The early version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City leaked online shortly before the official 2002 launch date, allowing fans to see development progress in the game. On October 2, 2002, user IAmNotToniCipriani posted this game preview version on GTA Forums, possibly intended for press outlets like GameStop.

This leaked version has many differences when it was compared with the final version of the GTA Vice City. This version of the game contains a programmatic debugging interface that developers use for testing purposes. Not only that, the vehicles and NPC models had different variations, for example, the vehicle RC Goblin showed alternate color schemes, whereas the SWAT team uniform had a blue tint. Additionally, the Top Fun logo in the pre-release Vice City build bears a closer resemblance to the Top Gun design. Key adjustments used in the final preparation of the game become visible through the differences shown between the introduction sequence and cut scene animations.

GTA Players and data miners continue to investigate this build because it reveals game development alterations which enhances their knowledge about the game creation journey. The leaked game files expose developers' detailed work of game evolution along with their intensive preparation methods before launching the final product to the public.

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