Alternate versions

All U.S video tape releases before January 1993 are the unrated version and contain the extra violence in the Euro-release that's not seen in the 117 minute American theatrical release:

• When Roy attacks Tyrell we clearly see him pushing his thumbs into Tyrell's eyes, and blood spurting out
• When Pris (Daryl Hannah) attacks Deckard, she reaches down and grabs him by the nostrils
• When Deckard shoots Pris, he shoots 3 times instead of 2
• When Roy pushes the nail through his hand, there is a shot of the nail coming through the skin on the other side.

CBS edited 3 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere. Some of the missing scenes include:

• Bryant's line "Don't be an asshole Deckard" was changed to "Don't be an ass Deckard".
• The word "Christ" was cut from Byrant's line "Christ Deckard, you look almost as bad as that skin job you left on the sidewalk"
• The word "goddamn" was cut from Bryant's line "He's a goddamn one man slaughter house."
• All scenes showing Zhora's breasts have been removed.
• Roy's line, "I want more life fucker/father" was changed to "I want more life".
• Roy's murder of Tyrell is much shorter than in all other versions.
• The fight between Pris and Deckard is heavily edited; all shots of Pris thrashing on the ground after being shot were cut, as were all the scenes where Deckard's head is trapped between her legs.

In 2007, Ridley Scott released "Blade Runner: The Final Cut", digitally remastered with improved visual and sound effects, and with numerous revisions to the 1992 Director's Cut. The more noticeable differences between The Director's Cut and The Final Cut include:

• The overall film has been brightened considerably, revealing previously hidden details in many shots. Additionally, the digital enhancement reveals many heretofore obscured details, such as dirty dishes in Deckard's apartment and a freeway high above Pris as she approaches the Bradbury.
• The opening credits have been completely redone, although in the exact same font as in the original film. The noticeable shimmer effect from the theatrical cut and the Director's Cut has been removed.
• In the opening shot, the flames shooting up have been re-animated to look more synchronized with the associated light play on the smokestacks.
• In the shots of the staring eye, you can briefly see the pupil react to the setting of 2019 L.A.
• A couple of shots were trimmed (such as Deckard's intro reading the newspaper).
• Additional smoke was added behind the cook when Gaff (Edward James Olmos) and a police officer are talking to Deckard while he is eating at the White Dragon.
• All spinner wires have been removed and matte lines erased.
• Bryant's (M. Emmet Walsh) line "I've got four skin jobs walking the streets" has been improved so it's not obviously an inserted recording.
• Bryant says that "2" replicants were fried in the electrical field (as opposed to the theatrical release and Director's Cut, where he says only 1 was killed).
• Bryant describes Leon's job during the incept tapes scene.
• New Cityspeak and other chatter comes over on the police scanner in Gaff's spinner rides both to the police station and the Tyrell building.
• The original shot of Roy (Rutger Hauer) in the VidPhone booth that had been recycled from the later confrontation with Tyrell (Joe Turkel) has been digitally altered so that it truly does look like Roy was in the booth. The thumb on his shoulder has also been digitally removed from the shot.
• The hotel manager mutters "Kowalski" as he opens the door to Leon's (Brion James) room for Deckard and Gaff.
• The new Unicorn footage is longer and shows Deckard to be awake during the sequence. This is how Ridley Scott and editor Terry Rawlings originally conceived of the scene. Deckard is shown staring into space, and there is a cut to the unicorn. The film then cuts back to Deckard and again cuts back to the unicorn, before returning to Deckard once more. The shot of the unicorn which appeared in the Director's Cut has also been recolored, and the sound mix has been completely redone.
• The blue grid lines on the Esper machine have been reanimated, to make them look less smooth.
• When Deckard finds Zhora lying down in the back room on the photo, the image is now that of Joanna Cassidy; previously, it was clearly someone else.
• New footage of the LA streets before Animoid Row and Taffey Lewis's club, including the hockey-masked geisha dancers.
• The serial number on the snake scale now matches the Animoid Row lady's dialog.
• There is a shot of Deckard asking for directions to Taffey Lewis' from a uniformed policeman.
• The lip flap between Deckard and Abdul Ben Hassan has been digitally corrected (using Harrison Ford's son, Ben, as a stand-in for his mouth movements).
• In Zhora's death scene, you can tell it is her the entire time; previously it was obvious that her stunt double, Lee Pulford, was in the shot. Joanna Cassidy's head was digitally superimposed over Pulford's.
• Deckard's cut after retiring Zhora was digitally removed (it wasn't supposed to be there until after the fight with Leon).
• The marquee inconsistencies on the Million Dollar Theatre have been corrected.
• During Roy's confrontation with Tyrell, he says, "I want more life, father", as opposed to "I want more life, fucker".
• When Roy kills Tyrell, the footage is the same as that found in the International Cut, with the additional violence. Additionally, when Roy turns to Sebastian, he says "I'm sorry, Sebastian. Come. Come", as he walks towards him.
• When Pris (Daryl Hannah) attacks Deckard, she reaches down and grabs him by the nostrils.
• When Deckard shoots Pris, he shoots 3 times instead of 2.
• The two shadows (of Ridley Scott and Jordan Cronenweth) seen on the wall during the chase sequence have been removed.
• When Roy pushes the nail through his hand, there is a shot of the nail coming through the skin on the other side.
• When Roy releases the dove, it now flies up into a background that matches 2019 L.A.
• The music which plays over the end credits is a newly composed piece by Vangelis; a different version of the 'End Credits' theme as heard in all other cuts.
• In the closing credits, David L. Snyder is now listed as 'David L. Snyder', instead of 'David Snyder'. Additionally, Ben Astar is now credited for playing the role of Abdul Ben Hassan.

