GTA 6 leak: Gamers rally round Rockstar after 'biggest hack in history'

The GTA 6 leak has been confirmed as real, and it's big. In fact, it could be the biggest security breach in gaming history. But while publisher Rockstar Games battles to take down stolen content, it says the delay won't delay the game and figures in the gaming sector have offered words of support.

Leaked GTA 6 content was posted to a forum on Sunday, and the hacker who posted it claims to have more assets from a  game, which Rockstar only revealed it was working on earlier this year and probably won't be released until 2024 or 2025 (for games you can play today, see our pick of the best PS5 games).

As the first update to the Grand Theft Auto series since GTA 5 in 2013, GTA 6 is perhaps one of the most anticipated games in the making. Rockstar Games hasn't given any details away, but a barrage of leaked content was posted to GTAForums at the weekend.

The footage included animation tests, level layouts and some 90 videos of early footage from the game. Most notably, it appeared to confirm a rumour that GTA 6 will feature a playable female protagonist for the first time. It also appeared to reveal that the game will take place in Vice City, a fictionalised version of Miami which was the setting for the 2002 game GTA: Vice City.

Rockstar has since confirmed that the leak is real. In a statement on Twitter, it said: “An unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto." It added: "We do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects.”

The original post has been removed, as have subsequent reposts of the content on platforms including YouTube and Twitter. The GTA6 subreddit was closed for a time while moderators removed content, but it seems inevitable that videos will pop up again elsewhere. As for the hacker, they, or people claiming to be them, appear to have been attempting to profit from the leak, both trying to negotiate with Rockstar and sell GTA 6 assets online.

Meanwhile, the gaming sector has rallied around to support developers working on the game. The creative director and programmer Neil Druckmann, co-president of Naughty Dog was one of those to respond. He suffered a major leak himself with The Last of Us. He wrote on Twitter: "To my fellow devs out there affected by the latest leak, know that while it feels overwhelming right now, it’ll pass. One day we’ll be playing your game, appreciating your craft, and the leaks will be relegated to a footnote on a Wikipedia page. Keep pushing. Keep making art."

The gaming photographer Nik Baker said "A leak just adds to the hype. Knowing that work is actually being done to make another game is nothing but good news. Getting to see a glimpse only encourages talk of it. Understandable that Rockstar are probably pissed but it's got everyone excited!"

'NoM iZ Da Name wrote: "Hollywood movies get leaked months in advance and still bank. The companies need to stop crying and focus on making sure they deliver quality product."

As for fans, nobody seems to be saying that the leak makes any difference to their intentions to buy the game when it finally comes out. In fact, many say the leaked content merely confirms that the game looks like Grand Theft Auto. and that if anything it's made them more excited. "It's a game leak. Not the death of a family member. Calm down now," one person tweeted.

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