Rockstar Games leak reveals GTA 5’s cancelled Liberty City and Zombie DLC

A huge collection of leaked Rockstar Games files has revealed fresh details about cancelled GTA 5 expansions, including a planned return to Liberty City and an early version of the GTA 6 map dating from 2015. The files offer a rare glimpse of several projects Rockstar worked on but never released, with unfinished missions, vehicles and environments among the discoveries. There’s plenty to unpack here, particularly for anyone interested in how GTA 5’s single-player content might have developed after launch.

Massive Rockstar leak reveals unfinished GTA 5 and GTA 6 content

Around 190 GB of Rockstar Games development material has reportedly surfaced online, bringing fresh attention to projects connected to GTA 5 and GTA 6. The files appear to originate from the major GTA 6 security breach in 2022. Some material circulated privately before a much larger collection became publicly accessible.

Among the contents are audio files, development assets, code and unfinished environments. Several discoveries concern GTA 5’s abandoned single-player expansions, which Rockstar explored following the game’s original release in September 2013. Other files provide an early glimpse of GTA 6’s development, including a version of its map reportedly created years before Rockstar formally announced the sequel.

Cancelled Liberty City expansion could have brought GTA 4’s map to GTA 5

One of the biggest discoveries concerns Liberty City. The fictional New York-inspired setting from GTA 4 was apparently considered for a GTA 5 expansion, with leaked files pointing to development work involving the city and its integration into the newer game. References to audio assets and code suggest Rockstar explored bringing Liberty City into GTA 5’s version of the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, or RAGE.

It’s not the first time evidence of such a project has emerged. Previous leaks and development material have suggested Rockstar experimented with a Liberty City conversion, potentially allowing players to explore the GTA 4 setting using GTA 5’s technology. The latest files add more detail to those earlier reports.

Several questions remain. It’s unclear how much of the city Rockstar completed, how players would have travelled between locations, or whether the expansion was intended for GTA 5’s story mode, GTA Online or both. There’s no indication of a planned release for the abandoned project.

Trevor and Michael DLC projects reveal more cancelled GTA 5 missions

Liberty City isn’t the only unfinished GTA 5 project mentioned in the leaked material. Files reportedly contain details of a planned single-player expansion featuring Trevor Philips, with the character becoming involved in missions connected to government agencies. The proposed content included unusual locations and equipment, ranging from luxury properties to a space station and jetpacks.

Some of these ideas resemble features Rockstar introduced in GTA Online’s Doomsday Heist update. The leaked material doesn’t establish how many assets or mission concepts moved directly from the cancelled expansion into the online game.

Another abandoned project reportedly centred on Michael De Santa, with a zombie-themed storyline forming part of the proposed content. References to Michael’s teenage children suggest Rockstar explored giving players control of them during certain sections of the game.

The files reportedly include unfinished vehicles and early car models, offering further evidence of content developed during GTA 5’s production but absent from its final release. None of the discoveries confirms how close these expansions came to completion.

Early GTA 6 map reportedly dates from 2015

The leak extends beyond GTA 5. Among the newly circulated files is an unfinished GTA 6 map reportedly dating from approximately 2015, offering an early glimpse of the sequel’s development. The environment appears to use technology associated with GTA 5, suggesting Rockstar was experimenting with GTA 6’s setting long before the public announcement.

Comparisons with more recent official footage indicate certain geographical features and locations may have remained part of the project through later development stages. Other areas appear considerably different.

Early development maps can contain temporary layouts, unfinished locations and experimental environments. There’s no confirmation of how much of this particular version survived into the finished game. The files provide a useful reference point for GTA 6’s production history, rather than a complete picture of its final map.

Rockstar’s leaked files leave several questions unanswered

The latest collection adds to the substantial amount of unfinished GTA 6 material exposed during the 2022 security breach. It provides more information about Rockstar’s development process, particularly its work on GTA 5 expansions which never reached release.

The Liberty City project, Trevor’s government-related missions and Michael’s zombie storyline appear to represent separate ideas explored during the game’s development. For GTA 6, the early map offers an indication of how long Rockstar has been working on the sequel’s setting and how its design has changed over time. The available files don’t establish the full scope of either game’s abandoned content, and Rockstar hasn’t confirmed plans to revisit any of the cancelled GTA 5 expansions.

Spread the love