Rockstar originally built the prototype for Grand Theft Auto as a top-down multiplayer game called Race and Chase where players were supposed to take on the roles of either cops or robbers.

A closer look

Rockstar originally built the prototype for Grand Theft Auto as a top-down multiplayer game called Race and Chase where players were supposed to take on the roles of either cops or robbers. Playtesters found the intended gameplay loop incredibly boring, but they absolutely loved a glitch in the pathfinding algorithm that caused the artificial intelligence police cars to aggressively try to run the player off the road. The developers realized that avoiding homicidal cops while causing maximum property damage was way more fun than following traffic laws, so they pivoted the entire concept. Thus, a massive franchise that has repeatedly outraged parents and politicians was born entirely from broken code trying to murder innocent beta testers!