ⓘ Rockstar

A leaker called Cyberleek, the source behind the wave of Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay footage and map images that spread online on August 18, has surfaced on a newly created X account with the handle @Cyberleek_ar_io to explicitly deny setting an 8 PM ET deadline for a second wave of drops.

The rumored countdown gained massive traction across social media after @GTASixInfo on X reported that Rockstar hadn't stopped the leaker and that a specific 8 PM ET release time was listed in the bio of a Discord profile attributed to the leaker. Anticipation swelled further as associated accounts teased upcoming content; @RyzeGTAVI on X shared screenshots of Discord messages from someone with the username Cyberleeks sharing details of clips featuring Lucia navigating Leonida's swamps on an airboat, an alligator encounter, gun modding, and a five-star wanted level complete with police spike strips that would be shared next.

Cyberleek, however, posted on a newly created X account to push back against the hype, clarifying that he did not set the 8 PM ET deadline. The statement throws a wrench into the narrative, suggesting impersonators or secondary accounts have been stoking the leak cycle to capitalize on the moment.

Despite the timing confusion, the core security breach remains a major headache for Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive. Unlike the notorious 2022 GTA 6 hack, Cyberleek framed the initial release as a protest rather than a standard data breach. The group claimed its grievance centered on Rockstar planning a digital-only release, and it demanded a public apology and a commitment to physical distribution. Ironically, Rockstar support pages already reference a physical edition (though the case will include only a download code, not a disc).

The studio's Netflix-hosted GTA 6 Extended Look is scheduled for August 27, meaning Cyberleek's leaks land in the exact window Rockstar set aside to control its own marketing narrative. It's also worth noting that some of the footage already released has been called into question over its age. Forensic analysis of one clip found it was encoded using a version of FFmpeg from November 2023, leading some observers to argue the material could be pulled from an older development build rather than reflecting GTA 6's current state.

The emergence of fake deadlines and copycat accounts only adds more noise to an already chaotic situation. Cyberleek is still actively sharing clips via X (including one that coincided with their post about the fake account that has already seen a copyright claim) and through their Discord, and Rockstar is actively taking them down. Let’s just hope this doesn’t mean another delay for the official release.

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Rahim Amir Noorali - Tech Writer - 1054 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2025

I am a UAE-based tech writer who likes to build and benchmark PCs both professionally and as a hobby. I contribute to multiple tech publications, including TechRadar and Notebookcheck, as well as Game Rant, where I focus primarily on news, commerce, and buying guides. When I'm not scouring the internet for the latest in tech stories, you will find me playing a game of Civilization or DotA with friends and frenemies alike while dropping recommendations for Apple TV+'s Foundation to everyone I come across.