GTA VI Suffers Another Leak. Gameplay Clips Online Appear Ahead of Netflix Premiere.

Grand Theft Auto VI is still three months away from its long-awaited release, but Rockstar Games is once again dealing with apparent leaks that may be giving players an unauthorized look at the blockbuster before its official gameplay showcase.

The Verge detailed that several clips appearing to show GTA VI gameplay have surfaced online ahead of Rockstar's planned "extended look" at the game, which is set to premiere on Netflix next week. At least three clips have reportedly circulated, although two were subsequently removed from the site where The Verge viewed them following copyright claims.

One of the removed videos reportedly showed a relatively quiet moment in which Jason Duval, one of the game's two protagonists, shoots a basketball into a hoop. While hardly the kind of high-speed criminal activity typically associated with Grand Theft Auto, the footage potentially offered another glimpse at the everyday activities players may encounter in Rockstar's massive open world.

A second clip was much more in line with the franchise's reputation. It appeared to show Duval attacking someone with a wrench and, perhaps more significantly for longtime fans, what looked like the return of a six-star Wanted system, an in-game mechanic that shows the severity of the crime the player has committed and police response to it.

Another video showed Duval driving at night, fighting people, using a taser, and stealing a truck before switching to what appeared to be a daytime cutscene from another section of the game. The footage was watermarked by a person or group calling itself "CyberLeek."

According to The Verge, one of the videos also promoted a CyberLeek cryptocurrency and included a QR code and links to questionable-looking websites. The clip contained the message, "NO PHYSICAL DISCS? THEN MORE LEEKS!", apparently referring to Rockstar's decision not to release GTA VI on a physical disc at launch.

Neither Rockstar Games nor parent company Take-Two Interactive immediately responded to The Verge's request for comment about the apparent leaks. The latest incident adds another chapter to GTA VI's unusually long history of unauthorized disclosures.

In September 2022, roughly 90 videos containing early development footage from the game were posted online, creating one of the biggest leaks in video game history. That happened more than a year before Rockstar officially unveiled GTA VI.

Even the game's first official trailer struggled to make it to its scheduled debut without leaking. After a version appeared online ahead of time in December 2023, Rockstar released the trailer early rather than wait for its planned premiere.

A teenager involved in the massive 2022 leak was later sentenced to indefinite detention in a secure hospital after a British court determined he remained a high risk for cybercrime. Rockstar has faced more recent cybersecurity concerns as well. Earlier this year, the company confirmed that some of its data had been compromised through the hacking of a third-party provider.

Rockstar said at the time that the breach would have "no impact on our organization or our players." The timing of the newest apparent leaks is particularly notable because Rockstar is preparing to give audiences a much more extensive official look at GTA VI.

The game's "extended look" is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on August 27 at 3 p.m. ET, followed by a YouTube stream at 9 p.m. ET. The presentation will arrive less than three months before one of the gaming industry's most closely watched launches in years.

Grand Theft Auto VI, priced at $79.99, is scheduled for release on November 19. The anticipation surrounding the game is already affecting the broader release calendar, with other publishers largely avoiding major November launches and moving some of their biggest titles earlier in the year.