Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
GTA 5
Grand Theft Auto All GTA 5 cheat codes and phone numbers for PS5, PS4, Xbox, and PC
Gideon talks to a tied up Leon in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem is getting story DLC, as well as photo mode and a new minigame that had better be Mercenaries
GTA 6
Action Games GTA 6: Everything we know so far
Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom City
Cyberpunk Canceled Cyberpunk 2077 DLC might have been better than Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2 creative director says
GTA 6 reveal trailer screenshot showing a young blonde woman standing near a sunny rooftop pool, wearing a white and gold bikini
FPS Games GTA 6 devs "must be quaking" over so much hype, Hell Let Loose lead says: "Is there too much that people are expecting?"
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto Some of GTA 6's big ideas are likely hiding in GTA 5, ex-Rockstar dev predicts – and you can look at GTA 4 to see why
The protagonist of GTA 4 holding his hand out in front of a Diner
Grand Theft Auto All GTA 4 cheats for weapons, cars, and more
GTA San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto GTA San Andreas cheats for unlimited money, health, armor, weapons, and more
GTA 5 money cheats - get free money
Grand Theft Auto GTA 5 money cheats and how to get more cash in V and GTA Online
Hand placing custom face plate on Steam Machine mini PC.
Games From GTA 6 to the rise of AI, here are the biggest trends to watch out for at GDC 2026
GTA 5 new
Action Games 25 Best Rockstar Games of all time, ranked
Three playable characters stand in a triangle wearing suits and holding guns in GTA 5
Grand Theft Auto Team behind GTA 5 multiplayer mod that rivalled Rockstar-owned FiveM says Take-Two is shutting the project down
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto As everyone continues to fear $80 GTA 6, Take-Two CEO wants to "deliver way more value than what we charge"
GTA Online Mansions
Grand Theft Auto GTA Online Mansions explained and how Prix Luxury works
Key art for Resident Evil 5's Lost in Nightmares DLC showing Jill and Chris ready for action with their guns drawn against a moody looking sky
Resident Evil Should Resident Evil 5 remake come next? I forced my coworker to play co-op with me to investigate
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. GTA Online

"It was supposed to feature a zombie apocalypse" - Grand Theft Auto Online data miners talk about the canceled plans for story DLC

News
By Aron Garst published 24 July 2019

Plans lost to the success of GTA Online

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Rockstar)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

It's probably one of the most disappointing buildups in Grand Theft Auto history. After years of waiting for single player expansions similar to The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and the Damned expansions for Grand Theft Auto 4, Rockstar finally confirmed that no story DLC would be coming to GTA 5 in 2017. 

However, a Eurogamer feature exploring the origins of the recently opened Diamond Casino & Resort went into detail about what single player expansions Rockstar had planned for Grand Theft Auto 5. Dataminers looked back on their discoveries and speculated on what those additional stories would have looked like. 

"What Rockstar was planning to do with the single-player DLC can be compared to adding a whole new map expansion," said data miner Tez2. "They had plans to redesign 80 or 90 percent of the map to fit a specific theme - one of the episodes was supposed to feature a zombie apocalypse. Rockstar would make changes to the whole map to fit the zombie apocalypse theme."

You may like
  • GTA 4 Rockstar's wildest ideas "wouldn't have been as good as GTA," says ex lead, who respects Larian ditching Baldur's Gate 4
  • GTA 2 We'll probably never see a Grand Theft Auto set in a futuristic city like GTA 2 because the team "hated it"
  • Grand Theft Auto 5 GTA 5 Online update fixes a million bugs, and now some players will no longer randomly spawn in the ocean

Similar to Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare expansion, GTA 5 would have seen a huge makeover for a zombie apocalypse like single player event. There were also plans for an Ocean 11-like Casino heist around the long awaited Casino in an unused corner of Los Santos. Unfortunately, these updates never saw the light of day due to the major success of Grand Theft Auto Online. 

