Who Leaked GTA 6? Hackers, Court Rulings & Legal Outcomes

Overview: The Biggest Leaks in Gaming History

The leaks surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI led to major cybercrime investigations, international court rulings, and copyright takedown notices.

Unlike ordinary rumors, the major GTA 6 leaks involved compromised developer accounts, teenage hacker groups (such as Lapsus$), and official court orders.

Here is the true story of how each leak happened, who was responsible, and what happened in court.

Summary of Major Leak Incidents & Legal Outcomes

Incident	Date	Who Was Involved	What Happened	Outcome
The 90-Clip Hack	September 2022	Arion Kurtaj (Lapsus$)	Stole 90 early test videos and posted them to GTAForums.	Sentenced to an indefinite hospital order under the UK Mental Health Act in Dec 2023.
Trailer 1 Early Leak	December 2023	Account @GPNVS	Leaked the first trailer on X/Twitter 15 hours early.	Account banned immediately; Rockstar released the official trailer right away.
Test Clips Wave	August 2026	CyberLeek	Shared 6 short test clips on social media.	Take-Two filed official court requests asking Discord and X to help identify the leaker.
Contractor Clips	2024–2025	Former animators / testers	Posted portfolio animations and gameplay snippets.	Clips quickly removed; contracts terminated for breaking non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

1. The September 2022 Hack: Arion Kurtaj and Lapsus$

How the Hack Happened

Arion Kurtaj was an 18-year-old member of Lapsus$, an international hacker group that had also breached companies like Uber, Nvidia, and Microsoft.

In September 2022, while staying in an English hotel on bail with his computer seized, Kurtaj used an Amazon Fire TV stick, a mobile phone, and a keyboard to access Rockstar’s internal Slack messaging system. He downloaded 90 early test clips and uploaded them to GTAForums. Rockstar confirmed the breach the next day.

The Trial & Court Verdict

In late 2023, following medical evaluations, a UK court determined that Kurtaj was unfit to stand a standard trial. The court held a trial of facts, and the judge sentenced him to an indefinite secure hospital order under Section 37 of the UK Mental Health Act, where he will remain until medical tribunals deem it safe.

2. The Trailer 1 Early Leak (December 2023)

What Happened

On December 4, 2023, an account using the handle @GPNVS uploaded a leaked 91-second copy of GTA 6 Trailer 1 to X (Twitter) with a Bitcoin ad watermark across the screen.

How Rockstar Responded

Rockstar Games and Take-Two acted quickly:

Immediate Account Ban: X quickly suspended the leaker’s account and removed copies of the video.
Immediate Official Release: Instead of waiting for the scheduled premiere time the next morning, Rockstar immediately published the official 4K trailer on YouTube, gaining over 90 million views in 24 hours.

3. The August 2026 Test Clips & Court Requests

Court Requests to Platforms

When six short test clips appeared online in mid-August 2026 under the name “CyberLeek”, Take-Two turned to the U.S. federal courts:

Under federal copyright law, copyright owners can ask court clerks to issue subpoenas to internet platforms.
Take-Two filed requests asking Discord, Microsoft, X (Twitter), and GitHub to provide account details, IP connection logs, and registration info to help identify who uploaded the stolen clips.

How Rockstar Upgraded Its Security

These leaks pushed Rockstar Games to tighten studio security worldwide:

Return to Office: Key development teams were called back to physical Rockstar offices to keep test footage off home computers.
Screen Watermarking: Test versions of the game now feature hidden identification tags on screen showing employee IDs and dates, making it easy to identify who recorded any leaked video.
Quick Legal Action: Using court requests and copyright notices immediately whenever unauthorized material is shared online.

These steps help protect the developers’ hard work while building excitement toward the official worldwide launch on November 19, 2026.