A couple of days ago, I watched the latest "demo video" of GTA 6. Watching characters steal cars, hit pedestrians, and open fire, I briefly had the illusion that "this guy might be committing a crime."
Image for illustration only; early access is not supported.
Then I realized I had been waiting for GTA 6 for so long that my impression of the series' core content had become somewhat blurred.
Of course, I'm sure many people are wondering at this point: The latest GTA 6 demo? Where? I've checked all of Rockstar's official accounts on various platforms, so why haven't I found what you're talking about?
The reason is simple—because this content-rich "demo video" of GTA 6 was not released by the typically reserved Rockstar officially, but by the hacker group CyberLeek (commonly known as Big Green Onion Bro).
Moreover, unlike previous fragmented rumors, CyberLeek released seven videos showcasing different gameplay aspects, totaling 13 minutes, with content that appears highly credible.
In these "demo videos," we can clearly see that Rockstar has added many details expected at the end of this console generation. Whether it's NPCs or the protagonist Jason, their animations during various actions are much more realistic.
Image for illustration only; early access is not supported.
In terms of gameplay, the preview content provided by these "demo videos" is equally exciting. Cars feature more details, further enhancing the playability of the "Grand Theft Auto" mechanics. Additionally, the protagonist Jason seems to have acquired an ability similar to Red Dead Redemption's "Dead Eye," which would make PMC and SCAV operators from Escape from Tarkov jealous.
Image for illustration only; early access is not supported.
Additionally, the much-anticipated "high heels on the map" segment is also featured in CyberLeek's latest video, and it looks visibly more "realistic"...
Image for illustration only; early access is not supported.
Of course, while all the above claims sound plausible, in an era rife with both human and AI-driven hoaxes, we must rigorously consider the authenticity of these leaked videos. The current conclusion is that these leaks are most likely genuine.
The most direct evidence is that in the video, the protagonist Jason shoots the word "Leek" onto a wall. This at least suggests that, as CyberLeek claimed, these videos were recorded live from the complete game program.
Additionally, the intense reaction from Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, indirectly proves the authenticity of the entire incident. After the event, Take-Two used its financial power to launch a "six-star wanted" pursuit of CyberLeek in the real world.
Take-Two not only requested assistance from Microsoft and Discord to identify the leaker but even obtained permission from a New York court to access information on all Discord accounts, solely to pinpoint the leaker's true identity.
It is rumored that, in addition to the Discord channel that initially spread the leaked videos, Take-Two has also listed the official channel of famous speedrunner DarkViperAU in its investigation and subpoena requests, although there is no evidence. This move by Take-Two sparked significant backlash from users after being exposed, diluting the sympathy people initially felt for them regarding the leak.
However, considering that Take-Two's total market value dropped by nearly $3 billion within two days of the leak, it's hard to criticize their desperate measures.
Take-Two lost a substantial amount of money due to the leak, but for CyberLeek, who executed the leak, the situation was reversed. In the early stages, CyberLeek tweeted that their actions were to "protect consumer rights," opposing Rockstar's decision to set a sky-high price of $100 for the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition and cancel physical copies, which they viewed as practices harming players.
But shortly after, they launched a cryptocurrency also called CyberLeek, stating that players must purchase this cryptocurrency to vote on the specific content of the next leak.
Through this method, CyberLeek successfully monetized the leaked content they possessed. On its first day, the trading volume of CyberLeek Coin reached $15 million, with CyberLeek itself earning $30,000 in fees, recouping all costs from website setup to coin issuance within just 24 hours.
Therefore, CyberLeek's actions only briefly satisfied players' desire for GTA 6 and cannot be considered heroic acts against capitalists. Moreover, following this leak, Rockstar may choose to delay the game again, which would be bad news for players eager to play GTA 6 soon.
Furthermore, for players, another downside of CyberLeek's leak is the surge in related rumors.
A typical example is the rumor that, as Rockstar began to crack down on the leak, CyberLeek drew inspiration from The Three-Body Problem II: The Dark Forest.
It is said that CyberLeek posted on Twitter, claiming to have written a program that requires daily manual intervention to prevent it from running.
If CyberLeek were caught and failed to cancel the program, it would automatically upload the leaked game build online, making PC players—who wouldn't get the initial release—the first to play GTA 6.
If true, this would certainly be a bold move that could cement his place in gaming history. Unfortunately (and here's why it's unfortunate), Insider Gaming, the foreign media outlet that first published this news, publicly apologized and deleted the original report shortly after, stating that all of CyberLeek's "messages to Rockstar" were merely rumors fabricated using fake accounts, fake images, and other methods.
Even worse, as this rumor spread, more and more players began to believe that "the GTA 6 game files have leaked to the public." They started downloading so-called "GTA 6 installers" from various BitTorrent sites—but in reality, these were just disguised computer viruses.
Maybe Rockstar will even include this incident as a side quest.
After such a series of events, all new information about GTA 6 seems less credible. Ultimately, suspicion returns to the instigator, CyberLeek—do they really have the complete game files? Since the content shown in CyberLeek's videos consists of early game material, without the female protagonist Lucia or phone interactions, they might only possess a trial demo.
In response to these doubts, CyberLeek released a new leak teaser, stating that the next leak might include content related to the female protagonist Lucia—of course, based on the previous context, achieving this will surely require everyone to purchase their同名 cryptocurrency.
So, if you ask me what the best thing to do now is... I can only say that instead of spending time and effort verifying every piece of leaked information, the best approach is to pretend none of it exists.
Although this might cause you to miss out on firsthand GTA 6 news, it is undoubtedly more worthwhile than sending large sums of money for CyberLeek's vague promises or risking virus damage to your (currently very expensive) computer.