Two different audio takes of Roy's line "I want more life..." have turned up in the various versions released over the years. In one, Rutger Hauer's performance is more forceful (as heard in the laserdisc & VHS releases, and in the stereo mix for the Director's Cut on DVD & Blu-ray), and in the other it's more restrained (as heard in the Workprint, the Final Cut, and the 5.1 mixes on the "Archival Versions" DVD and Blu-ray). It's unclear where this discrepancy originated, but one possibility is that the harsher take was used in the 35mm theatrical mix, while the other was used in the 70mm six-track mix.

The European theatrical release (also available on Criterion Laserdisc) is 117 minutes long and has more explicit/violent than the original American version, with a few additions/differences from the US release:

• When Batty kills Tyrell, we see him pushing his thumbs into Tyrell's eyes, and blood spurting out.
• Pris lifts Deckard up by his nostrils during their fight.
• Deckard shoots Pris a third time; there are also more shots of Pris kicking and screaming when she is shot.
• When Roy pushes the nail through his hand, we see it burst through the skin on the other side.

There are reports that when "Blade Runner" premiered on American cable TV, there was an additional line of dialog when Bryant gives Deckard the description, names, and addresses of Tyrell and Sebastian over the radio. In the cable TV version, Bryant adds "...and check 'em out" after he says "I want you to go down there."

A 113 minute 70mm workprint was shown at the some sneak previews in Dallas and Denver in 1982. The film scored extremely poorly from the test audiences, and it was this poor reaction which led to the happy ending and the voice-over narration. In 1989, sound preservationist Michael Arick came across a 70mm print of Blade Runner in the TODD-AO vaults. Thinking it was the International Cut, Arick purchased the print for Warners, who loaned it out to the Los Angeles Cineplex-Odeon Fairfax Theatre in 1990 for a festival of 70mm prints. It was at this screening that people realized they were watching the Dallas/Denver Workprint. The film was subsequently screened at UCLA's Los Angeles Perspectives Multimedia Festival in 1991. A 35mm reduction of this version was later shown at the NuArt Theatre and the Art Deco Castro Theater in San Francisco in 1991. It was the success of these four screenings that prompted Warner Bros. to look into the possibility of releasing a Director's Cut of the film. The workprint briefly resurfaced again, by accident, for a one-week engagement (1/15 - 1/21) at the Seattle, WA Landmark Egyptian Theater in 1999. However, this print was the one-of-a-kind 70mm blow-up, directly from the Warner Bros. vault. In 2007, the workprint was made available to the public for the first time on disc 5 of the 5-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD/HD-DVD/Blu-ray Disc of the film (which also contains the US theatrical cut, the European cut, the Director's Cut and the Final Cut). The differences between the workprint and the other versions include:

