Recent reports suggest that Rockstar may display the recipient's name in the gameplay footage of GTA 6 media review copies to trace screenshots or gameplay videos leaked prematurely during the review period. These measures have not yet been officially confirmed.
This claim was initially raised by ManaByte, a user on the social platform X, and subsequently spread through the GamingLeaksAndRumours community. The report states that reviewers' or journalists' names would appear as flashing watermarks on screen, allowing Rockstar to identify the corresponding copy and its recipient from leaked footage.
The leaker also claimed that individuals or media outlets identified as leaking content could face permanent termination of their partnership and lose eligibility to receive Rockstar game review copies in the future. While adding unique user identifiers and visible text watermarks to beta or pre-release versions is not unprecedented, it remains unclear whether Rockstar has adopted this approach or what specific technology might be used.
The GTA 6 project previously suffered a data leak, with a large number of development-stage videos leaked in 2022 and footage from a work-in-progress version appearing in 2026. As of this report, Rockstar has not confirmed the existence of name watermarks on review copies, nor has it confirmed a policy of permanently withholding review copies from non-compliant media outlets; these claims remain rumors.