Alleged GTA 6 Leaks Have Gamers Bracing Themselves

The first official trailer for "Grand Theft Auto 6" is finally arriving in a few days, but that hasn't stopped fans from looking in every corner of the internet for hints at what's to come. Today, a new series of alleged leaks occurred as shaky footage of an unidentified game was uploaded to TikTok by a user called @azzarossi, immediately arousing the suspicions of "GTA" fans everywhere. The footage appeared to show a vast cityscape and some in-universe brand names that should be familiar to "GTA" fans, including a billboard for Piswasser beer. The person who uploaded the footage claimed that they were not allowed to share any further footage, fearing possible legal repercussions. 

Not long after, they had not only taken the footage down, but had seemingly scrubbed their TikTok account of all traces of the "leaked" videos. In the aftermath of this alleged leak, fans have debated whether or not these clips are even the real deal.

Some doubtful fans have claimed that the footage appears to be taken from "Grand Theft Auto 5," just with some graphical shaders placed over it to spruce it up a bit. Others believe they've spotted some details that point to the leaked footage being from a brand new map, including new vehicles and what appears to be a very different beachfront than the one with which "GTA 5" and "GTA Online" players are familiar. This could very well be a new look at the updated Vice City, where "GTA 6" is rumored to take place. Not only that, but some fans have taken to comparing the new clips to previously leaked gameplay footage, including shots from last year's massive Rockstar leak. Sure enough, there are some structures seen in this shaky TikTok that seem to match up with the illegally-obtained snapshots that hit the internet in late 2022.

NEW 2023 GTA 6 Leaks Wow pic.twitter.com/Y86sQSHcdt

— fantastic apples (@fantasticapples) December 2, 2023

But where the heck did these new clips come from? According to some fans who have investigated the source, the latest "GTA" leak may have come from someone very close to the franchise.

Over on Reddit and X, "Grand Theft Auto" fans are scrambling to figure out whether or not the latest leak is legitimate. At first, all evidence seemed to point to TikTok user @azzarossi being the son of Rockstar North development head Aaron Garbut. However, this has seemingly been contradicted by a comment left on @azzarossi's TikTok account, which implies that the user is at least a friend of Garbut's son. The prevailing theory among many fans who believe in the leak is that this friend captured footage of the in-development game while hanging out at the Garbut residence. Like all things related to this leak, however, this is all conjecture at this time. 

It's not his son https://t.co/RJsSPK3PVW

— Diamond Hands 🤲💎🚀 (@OneDesignLater) December 2, 2023

Even the fans who are squarely in the "this is totally real" camp are unsure of how to feel about the leak. Some are beyond hyped to see the graphical improvements, while others feel like it's a poor first glimpse at the future of "GTA." On Reddit, u/ToothlessFTW said, "This is so ultimately pointless. It's not a great look at the game because it's shot badly and compressed, and we're gonna get a real look at the game in like 2-3 days time." Some fans are concerned that the leak could get Aaron Garbut into deep trouble, while others are blown away by what appears to be the first proven instance of someone claiming, "My dad works at Rockstar."

Regardless of its legitimacy, this latest leak and ensuing debate shows that gamers are foaming at the mouth for an official look at the next "Grand Theft Auto." If you're trying to go into the upcoming trailer blind, you may want to stay off social media until the morning of Tuesday, December 5. At that point, Rockstar will finally reveal to fans what they've been waiting for over a decade to see.