Summary
After over 20 years, a pre-release version ofGrand Theft Auto: Vice Cityjust leaked online, featuring a debug menu, old beta designs, and even a different intro.
As reported byTime Extension, this build was shared by GTA Forums user IAmNotToniCipriani, who said that it was first dumped online by “johndoe2”. The build is dated June 03, 2025, but as pointed out byHidden Palace, the pause menu shows the real compile date of Jun 09, 2025, ie 28 days before the game launched on PS2.
Fans also just launched a Vice City remaster.
In such a short timeframe, you wouldn’t expect much to have been changed, but fans speculate that this pre-release build is actually a press preview copy, possibly for GameSpot, and not one intended for the public. That could explain the laundry list of differences, such as beta car models, different Swat team designs, an earlier version of the theme song, alternate cutscene angles, and white police cars.
Fans Are Playing Spot The Difference With The Texture Files
That’s just scratching the surface of what’s different between the newly found pre-release build and the release version. Ona GTA Forums postdedicated to the Vice City beta, user BS_BlackScout continues to share screenshots of textures and models from the pre-release build, comparing them side-by-side with the retail version directly.
There are some subtle differences, like textures being crisper and uncompressed, but there are also much more noticeable tweaks, like Auntie Poulet’s clothes being yellow instead of purple (as they are in the PC version).
Listed below are some of the standout finds:
For a build dated less than a month before release, there are a lot of changes, and fans are still digging through the files to find more. It’s a crucial piece of GTA’s history that has finally been made public, and it’ll be interesting to see what more the community shakes out of it.
