Beta Releases

Before the release of any Grand Theft Auto game, 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.

GTA III

 * The LCPD police vehicle liveries were changed from then-current NYPD blue with white stripes to LAPD-style black and white.
 * The character of Darkel, a revolutionary domestic terrorist, was cut. (Some, but not all, of his missions were subsequently given to other characters.)
 * Novy was cut as the game's protagonist.
 * A mission that involved flying the Dodo was cut.
 * Certain player skins, accessible with cheat codes, were removed.
 * The ability to blow limbs off of non-playable characters was cut, but only from the PS2 version of the game.
 * Elderly pedestrians with walkers were removed.
 * Children and a driveable school bus were cut.
 * There were many vehicles on the Capital Autos website that were changed or did not make it in the final game.
 * The ability to name the character, much like in Grand Theft Auto 1, was cut. An unused line of text reads "[DEFNAM] Claude--" - interestingly, this confirms that the portagonist's name is Claude.
 * Unused lines of text within the game's text files contain phrases, such as "You're perfectly healthy, get out of here!" and "I'll just fix you up". These lines of text seem to imply that the game's hospitals were, originally, accessible/useable.
 * Originally, when doing Vigilante, Paramedic, or Firefighter missions, the vehicles radio could go out of range - requiring the player to drive closer to the nearest police station/hospital/fire station.
 * Online multiplayer was cut.
 * Another character,Curtly,was removed from the final version.

Some of these changes are thought to have been as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, although others were made well before that time.

GTA Vice City

 * The police cars were originaly white with red and blue stripes.
 * Fort Baxter Air Base originaly included an air traffic control tower and a runway. The runway is totally absent, but the tower can still be seen in the distance from Vice Beach.
 * Grenade Launcher, Tazer, and Landmine weapons were cut.
 * Tommy Vercetti was older and bigger in build.
 * The Infernus had thin rectangles for its headlights and tailights.
 * The Virgo originally had a different look. Its beta model is still inside Vice City's files, named "Cougar", implying that the beta Virgo was named the Cougar.
 * There were bus shelters around the city. The bus shelter model, bustopm.dff, is still inside Vice City's file.
 * A character called Mr. Moffat was originaly going to be in the game but was cut.
 * Tires were able to be slashed and recorded into the stats.
 * There were many phone conversations between Tommy and Mercedes Cortez.
 * The Blista Compact originally looked almost identical to the Honda CRX, it even featured the letters 'GPX' on the back.
 * The Washington originally had different frontal styling.
 * The Sentinel originally had different rear styling.
 * The Moonbeam was originally, implied, to have sliding rear doors.

GTA San Andreas

 * Characters including Officer Carver, Larry and Poncho were removed.
 * Both Sweet and Big Smoke originally looked different. Sweet was originally dressed in black and wore a black beanie. Big Smoke wore a white jersey and did not wear a hat, exposing his shaved head.
 * Gang members looked different and wore different clothing.
 * Originally, if Carl Johnson killed a pedestrian, a news van would arrive and the crew would report on the event.
 * If Carl crashed into a lamp post a mechanic would arrive to fix it. If the player killed the mechanic the lamp post would remain broken for a time, even if the player left the immediate area.
 * The Bullet had a different look.
 * The Clover had different taillights.
 * The Savanna had a different grille
 * The Mulholland Safehouse seemed to have a full interior that can be seen from the outside.
 * Animals that would roam the rural areas were cut.
 * The Skateboard was cut from the final game.
 * The ability to create and run your own casino was taken out of the alpha version.
 * Carwashes, similar to those in GTA IV, were cut.
 * The ability to ride the Trollies in San Fierro was cut.
 * The ability to smoke weed and drink beer was cut from the alpha version.
 * The mobster who Carl kills in Saint Marks was originaly going to be called Marco Forelli but due to deleted audio,his name was never mentioned in the final version.
 * Grove Street Families were originaly going to be called The Orange Grove Families but changed it.
 * During the mission Saint Mark's Bistro, CJ had communication with Francis International air traffic control.

GTA Advance

 * The Barrel was cut in the alpha version.

GTA Liberty City Stories

 * Toni Cipriani originally looked older.
 * The police cars were originally blue before being changed to the same black-and-white design seen in GTAIII.
 * The Liberty News cutscenes were cut.
 * There was a golden PCJ-600 that was cut.
 * Toni's casual clothes were originally a green shirt with a purple vest.
 * There was an orange Landstalker that was removed.

GTA Vice City Stories

 * Tattoo Parlors, similar to those in GTA San Andreas, were cut.
 * An unnamed motorcycle (possibly a different Streetfighter or PCJ-600) was cut.
 * The Casual clothes were originaly yellow.
 * The Control Tower in Fort Baxter Air Base was cut again. As in Vice City, it can be seen from Vice Beach.

GTA IV

 * Players were originally able to use buses as a form of public transportation, much like taxis.
 * The Coach was cut from the final version, although it can be seen briefly in the commercial for Higgins Helitours.