With all games that get developed there are always changes being made. San Andreas had a selection of different content cuts and content changes. Check them out below.
Characters:
- Characters including Officer Carver, Larry and Poncho were removed.
- Both Sweet and Big Smoke had their appearances changed. Sweet was originally dressed in black and wore a black skully, Big Smoke wore a white jersey and did not wear a hat, exposing his shaved head.
- Kendl Johnson’s facial model and clothing were altered.
- Gang members looked different and wore different clothing.
- Each city had its own motorcycle cop model, whereas in the final release the same model is used for all cities (The beta cop models can still be found on the game´s files)
- According to a strategy guide, the Triad members were originally different.
- According to a preview before the games release, Steve Scott was originally going to return for a “big” action movie in San Andreas.
- In a screen before the games release Carl Johnson looked slightly older than the current one.
- Fatman and monkeyman where cut, it most likely appear to be a pedestrian.
- A deputy was going to be present in the game, but was cut before release. The unused texture and the deputy model can still be found in the game’s files.
Missions:
- There are many deleted missions which include The Truth is Out There and Impounded, or missions with different objectives which include Doberman, Photo Opportunity andBeat Down on B Dup.
- In the first version of Saint Mark’s Bistro, CJ had to chase Marco Forelli with a car in the streets of Portland, but for some reason, Portland is not full in the final version (only Saint Mark’s, Red Light District and some place of Chinatown and Portland View) and the road isn’t solid everywhere.
- Fish in a Barrel was supposedly an actual mission instead of a mere cutscene.
- In Sweet’s Girl, originally Sweet did not have a gun, so CJ escorted him out.
- In Photo Opportunity, unused text implies that CJ hijacked and used a helicopter. This would make sense, since during the retail mission CJ and Cesar yell at each other as if Toreno and the others could not hear them, even though they are just on the other side of the street.
- There was going to be a mission involving a search for Big Smoke.
- There was going to be a different race in the Los Santos Stadium.[2]
- According to cut text, San Andreas was going to have a mission pack.
- In beta, car- and bike school had to run in same place, in Doherty’s driving school.
- The Pizza Boy side-mission was removed.
- The Top Fun mini game from Vice City was supposedly to return but its was removed for unknown reasons.
City:
- Originally, if Carl Johnson killed a pedestrian, a news van would arrive and the crew would report on the event.
- If Carl crashed into a lamp post a mechanic would arrive to fix it. If the player killed the mechanic the lamp post would remain broken for a time, even if the player left the immediate area.
- The Mulholland Safehouse seemed to have a full interior that can be seen from the outside. The change on final version causes a glitch which allows the player to go through the wall.[3]
- Donut shops such as Rusty Brown’s Ring Donuts were places where Carl Johnson could eat.
- San Fierro in the beta had very few docks and more parks. The beta map of San Fierro was very detailed and can be seen in Driving School.
- There were cars driving around San Andreas’s car parks. Some of the cars may park as well.
- The construction yard near the hospital in Downtown Los Santos had a crane.
- The Easter Basin Naval Base has a different outline, it had a dock and the ship is missing.
- San Andreas was much bigger and had several different land masses, such as a larger San Fierro (which resembled San Francisco more closely), A full beta map of San Andreas can be found on a wall in the Lil’ Probe’Inn and in Mike Toreno’s Ranch.
Weapons:
- The Skateboard was cut from the final game (its icon is still on the disk, and it can still be used but only as a weapon).
- Strategy guides and other prints speak of a Gun Cane available alongside the Cane. The Gun Cane does not appear anywhere in the game.
- The Parachute was originally smaller and blue (it can be seen in the demonstration video in Flight School showing how to control parachute).
- According to some early previews of the game, 150 weapons where originally included in-game.
- Another Rocket Launcher called “M47 dragon” was cut, its files can be found only in the PS2 version.
- A sniper rifle named “M82” was cut.
- The grenade launcher was cut again.
- Two machine guns named “M249 SAW” and “M60” was cut, its files can be found only in the PS2 version.
- The Micro-SMG was removed, it can be seen in early screenshots of the game.
- The Parachute icon was originally a bit different.