5 changes that were made to GTA 5 during development

It is no secret that plenty of things get changed during the development of a game, especially when they are as high-profile as GTA 5.

Rockstar Games, the publishers of the GTA franchise, have positioned themselves at the very pinnacle of the AAA games industry and have maintained their reputation on the back of quality offerings.

Games like GTA 5 have not only been commercial blockbusters but have also received critical acclaim. As is the case with most games, GTA 5 went through plenty of iterations before it was finally released.

However, with the help of interviews, game files and logs, players can get a solid idea of features and ideas that were cut from GTA 5 during development.

5 alterations that were made to GTA 5 during development

1 - Michael De Santo to Michael De Santa

Michael De Santa was one of the first few characters that Rockstar Games had created for GTA 5's Story Mode.

Essentially, Michael was the centerpiece of the game as he was the common point of interaction for Trevor and Franklin. However, the name he took on after the death of "Michael Townley" was initially Michael de Santo.

This fact was discovered after players found Michael's name listed as "De Santo" in police scanner files.

2 - Franklin was part of Caida Libre

Caida Libre is one of the most exciting missions in GTA 5. It sees Trevor and Michael shoot down a plane to eliminate a witness against Martin Madrazo. According to early game footage, Franklin was initially supposed to be part of the mission.

In the final version of the game, Franklin is absent from the mission, perhaps to allow Michael and Trevor to have a team-up.

Franklin was supposed to take Trevor's role as the one on the dirt bike, and evidence of this fact still remains in the game code.

3 - 6-Star Wanted Level

Every GTA game typically has a 6-Star Wanted Level. At that point in the game, the police's aggression is ramped up to the maximum, and even the army steps in, bringing tanks and choppers to eliminate the player.

This kind of excess was removed from GTA 5 in a bid to create a more realistic game world that doesn't have the army showing up every couple of days. Evidence of this scenario's existence is still in the game code.

4 - Vigilante/Drug Dealing/Pimping were removed

The GTA series has always had side activities that offer an alternative to story missions. However, according to some game code that was discovered, there were several ideas that were cut from the game.

Vigilante missions have been a mainstay in the series but were noticeably absent from GTA 5. Drug Dealing, which was introduced in Chinatown Wars, was also planned for a return, and the game was also supposed to introduce pimping as a side gig.

All these ideas were likely dropped to avoid unnecessary controversy that takes away from the core value of the game.

5 - The Sharmoota Job

Perhaps one of the biggest missed opportunities in GTA 5, the game was set to include another heist.

The Sharmoota Job would see the crew rob a mansion owned by Martin Madrazo, steal his horse and kidnap his wife. The heist was to include three approaches, namely- Night Stealth, High Impact, and Clown Day Stealth.

However, the mission was cut, and players still lament the loss of what could've been GTA 5's best heist.

References to this heist were kept in the game in the form of Trevor's comments on how nice Martin's house is.