"The casino was supposed to come to GTA5 as single-player DLC as well as to GTA Online," another data miner Yan2295 said. "But as many already know, the single-player DLCs got cancelled thanks to the success of GTA Online."

GTA 5 Cheats | How to play GTA Online | GTA Online beginners guide | How to make money fast in GTA Online | How to level up fast in GTA Online | GTA Online fastest cars | GTA Online fastest bikes | GTA Online best weapons | GTA Online casino | GTA Online Shark Card

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Xbox One PS4 Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Aron Garst
Contributor

Aron Garst is a journalist and writer exploring the future of games and interactivity. Follow him on X at @GarstProduction.

Read more
GTA 4
Rockstar's wildest ideas "wouldn't have been as good as GTA," says ex lead, who respects Larian ditching Baldur's Gate 4
 
 
GTA 2
We'll probably never see a Grand Theft Auto set in a futuristic city like GTA 2 because the team "hated it"
 
 
Grand Theft Auto 5
GTA 5 Online update fixes a million bugs, and now some players will no longer randomly spawn in the ocean
 
 
GTA 6
GTA 6 feature that some devs were reportedly fired over was 32-player online, according to Rockstar court documents
 
 
GTA 6
GTA 6 owner has "every reason to believe" GTA Online will continue to be supported after Rockstar's next game releases
 
 
GTA 6
GTA Tokyo nearly happened until the idea fizzled out: "It doesn't make sense to set it in some left-field location for novelty"
 
 
Latest in Action
Bizarre Lineage codes
Bizarre Lineage codes (March 2026) for free Stat Point Essence, Rare Chests, and more
 
 
Kratos approaches Aphrodite's bedchamber in God of War 3
"The God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," which is why Aphrodite's bed looks "like a labia"
 
 
GTA 6
Some of GTA 6's big ideas are likely hiding in GTA 5, ex-Rockstar dev predicts – and you can look at GTA 4 to see why
 
 
Screenshot from Ratcheteer DX, showing a GBC-style cave with four pixelated characters finding warmth around a fire.
The Legend of Zelda-esque game mimics the GameBoy to GameBoy Color transition, goes from retro handheld to PC and Switch
 
 
Musashi examines the oni gauntlet with a confused expression in Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Not content with stopping the avalanche of AAA games Capcom teases even more unannounced games before April 2027
 
 
A crop of the MindsEye key art for a review header
"Overwhelming evidence of organized espionage": MindsEye CEO blames launch on "corporate sabotage" amid more layoffs
 
 
Latest in News
Steam logo from Valve
Valve says "more games are finding success" on Steam than ever, and nearly 6,000 made over $100,000 last year
 
 
Robert rides the elevator to work in Dispatch with his dog Beef, looking out of place surrounded by superheroes
Dispatch leads faced down publishers telling them single-player narrative games were "niche, or worse, dead"
 
 
Wonderer heads to the Spire in a screenshot from Slay the Spire 2's animated reveal trailer
Xbox lead thinks "we have been in a golden age for indies" since 2008, and it's "a fantastic time to be a developer" if you ignore all the smoke
 
 
Xbox - Future Owns
Xbox teases "some iconic games from the past" to be re-released in 2026 from its "game preservation team"
 
 
The cowboy cat from the desert in Mewgenics
Steam expert advises devs stick to the "Little League" section with friendslop before attempting anything like Mewgenics
 
 
Donkey Kong Bananza screenshot of Donkey Kong punching through the landscape with pieces of banana flying through the air
With Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo learned "it is more fun to destroy that which is beautiful"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Steam logo from Valve
    1
    Valve says "more games are finding success" on Steam than ever, and nearly 6,000 made over $100,000 last year
  2. 2
    Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man director explains how the Netflix movie differs from the show:
  3. 3
    Dispatch leads faced down publishers telling them single-player narrative games were "niche, or worse, dead"
  4. 4
    Xbox lead thinks "we have been in a golden age for indies" since 2008, and it's "a fantastic time to be a developer" if you ignore all the smoke
  5. 5
    The Future Games Show returns this week - here's how to watch

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...