A leaker or group going by the name Cyberleek has been posting unofficial Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay footage online for several consecutive days, according to Kotaku and PC Gamer. The clips have shown protagonist Jason carjacking vehicles, driving through Vice City's highways and streets, and interacting with wanted-level and police-awareness systems. PC Gamer described one video, titled "hypercar.mp4," as roughly two minutes of high-speed driving with few crashes, while Kotaku noted footage of a carjacking that ended with Jason spraying the word "LEEK" into a wall with bullets. Outlets have pointed to the game's lighting, including reflections in puddles and off road signs, as especially striking given the age or state of the build being shown.
Each leak has also served as a promotion for a cryptocurrency tied to Cyberleek. PC Gamer and GamesRadar+ both cited a message accompanying the clips reading "HIGHER MARKETCAP = MORE LEEKS," encouraging viewers to buy into the scheme. PC Gamer noted that despite this, Take-Two's market capitalization has fallen by roughly $2.8 billion over the course of the week as its share price dropped.
According to GamesRadar+, Take-Two, Rockstar's parent company, has filed multiple subpoenas in the Southern District Court of New York seeking to identify Cyberleek. One subpoena, filed August 20, invokes the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and states the company's goal is "to obtain the identity of an alleged infringer or infringers," for use only in protecting Take-Two's rights. Microsoft and Discord have until September 4 to turn over internal records, which GamesRadar+ reported could include Discord account IDs, registration emails and IP addresses, phone numbers, linked accounts such as Google or Xbox, device identifiers, and any GTA- or Rockstar-related content from a OneDrive account. The investigation reportedly extends to multiple Discord servers, including Cyberleek's own and the server belonging to GTA 5 YouTuber DarkViperAU.
Kotaku reported that Rockstar and Take-Two have remained publicly silent since the leaks began, even as they pursue the legal effort to trace the source. It remains unclear exactly how the footage is being obtained; Kotaku noted the leaks could stem from a playable build, or possibly a tester cooperating with the leaker using a limited slice of the game, which might explain unusual lighting conditions and the absence of footage featuring the game's other protagonist, Lucia Caminos.
Polygon situated the leaks within a broader summer news lull in the games industry, noting that the leaks began in a lighter tone tied to fan frustration over the lack of a physical edition of GTA 6, but "quickly turned awful." Polygon also linked the leaks to a rockier-than-usual pattern this year, alongside backlash toward Insomniac Games' hands-on previews of Marvel's Wolverine.
Kotaku reported that Rockstar plans an official gameplay reveal on Netflix on August 27, while Polygon said Rockstar would release the first official GTA 6 gameplay on Thursday, ahead of Gamescom the following week. Both outlets suggested the official reveal is expected to overshadow the leaked clips once it arrives.