• The logo for the Ladd Company is on a white background, not a black background.
• The title screen for the film is different, with the words 'BLADE RUNNER' sliding onto the screen accompanied by the sound of knives.
• New American Dictionary (2016) definition of a replicant is used in lieu of the opening credit crawl.
• The opening shots do not include the close-up and subsequent pull-away from the eye seen in all other cuts, it simply cuts closer and closer to the Tyrell building. Additionally, the shot moving into towards the window is absent, as are two interior wide shots of Holden standing at the window. Throughout the scene, air-traffic control headings can be heard.
• After Leon shoots Holden and he crashes through the wall, hitting the table, the shot stays on Holden as fan blades brush his hair and his back smokes from the gunfire.
• Deckard's meal at "The White Dragon" can be seen being laid on the bar in front of him, rather than merely being heard. Additionally, the shot of Deckard rubbing his chopsticks together is longer. Also, as Gaff speaks to Deckard, the shot remains on Deckard rather than cutting to Gaff, showing Deckard having some difficulty eating his noodles.
• As Deckard and Gaff are flying to the police station, in all versions of the film, you can see Gaff speaking to Deckard, but in the Workprint you can actually hear what he says.
• During the briefing, the shot of Bryant getting a bottle and pouring two drinks is absent. Also missing is Bryant's line "I need the old Blade Runner, I need your magic."
• Bryant says "two" replicants were fried running through an electric field instead of one."
• When looking at the incept tapes, Bryant comments on Leon's ability to work all day and night.
• As Gaff and Deckard approach the Tyrell building, there is more air traffic control heard.
• When Rachael asks Deckard if she can ask him a personal question, Deckard responds "Sure. What is it?" In all other versions of the film, he simply says "Sure."
• When Deckard and Gaff inspect Leon's address and the attendant opens the room for them, he mutters "Kowalski".
• After Chew tells Roy that J.F. Sebastian will take him to Tyrell, the shot where Roy leans forward and says, "Now, where will we find this J.F. Sebastian?" is missing.
• After Rachael has left Deckard's apartment, and he walks out onto the balcony, there is the sound of a police siren, which is absent in all other cuts.
• When Deckard plays the piano in a depressed stupor: a) there is no unicorn vision, b) there is no background music, and c) we hear one or two notes Harrison Ford actually played on the set.
• A whirring sound comes from the Esper that is absent in all other versions.
• After zooming in on the shot of Roy in the photo, Deckard can be heard to say "Hello Roy." Then, after printing the hard copy, he says "Zhora or Pris?"
• When Deckard gives the snake scale to the Cambodian lady, she says "It will take a moment."
• Deckard's search for Abdul Hassan lasts longer: we see more of Animoid Row and the back streets of the sector. As Deckard moves away from the Cambodian lady, there is an eighteen second crane shot showing Deckard disappearing into the crowd.
• The dialogue heard during the scene with Hassan matches perfectly with the lip movements.
• As Deckard nears Taffey Lewis' club, there is a twelve second crane shot showing the geography of the street.
• There is a shot of two dancers in hockey masks outside Taffey's bar.
• There is a shot of Deckard asking for directions to Taffey Lewis' from a uniformed policeman.
• The audio-only introduction of 'Miss Salome' is slightly different.
• There is a close-up shot of Deckard examining a sequin from Zhora's costume.
• After Zhora attacks Deckard and flees, we see Deckard loosen his tie from his throat.
• "If I Didn't Care" by the Ink Spots, is in the background when Deckard purchases a bottle of Tsingtao, instead of "One More Kiss, Dear."
• After Rachael shoots Leon, the shot of him falling forward onto Deckard is absent, as is the shot of Rachael lowering the gun and stepping forward.
• In Deckard's apartment, there is no "Love Theme"; the initial music track merely continues on longer. Also, Rachel plays a different selection on the piano when testing herself, and the shot of her undoing her hair and letting it fall to her shoulders is missing.
• Roy says to Tyrell, "I want more life, father".
• When Roy kills Tyrell, the footage is the same as in the International version, showing Roy's thumbs going into Tyrell's eyes and blood spurting out. Additionally, when Roy turns to Sebastian, he says "I'm sorry, Sebastian. Come. Come", as he walks towards him. As Sebastian turns to run, he can be heard whimpering.
• Bryant's info to Deckard over the CB about Tyrell's and Sebastian's deaths are heard as we see Deckard driving through the tunnel. When Deckard is parked in his sedan on the street, he is merely preparing to call J.F.'s apartment before the police spinner interrogates him. Also, when the spinner arrives, we hear police sirens.
• During the fight between Pris and Deckard, we see Pris lift him up by the nostrils.
• When Deckard shoots Pris, he shoots 3 times instead of 2.
• There is the sound of a thunderclap as Roy examines Pris' body.
• We actually see Roy break Deckard's fingers, in a split second close up, with a prop-hand. Also, the shot when Deckard pops his fingers back in is taken from a different angle, and Deckard's scream is much quieter than in all other versions of the film.
• There are more shots of Roy running through the Bradbury.
• When Roy pushes his head through the wall, there is an extra line; "You're not in pain are you? Are you in pain?"
• There are more shots of Deckard as he climbs to the roof, and also more shots of him as he hangs on to the neighboring building.
• The music during the chase is completely different from the music of Vangelis (according to Paul Sammon, the music used is from old soundtracks by James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith).
• Different, farther-away shots of Roy as Deckard watches him die. Additionally, there is an alternate narration (the only narration in this version): "I watched him die all night. It was a long, slow thing and he fought it all the way. He never whimpered and he never quit. He took all the time he had as though he loved life very much. Every second of it...even the pain. Then, he was dead."
• Deckard's movement through his apartment as he searches for Rachael is different, with a wide shot of him scanning the room. The overall scene is approximately 20 seconds shorter than in all other versions
• The shot of Deckard telling Rachael to wait before leaving the apartment is missing.
• There is no happy ending, the film ends when the elevator doors slam.
• There are no end credits, merely exit music for about a minute: the same cue heard as when Gaff takes Deckard to see Bryant at the start of the movie.

