GTA 5 leak discloses how Rockstar scrapped alternate endings

After having GTA 6 leaked via several video clips in 2022, Rockstar has now been the target of another attack which leaked the source code of GTA 5. This also revealed many of the canceled and planned additions to both Story Mode and Grand Theft Auto Online. Some of these canceled content and DLCs made their way to the games in different ways, whereas others were removed entirely.

The latest leak also revealed how Grand Theft Auto 5's Story Mode was to have different endings than what players got in the final product. Michael's death was originally planned to be much more brutal, whereas one of the three endings would result in Franklin dying as well. Here's everything players need to know about these canceled alternate endings in GTA 5.

---

GTA 5 source code leak reveals far more brutal endings

The GTA 5 source code leaks have revealed much about the game, including scrapped content, planned DLCs that were never launched, and more. The game was originally supposed to end quite differently, with each of the three endings resulting in the death of a playable character.

Grand Theft Auto 5 has three different endings that players can choose to carry out while playing as Franklin to conclude the story. Two of these involve the death of a protagonist and are considered 'bad' endings by the community. The other option where everybody fights together and lives is the 'good' ending.

However, the original endings to the game were supposed to be much darker, as there wasn't any good ending where everybody lives.

The ending where Michael dies in GTA 5 was far more brutal as Franklin would drop him from the top of a tower onto the rotor of a police helicopter. This was later scrapped to where Michael would just fall down from a generator tower.

On the other hand, Trevor's death, although less brutal comparatively, was quite more dramatic. He would supposedly get frozen with liquid nitrogen, and Michael would then smash him with a vehicle. Rockstar chose a more brutal ending for Trevor in Grand Theft Auto 5 as he's set on fire and burns to death.

Surprisingly, the third option, "Deathwish," was actually supposed to get Franklin killed. He would then be replaced with Lamar as a playable character. The voice actor of Lamar, Gerald "Slink" Johnson, confirmed in a Reddit AMA that he was supposed to have a bigger role, but it was cut as he was busy with some legal troubles at that time.

Franklin's death would mean that Grand Theft Auto 5 would always end on a sour note, despite what players did, much like GTA 4. In that game, players can only choose between Kate, Niko's love interest, or Roman, his cousin, with the latter's death being much more depressing.