Gamer Stunned After Scoring GTA 4 Prototype for Just £5 at Flea Market

With the retro gaming scene thriving, stumbling upon a hidden treasure at a garage sale or flea market feels like a distant dream. Yet, one gamer in Scotland seems to have struck gold. They claim to have snagged an Xbox 360 at a flea market in Edinburgh for just £5, only to discover it contained an unfinished version of Grand Theft Auto 4.

The tale emerged on the GTA Forums, where a user named janmatant shared a treasure trove of thousands of files that appear to showcase a variety of unfinished assets from GTA 4. “Found it at a car boot sale for a fiver,” janmatant remarked, complete with a smiley emoji. To back up their claim, the user posted images of a worn console featuring a Rockstar North label. Beyond the sheer volume of media files, the authenticity of the dev kit was bolstered by a former Rockstar employee confirming on social media that some of the assets shared online were indeed cut from the game.

Fans are currently sifting through the massive data dump, and what they’ve uncovered so far is sure to intrigue anyone who has experienced this iconic open-world game. The unfinished build includes a collection of songs that suggest a very different radio landscape. Highlights from the in-progress list feature tracks by Run DMC, Daddy Yankee, and the band Goose, along with models hinting at a potential zombie mode.

Most of the discoveries are smaller details, such as alternate models for cars, NPCs, and weapons. For instance, there are a couple of (NSFW) renders of early stripper models, as well as some grim depictions of murdered police officers. The files also contain earlier versions of several cutscenes. However, my favorite part of this whole situation isn’t just the leak itself, fascinating as it is for preservation enthusiasts. It’s the reactions from disappointed superfans who were hoping for more.

“No fat female cop in this build?” one eager fan lamented, referencing a character seen in one of GTA 4’s pre-release trailers. Another user expressed disappointment that the models in this 2007 build were closer to completion than they had hoped, particularly because the treasure trove didn’t include an ice cream van.

I’m also enjoying the highly specific details that fans are zooming in on. Some members of the GTA forums know the game inside and out, able to spot that the textures on certain characters’ pants differ slightly in the beta. A post showcasing a collection of early phone models has gained traction in a thread filled with hundreds of replies. A surprising number of fans are trying to determine if this leak could explain why a texture in a pre-release screenshot appeared shinier than what was ultimately released.

So far, the most exciting find for many is finally getting a glimpse of the GTA 4 ferry. This boat, which featured in the game’s first trailer, had become a point of obsession for fans who kept uncovering evidence that a transportation mechanic had been cut. In 2024, a former Rockstar employee explained that ferries caused issues with the in-engine physics.

“Seeing the ferry is something so unreal,” one user on the GTA Forums commented.

The fortunate flea market shopper, janmatant, is now considering selling the console. Meanwhile, fans are speculating about the console’s origins. One of the files on the Xbox is labeled “Les_Home,” leading many to believe this hardware once belonged to the now-infamous ex-Rockstar producer, Leslie Benzies.

“Just crazy this dev kit was sitting around somewhere for nearly 20 years,” another fan remarked.