GTA 6 Gameplay Leak Prompts Rockstar to Issue DMCA Takedowns

The leaked map depicts Leonida, a distorted, compact version of south Florida. It includes a large city resembling Miami on the eastern side, with extensive green spaces to the west and north. Numerous small and large islands dot the map, including a cluster that resembles the Florida Keys in the south. The screenshot also displays several markers, including a home icon, a balaclava-covered face, cars, and an alligator.

One clip shows Jason, one of the game's dual protagonists, at a waterside home. He hops over a ledge, runs past a jetski, picks up a basketball, and makes a few shots. After scoring on his first attempt, his focus stat boosts, suggesting the game will incorporate RPG mechanics. The clip also shows two dollar values in the top right corner, matching the font from previous GTA games, and what appears to be a focus bar in the top left when Jason holds the basketball. The building in the clip matches one seen in an official GTA VI screenshot and is labeled as Jason's safehouse on the game's website.

The second clip shows Jason driving over a bridge toward an area called The Keys before making a U-turn and causing mild havoc. He crashes into a delivery truck, gets into a fight with the driver, and kills him with a wrench, depleting an energy bar with each swing. This earns Jason a two-star wanted level. A devil icon with a minus sign appears, along with a portrait of Jason, indicating an honor or karma system similar to the Red Dead Redemption series. As Jason returns to his vehicle, "loadout" and "storage" prompts appear, suggesting options to change weapons and store items in the car. An icon with the car's name and a gas meter also appears, implying vehicles now require fuel. The clip ends as Jason approaches an air ambulance.

Engadget notes that the materials may not be entirely legitimate, as their age and authenticity are unclear. The clips are watermarked with URLs claiming to offer more details and a "fighting for gamers' rights" message. The alleged leaker said they released the footage to protest Rockstar's decision to include only a code, not a disc, in the physical edition of GTA VI. They also threatened further action against Rockstar and other publishers over practices like digital pre-orders, "fake single-player DLC," and failure to maintain access to single-player games.

Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled to release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19. An extended look at the game will premiere on Netflix on August 27.