Cutting corners: Fewer than 100 days remain until the release of Grand Theft Auto VI, one of the most anticipated video games of all time, and developer Rockstar has released virtually no gameplay footage. A week before the first officially scheduled gameplay demonstration, an anonymous leaker has released the sandbox game's biggest leak since 2022.
Two low-resolution clips attributed to an X account calling itself CyberLeek appear to show previously unseen gameplay from GTA 6. Although the footage lasts only a couple of minutes, Take-Two's rapid but ultimately ineffective copyright takedowns suggest the clips are genuine.
One clip shows Jason, one of the game's two playable characters, playing a basketball minigame at a house seen in prior trailers. Movement in GTA 6 appears to resemble Red Dead Redemption 2, and a "Focus" stat that rises with each made shot suggests the game includes RPG-like mechanics.
Another video shows Jason driving before colliding with a truck and getting into a fight with its driver. The clip shows Jason using a wrench as a melee weapon, a stamina meter, and a wanted meter that goes up to six stars instead of GTA 5's five. A separate AI-generated video showing the second playable character, Lucia, is also circulating.
CyberLeek also leaked what's said to be GTA 6's entire world map. Similar to its predecessor, GTA 6 is set on a large island containing a large city surrounded by several smaller towns and wilderness. The leaker, who is also using the leak to promote a cryptocurrency token, plans to release more material imminently but claims to be rate-limited.
The leak is the biggest breach against Take-Two and Rockstar since a hacker shared over 90 videos and screenshots in 2022. Prominent leaker NateTheHate claims the new footage is over a year old, likely from 2024, so while much has probably changed since it was recorded, it still represents the latest build shown publicly.
Thus far, trailers containing tiny gameplay snippets with cinematic camera angles are the only GTA 6 footage Rockstar has officially released. An extended look at the game will debut on Netflix on August 27, six hours before it hits YouTube.
Grand Theft Auto VI will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles on November 19. The Standard Edition carries an $80 MSRP, while the Ultimate Edition is priced at $100. CyberLeek says it shared the footage partly to protest what it calls Rockstar's move toward a digital-only release, along with Sony's plans to cease manufacturing physical discs for PlayStation games after January 2028. A PC version is expected at a (much) later date.
Former Rockstar employees who accused the company of union-busting have asked fans not to boycott the game, but instead to purchase a custom T-shirt to support the group's legal battle against the developer.