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Business
Aug 21, 2026
2min read
byEmir Abyazov
forCoinpaper
A major GTA VI leak that began on Aug. 18 appears to show an executable build and coincided with a two-day selloff that wiped roughly $2.8 billion off Take-Two’s market cap (TTWO traded near $248.13 before the leak, dipped into the low-$230s and later recovered to $240.15), leaving about $1.5 billion of losses unrecovered. The breach raises security and malware risks as fake downloads circulate, complicates adoption and token-based promotion tied to Web3 gaming and crypto, and precedes an official GTA VI presentation on Netflix on Aug. 27 and the game’s Nov. 19 launch priced at $79.99.
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Take-Two Interactive lost roughly $2.8 billion in market capitalization during a sharp two-day selloff that coincided with the spread of new Grand Theft Auto VI footage, escalating concerns that a leaker may have access to a working version of Rockstar Games’ biggest upcoming release.
TTWO traded around $248.13 before the latest material began circulating on Aug. 18 and later fell into the low-$230s before recovering to $240.15. The timing has put the GTA 6 leak in focus, although the stock move cannot be attributed solely to the breach.
The episode comes at a sensitive point for Take-Two, with GTA 6 scheduled for Nov. 19 and expected to be one of the industry’s largest launches. Take-Two’s own release announcement lists the base game at $79.99 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Leaks Suggest Access to a Working GTA 6 Build
The account behind the releases, CyberLeek, has published multiple clips apparently showing previously unseen gameplay. One particularly notable sequence shows protagonist Jason using gunfire to spell ”LEEK” on a wall, suggesting the footage was deliberately created by someone controlling the game rather than taken from an old internal recording.
Other leaked material reportedly includes flights over Vice City and additional in-game scenes. Forbes said the evidence increasingly points to access to an executable build, though Rockstar and Take-Two have not publicly explained the
The campaign also carries a crypto element, with promotional material attached to some of the leaked content. That overlap adds another dimension to a gaming sector increasingly exposed to Web3 gaming projects and token-based monetization.
Take-Two Recovers as Malware Risk Grows
Shares have since recovered part of their decline, leaving roughly $1.5 billion of the initial market-cap loss unrecovered based on the reported price moves. The selloff also comes after earlier weakness in Take-Two shares, which featured among notable stock movers this year.
The financial impact of previous Rockstar leaks provides some perspective. Around 90 GTA 6 development videos appeared online after a major 2022 breach, yet the incident did not derail anticipation for the game.
A more immediate threat now faces players. Fake GTA 6 downloads claiming to contain the leaked build have begun circulating on piracy sites, with reports warning that some contain malware. There is currently no verified public release of the playable build suggested by CyberLeek’s footage.
Rockstar also has an opportunity to regain control of the news cycle. An official extended GTA 6 presentation is scheduled to premiere on Netflix at 3 p.m. ET on Aug. 27, followed by Rockstar’s own channels.