In the Swedish version, the subtitles mistakenly identify "Batty" as "Beatty" and "c-beams" as "seabeams". The Swedish version also deletes the additional violence from the original version in the DC.

In the San Diego sneak preview version of the film, exhibited only once in May 1982, there are three unique shots which are nowhere to be found in any other version, including the "Workprint". One shot is from the introduction of Roy Batty, displaying a full-body shot of him inside the VidPhon booth, another is of Deckard feebly attempting to reload his weapon after Batty has broken his fingers, and the last one is a high-angled shot of Deckard and Rachael's ride into the sunset.

Some television broadcasts have a narrator reading aloud the opening scrawl.

After the success of the Workprint screenings in 1991, Warner Bros began to prepare a technically updated version of the 70mm workprint to release as the "Director's Cut", but Ridley Scott and Michael Arick quickly prepared a revised theatrical version without narration, without the happy ending, and with the addition of the unicorn vision. However, Scott was in post production on 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) and in preproduction on Thelma & Louise (1991), and he was unable to devote all his time to the project. As such, Scott always felt that even this altered version of the film, fell short of his true intentions, something he was finally able to rectify with the 2007 Final Cut. The main differences between the Director's Cut and the US Theatrical Cut include:

• the Director's Cut completely deletes all Deckard voice-overs
• while Deckard waits for a seat at the noodlebar, the voice from the advertising blimp goes on longer than in the original version (to fill the void from the missing voice over) and adds the phrase "This announcement is brought to you by the Shimata-Dominguez Corporation -- helping America into the New World."
• there is a 12 second scene showing a unicorn while Deckard plays the piano
• the happy ending is gone, instead the film ends when the elevator doors close.