The Trailer for 'Grand Theft Auto 6' Was Released Early Following a Leak

The Gist:

• Rockstar Games released the trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 a day early after the trailer leaked online.
• The trailer teases that the game will be released in 2025, and introduces Lucia, who will be the game's primary character.
• This is not the first time that Rockstar has had to deal with leaks around GTA 6 in particular.

It's been more than a decade since fans of Grand Theft Auto last got the chance to drive around a city and mow down pedestrians with whatever car they happened to find. On Dec. 4, 2023, Rockstar Games released a teaser trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6, the latest installment in the blockbuster franchise that last released a new game more than 10 years ago.

The trailer was actually released a day early, and following the trailer's arrival, which has only increased anticipation for the game, many want to better understand why the trailer came out when it did.

The trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 was supposed to hit the internet on Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. PST, but instead, it was released on the evening of Dec. 4 after it started leaking across the internet. Rockstar Games posted a link to the official trailer along with the message, “Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube.”

The new game is expected to hit stores in 2025, so fans still have plenty of time to build up their excitement.

In the trailer, we're introduced to a character named Lucia who seems to be going on some sort of crime spree across beaches, clubs, and of course, highways alongside her partner. Although much of the plot remains under wraps, fans were thrilled by this look at the gameplay, and by the promise that they'll be getting a new Grand Theft Auto game a full 12 years after the last one was released.

In part because GTA 6 is expected to be such a blockbuster game, Rockstar Games has struggled with leaks around the game. In 2022, footage from the game was released by hackers. Those leaks included stills from the game and footage of gameplay, and Rockstar eventually confirmed that the leak was legit and that all the footage that has been released was real.

“We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto,” the company announced in a statement.

Thankfully, it seems unlikely that the full game will leak, but Rockstar is likely going to be incredibly vigilant about teasers for it in the months ahead of its release.

The first trailer already has many fans of the franchise excited about the potential this new game will hold. Whether it was leaked or released on Rockstar's schedule, it seems safe to say that excitement for GTA 6 is building at a frenetic pace.