5 beta GTA Vice City features that would've been awesome to see in the final version

Cut content in video games remains gone for a reason, but GTA Vice City had several beta features that would have been cool to see in the final version. Why these gameplay features were removed is anybody's guess. What is important is that they're no longer accessible via normal means as they have been cut for one reason or another. This list highlights five notable examples.

Everything discussed here is specifically for GTA Vice City. The Definitive Edition has its fair share of cut content, but it won't be addressed since that's a separate topic. Some mods can bring back the old beta features for those dedicated enough to experience them.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective.

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5 features of GTA Vice City's beta that would have been cool to see in the final product

1) Unused weapons

Phil Cassidy is seen holding a weapon that never made it out of beta (Image via Rockstar Games)

Many video game betas have been leaked in the past. For example, it's easy to find a GTA 6 screenshot or video online. Similarly, GTA Vice City has a plethora of beta content, including unused weapons.

Having more guns and explosives to cause chaos in GTA Vice City would have been fun. Sadly, several weapons were left in the beta forever, including the following, as recorded by The Cutting Room Floor:

• AK-47
• Grenade Launcher
• Land Mine
• M16
• Nail Gun
• Short MP5
• Short Python
• Silenced Colt
• Staple Gun
• Steyr Aug
• Tazer
• Uzi

AK-47s are available in most Grand Theft Auto games, and Phil Cassidy is even seen holding on in the official artwork for GTA Vice City. Despite that, this gun remains unused.

Another interesting weapon of note is the Land Mine since it is a beta explosive found in most 3D Universe games despite never being usable.

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2) Dodo

The Dodo doesn't have a model in the known beta, so here is the GTA III variant (Image via Rockstar Games)

Some datamines of GTA Vice City include references to the Dodo plane. A buggy version was usable in the game's prequel yet was absent in Tommy Vercetti's adventures.

The only planes usable in Tommy's title are:

• RC Baron
• Skimmer

The RC Baron is only used in a few missions, leaving the only other option available being the Skimmer. Having more aircraft would have been nice in the final version.

The Dodo even appeared in several more games later, like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto Online.

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3) Moffat's cut mission

Note: The above video is fan-made and is meant to serve as a visualization.

An NPC with no known model was datamined in GTA Vice City to have a mission that never made it to the final game. According to the beta dialogue, he knew Tommy Vercetti beforehand and wanted the character to help him escape:

"MONEY. Money is the godd*mn point, I've escaped the coop again, but it's never long before they track me down - they think it's a d*mned game! I'm at a pay phone somewhere in this god forsaken sh*t hole. Get me out of here before they take me back and..and..oh go-o-od..."

A brief back-and-forth between the two characters happens afterward, but nothing else is known about Mr. Moffat's cut mission.

Mr. Moffat never appeared in the final game, but the mission premise sounded interesting.

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4) More character development for Mercedes Cortez

Beta phone calls found in GTA Vice City's data indicate that Mercedes Cortez was going to be more important than she was in the final version. The cut content includes calls about:

• Her being lonely
• A reminder about hanging out
• Suspecting that Tommy eliminated Ricardo Diaz
• A break-up call
• Complaining about Jezz Torrent

The full extent of how Tommy Vercetti could have dated Mercedes Cortez was never discovered apart from these calls. Dating as a gameplay mechanic wouldn't exist in the series until the sequel, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

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5) Cut songs

Several songs were cut from GTA Vice City's final release, such as the following, which were mentioned in old interviews and CD sets:

• Aneka's "Japanese Boy"
• Boys Don't Cry's "I Wanna Be a Cowboy"
• Glenn Frey's "Smuggler's Blues"
• Hall & Oates' "Do It For Love"
• Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party"
• Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder's "Together in Electric Dreams"
• Toto's "Hold the Line"

The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star was also apparently meant to be on Wave 103 instead of Flash FM. Either way, losing some neat tunes is always disappointing.