Rockstar Games has publicly responded to a wave of leaked Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay footage that began circulating last week from a source known as Cyberleek. In a statement posted to X, Rockstar called the leaks "heartbreaking" for its team and said this was not how it intended fans to see the game after years of anticipation. The company also apologized for the game's long development timeline, saying it knows things have taken longer than fans wanted.
Before issuing the statement, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, had already pursued a legal route, issuing subpoenas to Microsoft and Discord in an effort to identify the anonymous leaker by obtaining information such as Windows device IDs from members of three Discord servers. According to Tom's Hardware, that effort does not appear to have stopped the leaks, which continued even after the subpoenas were issued.
The Cyberleek leaks reportedly exposed a significant amount of previously secret material, including a detailed map of the in-game location Leonidas, gameplay mechanics, vehicle and driving designs, and NPC interactions. Tom's Hardware notes that the leaker also demonstrated having a complete working build of the game, including proof such as spelling out "LEEK" on an in-game wall, which helped dispel earlier doubts that the leaked clips might be outdated or faked.
Notably, Rockstar's statement did not address demands attributed to the leaker regarding Rockstar's practice of pre-selling digital copies of GTA VI, an omission highlighted by Tom's Hardware. Rockstar's message instead focused on apologizing to fans and thanking the community for supportive messages during the past week, saying the team is making the game for its players.
In its statement, Rockstar asked fans to wait a bit longer to experience the game themselves, pointing to a November 19 release date and noting that an extended look at the game was set to be shared the following day, including on Netflix. Tom's Hardware separately noted that a console release remains less than three months away, though no PC version has yet been announced, and warned that some parties have used the leak frenzy to spread malware disguised as game files. TechPowerUp, however, described GTA VI's launch as expected around November 2026, a timeline that does not align with Tom's Hardware's reporting of an imminent release within weeks, indicating a discrepancy between the two accounts regarding the game's release timing.