Fake GTA 6 ‘leaker’ spent a month making game footage look real to fool fans
Take-Two InteractiveA fake GTA 6 leak managed to fool everyone because the person behind it spent a month making the footage look legitimate.
Late in 2022, a huge Rockstar Games leak revealed footage and screenshots of an old Grand Theft Auto 6 build. It most notably confirmed the game’s Vice City setting, which Rockstar later showcased in an official reveal trailer in December 2023.
The studio has remained quiet since then, which likely explains why someone felt comfortable taking advantage of the community’s impatience to the degree that they built a convincing – albeit fake – clip of alleged gameplay footage.
On December 14, the video in question made the rounds, seemingly demonstrating how in-game CCTV functions may affect Wanted levels in GTA 6. Even GTA-dedicated fan accounts were fooled, since the clip appeared to be an extension of the 2022 leaks.
GTA 6 “leaks” debunked just as quickly as they went up
Within two hours of the video’s release, the person behind the leak admitted to producing fake footage.
Twitter/X user SynthPotato shared a screenshot of the person’s confession on Discord, where they also said they spent a month working on the fake leak in Unreal Engine 5.
According to a subsequent post from SynthPotato, the fake leaker expended all that time and energy to “accurately recreate GTA 6’s look.”
Why someone would go through so much effort for a fake GTA 6 leak presently remains a mystery. Regardless, the wait for official details out of Rockstar Games persists.
Previously, hopes were high that the title would appear at the 2024 Game Awards, given its nomination (and win) for the ‘Most Anticipated Game’ award. Its absence left fans disappointed.
The CEO of Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has addressed the frustration, promising fans the eventual rollout of news will be “worth waiting for.” Strauss Zelnick told Conner Mather in an interview, “I think it’ll be extraordinary.”