Quick Summary
A slurry of Grand Theft Auto VI leaks have appeared online, reportedly showing gameplay ahead of time.
But we won't be covering them, nor watching them ourselves... for good reason.
Considering Rockstar Games only releases one game a decade (just about), it comes as no surprise that people are eager to find out more about each title ahead of time. More so when it's a new Grand Theft Auto.
I'm the same – I cannot wait to get my hands on GTA 6 and find out what the team has been cooking for the last 13 years. And I'll certainly be tuning into Netflix this coming Thursday (27 August) to see the world's first gameplay reveal.
However, what I won't be doing is seeking out the swathe of leaked gameplay videos that have appeared on the likes of Discord and GitHub over the last week. I also not be linking to them, nor repeating any of the information gleaned from them here.
That's not because I'm worried of repercussions from Rockstar, but I just don't want to spoil the game, the story, and the excitement for myself or any T3 readers. Clips shown out of context are never positive. Judgements can become clouded, and no matter how much we tell ourselves, our opinions will be affected.
I remember when Grand Theft Auto IV came out in 2008. I pre-ordered it for the Xbox 360 in an actual store, from an actual person. And come release day I went to the store to pick it up.
I'd seen an official trailer or two beforehand, but Rockstar had cleverly tailored them to give us a glimpse but without genuine spoilers. That's somewhat the point – it allowed me to get my disc home, pop it in my console and play with no preconceptions, other than knowing I was going to get my money's worth.
Every second of that game was a revelation to me. The same with GTA: San Andreas beforehand, and Vice City. I was tasked with reviewing GTA 5, so that was a little different, but no less exciting. And all because I'd manage to avoid major spoilers.
But even more than the leaked clips themselves, it's the comments underneath that I'm most keen on swerving. As hard as you try to remain agnostic about them, you can't help but be affected by the critical responses of others – good or bad. I can't, at least.
The last thing I want is for my opinion about Grand Theft Auto VI to be swayed by 13 year-olds on Discord months before I get to play it. All based on short clips of a development build taken out of context.
I advise you do the same. The leaks are easy enough to find (unless Rockstar has managed to take them all down, as per its legal action reported by Kotaku), but just ask yourself if it's really worth it.
I'll be waiting for the official reveal on Netflix instead, and 19 November when I'll be waiting patiently at the (digital) door (of my PS5 Pro) for the postman (my internet) to deliver the game.
