra was supposed to be the main fighter jet in GTA V, until being replaced by the P-996 LAZER. The vehicle, however, returns in GTA Online as part of the Heists Update.
 * Several cars were depicted in the Handling.cfg, such the Hind, Napalm, Scamp, and others.
 * The 1st gen Tipper seen in the Cunning Stunt Academy had a different grille and rear lights of a Rubble.
 * The Hunter attack helicopter from the 3D Universe was cut in the game for unknown reasons. The vehicle can be seen in a trailer of The Simian.
 * Several vehicles were depicted on the Warstock Cache & Carry advertisement, including: A beta Barracks, the Squaddie, a differently colored Titan and the previously mentioned Hunter.
 * The initial tanker trailer was seen in a red color instead of the current orange, where it was towed by a semi truck. These red trailers are still seen parked, albeit as static objects which can't be interacted with in any way.Cheetah-GTAV-Screenshot2.jpg
 * The Grotti Cheetah had the GTA IV Grotti logo, albeit red. It also had a glass roof.

Unused

 * There were two trailers towed by the Fieldmaster: a Grain Trailer and a Bale Trailer. Both can be spawned with save editing and trainers.
 * There was an FIB variant of the Frogger, having a black paintjob and FIB decals. This helicopter shares the base model with the Trevor Philips Enterprises variant of the helicopter found in-game, however the FIB livery can only be obtained via a trainer. Spawning a TPE Frogger and setting the livery to "0" through a trainer will reveal the FIB markings.
 * The Police Cruiser (Interceptor) has hidden modifications only obtainable with mods or save editors.
 * There's a Rental Shuttle Bus without a roof and a Mule with a single ramp door in the rear. Both are currently unused in-game.

Radio Stations
According to some users, there were several songs removed from the game. It is suspected that there might have been more songs cut from the soundtrack than featured in the actual game. A complete list can be found here:


 * Radio Los Santos


 * A$AP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar - Fuckin' Problems (2012)
 * Buddy - Awesome Awesome (2012)
 * French Montana feat. Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne - Pop That (2012)
 * Glasses Malone feat. Jay Rock - No Sympathy (2011)
 * T.I. feat. Trae tha Truth - What It Do (2014)
 * Tyga - Rack City (2011)
 * Waka Flocka Flame - Rooster In My Rari (2012)


 * Space 103.2


 * Con Funk Shun - Ffun (1978)
 * Kleeer - Intimate Connection (1984)
 * Rick James - You and I (1978)
 * Zapp - Be Alright (LP Version) (1980)


 * West Coast Classics


 * 2Pac feat. K-Ci & JoJo - How Do U Want It (1996)
 * Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Mr. Bill Collector (1995)
 * DJ Pooh feat. Kam - Whoop! Whoop! (1997)
 * Mack 10 feat. Ice Cube & WC - Westside Slaughterhouse (1995)
 * Nate Dogg - I Got Love (2001)
 * Warren G feat. Nate Dogg - Regulate (1994)


 * Rebel Radio


 * Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965)
 * Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen - Hot Rod Lincoln (1972)
 * Hank Williams III - D. Ray White (2006)
 * Jimmy Martin - Run Pete Run (1977)
 * Johnny Paycheck - (Pardon Me) I've Got Someone To Kill (1978)
 * Waylon Jennings - This Time (1974)


 * Los Santos Rock Radio


 * Crowded House - It's Only Natural (1991)
 * Golden Earring - Radar Love (1973)
 * Kenny Loggins - I'm Alright (1980)
 * Kiki Dee - Star (1981)
 * Michael McDonald - Blink Of An Eye (1993)
 * Paul Weller - Round And Round (1992)
 * Ram Jam - Black Betty (1977)
 * Rare Earth - Get Ready (1969)
 * Robbie Dupree - Steal Away (1980)
 * Robert Lamm - Sleeping In The Middle of The Bed (Again) (1994)
 * Small Faces - Tin Soldier (1967)
 * Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) (1975)
 * Stevie Nicks - Sable On Blond (1983)
 * The Cult - 'Lil Devil (1987)
 * The Cult - Outlaw (1987)
 * The Cult - Wild Flower (1987)
 * The Prime Movers - As Strong As I Am (1985)


 * The Lowdown 91.1


 * Edwin Starr - Easin' in (1973)
 * Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine (1973)
 * Marvin Gaye - I Want You (Vocal) (1976)
 * Ohio Players - Fopp (1976)
 * The Dramatics - Whatcha See is Whatcha Get (1971)
 * The Kay-Gees - Master Plan (1974)
 * The Meters - Cissy Strut (1969)
 * The Pointer Sisters - Yes We Can Can (1973)
 * War - Slippin' into Darkness (1971)


 * Blue Ark


 * Bramma feat. Elephant Man - Duh Weh Mi Waah (2011)
 * Dennis Brown - Westbound Train (1978)
 * Gregory Isaacs - Slum (1989)
 * Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves (1976)
 * Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Jungle Lion (1973)
 * Leo Graham - Want a Wine (1973)
 * Linval Thompson - Jah Jah The Conquerer (1975)
 * Sean Paul - Temperature (2006)
 * Sizzla - Living Up (2002)


