Retailer leak suggests GTA 6 pre-orders could begin May 18

Rockstar Games has not announced a Grand Theft Auto VI pre-order date, but retailer-linked material circulated online this week pointing to May 18 as a possible start for physical orders. The documents, described by multiple gaming outlets as a Best Buy affiliate email, listed a campaign window running from May 18 through May 21. The reports quickly spread across fan forums and social platforms on May 14, adding to speculation that Rockstar could pair a pre-order launch with new marketing for the game. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent, is due to report quarterly results on May 21. ### What exactly leaked, and who said it came from Best Buy? Forbes reported on May 14 that a “verified Best Buy affiliate email” promoted a “GTA 6 Pre Order (Physical Game)” campaign scheduled for May 18 through May 21, with a 5% commission for affiliates on physical-copy sales. HotHardware and Wccftech published similar accounts, each saying the material pointed to a physical pre-order push tied to Best Buy. Best Buy’s public site does not currently show an active Grand Theft Auto VI product page with a live pre-order button, based on search results and the retailer’s pre-order listings available Friday. Best Buy’s gaming pages do include general information on upcoming video game pre-orders, but no official GTA VI pre-order announcement was visible in those public listings. ### Has Rockstar confirmed any of this? Rockstar’s official GTA VI page shows the game, its setting and characters, and access to Trailer 2, but it does not list a pre-order date. Rockstar’s Newswire also does not show a May 2026 post announcing pre-orders. Rockstar did publicly confirm one major date. In a May 2, 2025 Newswire post, the company said Grand Theft Auto VI was then set to release on May 26, 2026. A later Rockstar post dated November 6, 2025 said the game was then scheduled for November 19, 2026. Take-Two’s second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings release also referenced that November 19, 2026 launch date. ### Why are fans linking the leak to a trailer? May 21 appears in the leaked campaign window and also on Take-Two’s investor calendar. Take-Two said in a March 6 press release that it would report fourth-quarter and fiscal 2026 results on Thursday, May 21, 2026, after the market close. Forbes said fans were also watching that period for a possible third trailer, though Rockstar has not announced one. Take-Two said in a May 2025 release tied to Trailer 2 that the game would “soon be available for wishlisting” on the PlayStation and Microsoft stores, a distinction that is separate from a confirmed retail pre-order launch. ### Did the speculation move Take-Two’s stock? Yahoo Finance reported on May 15 that Take-Two shares jumped on the pre-order speculation and noted the company’s May 21 earnings date. Gaming-focused outlets also tied the stock move to investor hopes that a pre-order rollout would signal confidence in the release schedule. Market data pages showed Take-Two trading with a market capitalization near $44.9 billion as of Friday. Those pages do not attribute moves to a single cause, and the company has not publicly linked its share price to the GTA VI reports. ### What can readers verify right now? Rockstar’s own pages currently verify that Grand Theft Auto VI exists, that Trailer 2 is live, and that the company has previously published release-date updates. Take-Two’s investor relations site verifies that the company is scheduled to report results on May 21. The missing piece is an official pre-order notice. Until Rockstar, Take-Two or a retailer posts a live listing or statement, the May 18 date remains unconfirmed and limited to retailer-linked material described by third-party reports. May 18 is the next date cited in the leaked campaign window, and May 21 is the next fixed corporate milestone on Take-Two’s calendar. Rockstar’s Newswire, GTA VI page and major retailer listings are the places where any formal pre-order announcement would likely appear first.