Rockstar was hit Tuesday night by another leak of Grand Theft Auto VI footage just months before the game’s release in November. The leaker, known as Cyberleek, shared images of the GTA VI game and map, prompting Take-Two to issue takedown requests, although the spread on social media is largely uncontrolled. Cyberleek has actually explained its motivations for filtering the content. In a statement, they said: “A digital copy cannot go out of stock. However, the publishers kept the pre-order system and removed its only consumer benefit. Now players pay in advance and receive nothing in return except a countdown timer and a cosmetic skin.” This leak comes after Take-Two announced that there would be no physical copies of GTA VI for consoles. Purchasing a boxed copy would contain nothing more than a code. The move coincides with Sony’s announcement that it would stop producing physical games in 2028; Rockstar’s move begins this year, when it will give the game studio a better return on an $80 game that is expected to sell tens of millions of copies. The leaker may have other motives here: many of the releases contain watermarks promoting the purchase of a cryptocurrency, suggesting that the leaker is trying to get something out of this besides internet infamy. Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes Some online commentators criticize the quality of the leaked images; One clip shows Jason getting out of a car and using a wrench to beat a driver to death. The movement and visuals seem disappointing to some. However, Cyberleek has confirmed that the leaked clip is from 2023, and a lot of work has since been put into this late 2026 release. The leak has also revealed previously unknown details, such as a fuel gauge on cars and a claim that GTA VI will feature currency that can be redeemed for real-life money, similar to Roblox. Cyberleek promises to release more screenshots on Wednesday. (Update: Shortly after this article was initially published, more gameplay leaks were uploaded, including a cutscene.) The leaks don’t seem devastating to the game’s prospects, but they’re sure to infuriate Rockstar executives, who will reveal GTA VI’s gameplay and systems on Netflix and YouTube in just over a week. The studio certainly can’t be happy that people are spreading and discussing clips from three years ago, without context, before the game’s release. There is a mixed history of leaks in all types of media that get caught or escape. One of the most famous cases is that of a man who uploaded an unfinished version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine to the Internet. He was eventually captured and sentenced to a year in federal prison. This story continues and we’ll see what might hit the internet soon. Reportedly, a new leak was just published in the last half hour. Rockstar has not yet issued a public statement. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Pick up my science fiction novels, the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
