A fabricated GTA 6 gameplay clip spread rapidly across social media in February 2026, convincing a portion of the game’s fanbase that real footage had surfaced ahead of the highly anticipated release. The video gathered over 500,000 views on a single upload, with additional reposts multiplying its reach across multiple platforms.
What the Viral GTA 6 Clip Shows
The short clip, which appears to have been recorded directly off a television screen, shows one of the game’s two protagonists, Jason, walking into a house. The footage then cuts to the other lead character, Lucia, using what appears to be an aerial character-switching sequence similar to the one found in GTA V. The clip also includes a segment showing a would-be in-game menu screen featuring a map of Vice City and the surrounding state of Leonida.
Re-upload of the supposed Grand Theft Auto 6 leaked footage 😳 pic.twitter.com/5RrvtjsxkG
— Grand Theft Auto 6 Informer (@TheGTA6Informer) February 16, 2026
The presentation was polished enough to convince at least some viewers that it was genuine, with many commenters defending its authenticity across social media threads.
Why Some Players Believed the GTA 6 Footage Was Real
Several fans argued in favor of the clip being authentic. One commenter stated that artificial intelligence tools could not have produced certain elements, pointing specifically to the map icons, how they hold up across different viewing angles, and the overall look of the character models. Another user made the case that the in-game text appearing on screen appeared coherent, which they believed ruled out AI generation, and also noted that the visual style matched what is expected of Vice City.
The fact that the footage is filmed on a screen rather than captured digitally also added a layer of ambiguity that made it harder for some viewers to assess the quality closely.
The Details That Give the Fake GTA 6 Leak Away
Despite fooling a significant number of viewers, the clip contains clear signs that it is not real. A close look at the menu screen reveals that the map uses visuals lifted directly from Rockstar’s own officially released trailers and promotional screenshots. More notably, the text at the bottom of the in-game map contains a spelling error, reading “poin of interest” rather than the correct phrase “point of interest.” That detail alone has been widely cited as one of the most obvious indicators that the footage was not produced by Rockstar Games.
GTA 6 Release Date and Current Status
Grand Theft Auto 6 is officially scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026. Rockstar Games has confirmed a significant marketing campaign will begin in the summer of 2026 in advance of the release. To date, the developer has put out two trailers and a selection of promotional images. No official gameplay footage has been released, which continues to fuel demand for any content that appears to fill that gap, whether genuine or not.
While a number of leaks have emerged over the course of GTA 6’s development, some of which have later been confirmed as accurate by Rockstar, the current climate also involves a steady stream of AI-generated or otherwise fabricated content designed to imitate real gameplay. With the release now under 300 days away at the time of writing, Rockstar is expected to reveal more official details in the months ahead.