A hacker stole and posted early GTA 6 development footage in September 2022. Rockstar confirmed the breach, but it has never confirmed specific details from the clips.
Sources checked: 2026-10-09
By The Vice Atlas Edit
The GTA 6 leaks of 2022 still come up in searches, and scammers still use the word "leak" to push fake downloads. This guide covers what happened, what Rockstar said, how the court case ended, and what Rockstar has officially shown since. We don't describe or link the leaked footage.
In this article
- What Happened in the September 2022 GTA 6 Leak?
- What Did Rockstar Say About the Leak?
- What Happened to the Hacker?
- What Has Rockstar Confirmed Since?
- How Should You Treat New GTA 6 Leaks?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Key Takeaways
- Over 90 development-build videos appeared on GTAForums on September 18, 2022, according to The Stack.
- Rockstar confirmed a "network intrusion" and that the stolen material included "early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto."
- Rockstar said it expected no long-term effect on development.
- In December 2023, a UK court ordered Lapsus$ member Arion Kurtaj, 18, held indefinitely in a secure hospital.
- Security firm Huntress has found fake GTA 6 downloads carrying malware, as reported by TechRadar in September 2026.
What Happened in the September 2022 GTA 6 Leak?
Someone posted over 90 videos from an early GTA 6 build to GTAForums on Sunday, September 18, 2022. The Stack reported the count and the forum.
The Record placed the hacker's activity in the early hours of that Sunday. The person also claimed on 4chan to have gotten in by socially engineering a Rockstar employee, The Record reported. That claim came from the hacker, not from Rockstar.
What Did Rockstar Say About the Leak?
Rockstar confirmed the breach on September 19, 2022. It said someone had downloaded "confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto," The Record reported.
The statement added: "We are extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all in this way." Rockstar also said it did not expect "any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects," and that it would "properly introduce you to this next game when it is ready," per NME.
That's the full extent of what Rockstar confirmed. It verified that real footage was taken. It didn't confirm the clip count or any content.
What Happened to the Hacker?
A UK judge ordered Arion Kurtaj, an 18-year-old Lapsus$ member from Oxford, to stay in a secure hospital indefinitely. Doctors had found him unfit to stand trial, BleepingComputer reported on December 21, 2023, citing the BBC.
The jury was told Kurtaj carried out the hack from a hotel room while on bail for other cyber offenses, TechRadar reported. Rockstar told the court the hack cost it $5 million and "thousands of hours to recover from."
What Has Rockstar Confirmed Since?
Rockstar has officially revealed the setting, the two leads and a release date. None of those reveals referred back to the leak.
The table lists only claims a credible source reported, next to official confirmations we checked.
| Leaked or reported claim | Official status (October 9, 2026) |
|---|---|
| The stolen clips were genuine GTA development footage | Confirmed by Rockstar as "early development footage" (The Record) |
| A playable female protagonist (Bloomberg report, July 2022) | Confirmed: Rockstar introduces Lucia Caminos as a lead |
| Two leads with a Bonnie and Clyde influence (Bloomberg) | Two leads confirmed, Jason and Lucia, per the Xbox Store; the Bonnie and Clyde link is not official |
| A map built around a fictional Miami (Bloomberg) | Confirmed setting: Leonida, "home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City" (Take-Two) |
| Codename "Project Americas" (Bloomberg) | Not confirmed by Rockstar (Gematsu) |
| The hack would delay the game | Rockstar said no long-term effect (NME); its 2025 delays cited quality and polish |
The Bloomberg rows come from Jason Schreier's July 2022 report, published two months before the hack, as summarized by Gematsu. A second leak came later: Rockstar posted Trailer 1 on December 4, 2023, about 15 hours early "after a copy was leaked online," AP reported.
For everything Rockstar has shown, see our confirmed vs. rumored gameplay guide.
How Should You Treat New GTA 6 Leaks?
Treat any new leak as unconfirmed until Rockstar or Take-Two says otherwise. Never download a file that claims to be a leaked build.
Security firm Huntress found fake GTA 6 ISO files over 100GB, padded to look real, that carried remote access trojans, infostealers and ransomware, TechRadar reported on September 10, 2026.
A few checks keep you safe:
- No real early copy exists. GTA VI comes out on November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only, and preload starts November 12 through your console store (Rockstar Support).
- No PC version is announced, so a PC "leaked build" is fake by definition.
- Check the source. Real news shows up on the Rockstar Newswire or Take-Two's investor pages first.
- If you ran a fake installer, TechRadar's advice is to disconnect the machine, reset your passwords, turn on two-factor authentication and reimage the system.
Our safe download guide covers the official routes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were the 2022 GTA 6 leaks real?
Rockstar confirmed that a network intrusion exposed early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto. It did not confirm any specific detail from the clips.
Who leaked GTA 6?
UK courts dealt with Arion Kurtaj, an 18-year-old Lapsus$ member from Oxford. In December 2023 he was ordered to stay in a secure hospital indefinitely after being found unfit to stand trial.
Did the leak delay GTA 6?
Rockstar said in September 2022 that it expected no long-term effect on development. Its 2025 delay statements cite quality and polish, not the leak.
Is there a leaked GTA 6 download?
No legitimate one. GTA VI releases November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and security firm Huntress has found fake GTA 6 files carrying malware.
Did the Trailer 1 leak really happen?
Yes. AP reported that Rockstar posted Trailer 1 on December 4, 2023, about 15 hours early, after a copy leaked online.