A series of leaked gameplay videos and images of Grand Theft Auto 6 began appearing in mid-August 2026, attributed to an individual or group calling itself CyberLeek. The situation rapidly escalated, prompting Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, to pursue legal action. The leaks provided an early, albeit unofficial, glimpse into the game's mechanics, environment, and narrative elements.
Initial Revelations and CyberLeek's Manifesto
The first wave of leaked material, appearing around August 18, included gameplay clips and apparent images of the game's map. Prior to the wider dissemination of this footage, discussions on Reddit suggested that infrastructure related to CyberLeek, including domain registrations and cryptocurrency elements, was established as early as August 14. The initial gameplay clip, approximately one minute in length, showcased protagonist Jason Duval outside a coastal residence featured in official Rockstar marketing. This segment demonstrated a "Focus" mechanic, seemingly tied to an in-game basketball minigame, where successful shots increased the character's Focus level, displayed on the HUD. While initially met with skepticism, Rockstar's subsequent issuance of DMCA takedown notices lent credence to the leaks' authenticity.
Accompanying the initial leak was a manifesto from CyberLeek outlining several "commandments," including prohibitions against selling digital preorders and fake single-player downloadable content, and a directive to preserve single-player content. The group's primary criticism targeted digital preorders, arguing they offer no customer benefit for digital downloads that cannot 'sell out,' despite the availability of physical premium editions for GTA 6.
Expanding Footage and In-Game Details
Further leaks on August 18 included a clip titled "Random Video 1," depicting Jason involved in a roadside altercation with an NPC, suggesting a variety of environmental items, such as a wrench, could be used as weapons. The same day, images purporting to reveal the map of GTA 6's setting, Leonida, were published. GTA mapping communities analyzed these images, finding correlations with information previously gathered from Rockstar's official marketing materials. The map appeared to be composed of stitched-together in-game screenshots.
A third video, surfacing August 19, allegedly showed Jason using a taser during a facility break-in, potentially introducing a new weapon type to the series. This clip also featured a song released in January 2025, leading to speculation that it originated from the game's 2025 build at the earliest. The video indicated features such as key cloning, window smashing near vehicles, the ability to equip collected headwear, and the presence of vehicle health and fuel status bars. Another clip, "Junkies," showed Jason engaging in combat with a police officer, stealing a motorcycle, and evading a potential six-star wanted level, a higher tier than seen in Grand Theft Auto 5. The footage also hinted at a substance called "Zombix" with a diminishing health effect and suggested bystanders could report player crimes.
Rockstar's Response and CyberLeek's Tactics
Amidst the ongoing leaks, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, filed subpoenas on August 21 with Microsoft and Discord. These legal requests aimed to identify CyberLeek by obtaining user information, including account IDs, registration emails, IP addresses, and connected accounts, with a deadline of September 4 for compliance.
CyberLeek also employed tactics involving a cryptocurrency token, $CYBERLEEK, which was watermarked on much of the leaked footage. The group stated this token would fund a "secret project" and implemented a poll system where users could purchase tokens to influence which footage was released next. One poll resulted in the release of a plane-related video, securing 64.4% of the vote.
Further Leaks and Alleged Threats
On August 20, an extended gameplay video emerged, showing Jason piloting a plane over the dense city environment and scrolling through in-game radio stations. The video concluded with the character using gunfire to spell "Leek" on a wall. Concurrently, CyberLeek issued threats to release further material, including story and ending spoilers, unless Rockstar and other publishers altered their digital game distribution strategies. Some leaked videos bore watermarked messages such as, "No physical discs? Then more leeks!"
Additional footage released around August 21-22 included a clip of a "hypercar" driving sequence, showcasing the Truffade Thrax and providing a view of the city at sunset. A "strip club teaser" video depicted Jason robbing a gas station before approaching a strip club, with a watermark suggesting a full strip club reveal would occur if the $CYBERLEEK coin reached a market cap of three million. This was followed by the release of a more extensive strip club scene, featuring neon lights, NPCs, and soundtrack titles.
On August 23, a video labeled "Wasted" appeared, showing Jason driving a personal vehicle, the Vapid Ganado, before crashing and triggering the game's "Wasted" screen. A subsequent cut showed Jason in a bathroom stall, interacting with an NPC and receiving a quest prompt to return to Lucia, marking the first mention of this character in the leaks.
Amidst the data breach, reports emerged of fake GTA 6 downloads circulating online. These 113GB files were described as largely empty, containing a small virus intended to disable Windows Defender and other security software.
Later leaks on August 24 included footage of a nudist colony in Leonida, showing Jason interacting with various NPCs. A watermark in this clip read, "Do you want a Lucia-led prologue? CL has been evading spoilers," and CyberLeek initiated another poll, this time asking gamers to protest at Take-Two and Rockstar offices holding physical game discs.
The international consumer campaign "Stop Killing Games" distanced itself from CyberLeek's methods, stating, "Using illegal means to make a point is unacceptable to us," and advised against purchasing the $CYBERLEEK memecoin. As the situation continued to unfold, Take-Two's efforts to identify the leaker were ongoing, and players seeking to avoid spoilers were advised to implement social media filters.