Grand Theft Auto VI has endured another wave of unauthorized gameplay leaks just months before its November release, prompting publisher Take-Two Interactive to turn to federal court in an effort to identify those behind the disclosures.
The latest episode adds another chapter to the unusually troubled pre-release history of one of the most anticipated video games in years — nearly four years after a teenager breached Rockstar Games and released dozens of clips from an early build of GTA 6.
This time, gameplay footage began circulating online in August under the name “CyberLeek,” showing previously unseen material from the game. The clips spread across online forums and social platforms before being targeted by copyright takedowns.
Unlike the massive 2022 breach, however, there has been no public confirmation of exactly how the latest footage was obtained.
Take-Two escalated its response on August 20, filing requests for Digital Millennium Copyright Act subpoenas in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The subpoenas target Microsoft and Discord and seek records that could help identify the person or people associated with the CyberLeek persona.
According to court filings reported by multiple outlets, Take-Two is seeking information including account details, registration and login information, IP addresses, phone numbers and certain device identifiers. The requests also cover accounts linked to Discord servers associated with the circulation of the leaked material.
Microsoft and Discord were given until September 4 to provide the requested information.
The legal action suggests Take-Two is seeking not merely to remove copies of the leaked footage but to identify its source.
The timing is particularly sensitive for Rockstar. GTA 6 is officially scheduled for release on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, while Rockstar has an “Extended Look” at the game scheduled for August 27.
The latest incident inevitably recalls the far larger breach that hit Rockstar in September 2022.
A user operating under the name “teapotuberhacker” posted around 90 videos of unfinished GTA 6 development footage to GTAForums. Rockstar subsequently confirmed that an unauthorized third party had illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from its systems.
The person behind the breach was later identified as Arion Kurtaj, then 18, a member of the Lapsus$ hacking group, which had also been linked to attacks against companies including Uber and Nvidia.
The circumstances of the Rockstar hack became particularly notable because Kurtaj carried it out while staying in a hotel under police protection after his laptop had been confiscated.
Using an Amazon Fire TV Stick, a mobile phone and the hotel television, Kurtaj was able to access Rockstar’s internal systems and obtain confidential material.
Because Kurtaj was deemed unfit to stand trial at the time, a British jury was asked to determine whether he had committed the acts rather than whether he was criminally guilty. In December 2023, he was placed under an indefinite hospital order after medical evidence indicated that he remained highly motivated to return to cybercrime.
That case has since taken another turn.
Reports in July said Kurtaj had been transferred from the secure hospital to a conventional prison and is awaiting a retrial scheduled for November 2026, the same month GTA 6 is due to be released.
Despite the leaks, there is currently no indication from Rockstar that the latest disclosures will affect GTA 6’s launch.
Rockstar’s official website continues to list November 19, 2026 as the release date for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The company is also proceeding with its August 27 extended presentation of the game.
That leaves Rockstar confronting a familiar problem: keeping control of one of the entertainment industry’s most closely watched projects when unauthorized material can spread worldwide within minutes.
The difference in 2026 is that Take-Two is no longer dealing only with takedowns. Its latest court filings show that the company is actively seeking the identities behind the leaks, potentially turning another GTA 6 leak saga into a legal case before the game itself finally reaches players.