 * Non-Stop-Pop FM


 * Belinda Carlisle - Circle in the Sand (1987) (Song was meant to be on Non-Stop-Pop FM, but was later placed in Los Santos Rock Radio in the enhanced editions)
 * Cobra Starship feat. Sabi - You Make Me Feel... (2011)
 * Duncan Sheik - She Runs Away (1996)
 * Duran Duran - Serious (1990)
 * Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull - I Like It (2010)
 * Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy (2008)
 * Jamiroquai - Love Foolosophy (2001)
 * Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne - Let It Rock (2008)
 * Kylie Minogue - Surrender (1994)
 * Neon Trees - Animal (2010)
 * Seal - Future Love Paradise (1991)
 * Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World (1985)
 * Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. - The Way I Are (2007)
 * Wilson Phillips - Hold On (1990)


 * WorldWide FM


 * Weldon Irvine - We Gettin' Down (1975)
 * Rainbow Arabia - Blind (2011)
 * Ultraísta - Smalltalk (Four Tet Remix) (2012)


 * Channel X


 * Bad Religion - We're Only Gonna Die (1982)
 * Circle Jerks - Dude (1985)
 * The Alley Cats - Nothing Means Nothing Anymore (1978)
 * Descendents - Ride The Wild (1979)
 * The Germs - Manimal (1979)
 * The Gun Club - Sex Beat (1981)


 * Radio Mirror Park


 * Digitalism - 2 Hearts (2011)
 * Ducktails - Assistant Director (2013)
 * Friendly Fires - Hurting (2011)
 * Future Islands - Before the Bridge (2011)
 * Gold Fields - Thunder (2013)
 * Junior Boys - ep (2011)
 * Miike Snow - Animal (2009)
 * Moving Units - Until She Says (2011)
 * Panama - One Piece (2013)
 * The Shoes - Time to Dance (2010)
 * Toro Y Moi - Day One (2013)
 * Twin Shadow - Run My Heart (2012)


 * Vinewood Boulevard Radio


 * Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry (2006)
 * DIIV - Doused (2012)
 * Hanni El Khatib - Head in the Dirt (2013)
 * Hanni El Khatib - Pay No Mind (2013)
 * No Age - Eraser (2008)
 * Psychic Ills - I Get By (2013)
 * Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss (2010)


 * Soulwax FM


 * The Clash - This Is Radio Clash (1981)
 * SebastiAn feat. Mayer Hawthorne - Love In Motion (2011)


 * FlyLo FM


 * George Duke - Reach For It (1977)
 * Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground (Bluebottle Mix) (1996)

Additionally, there was a cut 90s Rock radio station called "P.M.R." The station was replaced by Vinewood Boulevard Radio as the game's file lists the station under "90s Rock", and the logo can be seen on the radio wheel within the files as well. The station would've played 90s Alternative Rock/Metal, Brit Pop/Brit Rock, Indie Rock, and Post-Grunge. Songs that were meant for this station include:


 * Faith No More - The Real Thing (1989)
 * Oasis - (It's Good) To Be Free (1994)
 * Mansun - Wide Open Space (1996)
 * Staind - It's Been Awhile (2001)
 * Stereophonics - Mr. Writer (2001)
 * The Charlatans - The Only One I Know (1990)
 * Travis - Side (2001)

Official Soundtrack

 * The track "Universal" by Tangerine Dream was cut from the final game. It remains in the files.
 * It later returned (remixed) in the Freemode Events Update, under the name "fm_univ" in the game files.
 * The track "Greyhound" by Tangerine Dream was cut from the final game. It was instead remixed into use for various freemode scenarios.
 * A heist track was cut from GTA Online's Heists Update. It is named "TRACK_22" in the files, but uses all the strings from track 2.

Miscellaneous

 * The Parachute had the same color scheme as it did in The Ballad of Gay Tony according to the screenshot.
 * The ability to buy properties on the internet was cut and moved to Grand Theft Auto Online. Dialogue exists in the games files mentioning, and it is also mentioned in the game's gameplay trailer.


 * Female officers were meant to patrol with male officers, however they can only be seen at stations.
 * In a screenshot, Franklin can be seen wielding a Pistol .50 with one hand. But, in the final version of the game, he wields all pistols with two hands. It is likely this animation was only to appear in a cutscene of some sort or it was just made for the image.
 * In another screenshot, Franklin can be seen walking away from Families members being arrested by the police, although no such event is seen in-game.
 * In the second trailer, a silver 9F is seen parked in Michael's driveway, in the same spot where Tracy's Issi would spawn from time to time.
 * Although, it was most likely Tracey's since the Tailgater is seen twice in the same trailer - Jimmy and Michael talking in the car (Did Somebody Say Yoga?) and behind the Frogger before the end of the trailer (beta Three's Company).
 * The HUD of car statistics in Los Santos Customs was different, as seen in the game's gameplay trailer.
 * Cheetah and Chastity has a phone number, which was somewhat removed from the final version of the game. They can still be called but they have no dialogue.
 * Players could get a six star wanted level like in previous games. Although this was removed, it is still referenced in the game files.
 * Updates and expansions for Story Mode were first announced in December 2013 . They were mentioned again in April 2014 during the GTA Online spring updates period.   On October 23, 2017, the director of design at Rockstar, Imran Sarwar, stated that GTA V will not be receiving story mode expansions, despite their intentions to release it in 2014..