Sharing GTA 6 leaks could land you in trouble as hacker issues demands to Rockstar

Another day, another Grand Theft Auto leak. It's been 13 years (and counting) since Rockstar Games released GTA V, with its GTA Online multiplayer component helping it earn over $10 billion in revenue and become the most profitable entertainment product of all time.

With GTA 6's few trailers breaking records on YouTube, and publisher Take-Two Interactive celebrating 'unprecedented' pre-order sales, it looks like even analysts predicting it'll be the biggest game of all time might be underselling the automotive adventure.

Still, with Rockstar keeping its cards close to its chest, it's made fans ravenous for every morsel of information ahead of Netflix's 'extended look' on August 27.

We might not have to wait that long, with one hacker group delivering a deluge of leaks and slapping Rockstar with its own biblical list of demands as it threatens to leak more.

What's included in the GTA 6 gigaleak?

The hackers go under the mantle of CyberLeek and have started circulating apparent GTA 6 gameplay leaks.

It’s a big deal because we haven't seen any official gameplay footage yet. This is presumably a surefire reveal from the Netflix collab, but getting the jump on this official partnership is pretty devastating for Rockstar.

One video attributed to CyberLeek shows male protagonist Jason playing basketball outside his house, while a second has him racing around Vice City and attacking an NPC.

More than this, an image appearing to show the full GTA 6 map and a much bigger Vice City is also taking over our timelines.

Eagle-eyed fans have noted everything from a six-star wanted system (up from GTA V's five) to an apparent stealth mechanic, GTA's take on Red Dead Redemption 2's karma to a potential military base where we can steal fighter jets.

Listing its demands, CyberLeek refers to monetization in video games and also calls out GTA 6's lack of a physical disc as the group raged: "Every year anti-consumerism tightens its grip, and every year gamers get less for what they pay."

There are three 'commandments' that video game publishers are told to adhere to, and if not, they'll be targeted by CyberLeek. The group states that, as digital pre-orders physically can't sell out, there's no need for them in the first place, and titles should be able to be bought after being reviewed.

They also demand an end to 'fake' single-player DLCs that lock content already in the game files behind paywalls, and finally, a return to physical formats so single-player games can continue existing even if online servers are shut down.

The group warns: "If CyberLeek can reach Rockstar, no one is safe. This is a message to all big corpo: behave, or be the next target."

It's not just gaming giants that are being slapped with a warning, because if you're planning on sharing those GTA 6 leaks for your own profit, you could soon be caught in Rockstar's corporate net.

Look, but don't touch

As for the leakers, we've already seen Rockatar aggressively go after Arion Kurtaj after he was exposed as the person behind the Lapsus$ September 2022 leak.

Resharing someone’s post about the leaks probably won't get you in too much legal trouble, typically resulting in a 'media not displayed' post when the OG is inevitably pulled. However, bigger accounts, YouTube creators, and those on Twitch should absolutely avoid showing off the current lot of CyberLeek leaks or any subsequent ones.

As shared by Notebookcheck, Rockstar has seemingly been issuing Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notices to some of the bigger accounts. This includes known Rockstar insider @videotech, who took to X to write: "I can confirm Rockstar is currently taking down tweets based on DMCA report screenshots I've been sent. DO NOT POST THESE LEAKS."

It's said that software automatically scans for gameplay leaks and the leaked map, so don't think you can fly under the radar.

While these DMCA takedowns only add to the validity of the CyberLeek hack, accruing copyright strikes could get your account banned or even land you in legal trouble with Rockstar. More immediately, you can expect the likes of YouTube to suspend your monetization and remove you from creator funds, while trying to fight the copyright claimant could see Rockstar and Take-Two sue you in federal court.

If it gets that far, proving 'willful' sharing of leaked or stolen data carries a minimum of $750 per violation, soaring to a maximum of $150,000.

So, if you're thinking of sharing those GTA 6 clips in the hopes of getting a few more views on your channel, you might want to think before you upload.