GTA 6 pre-order dates leaked May 18-21

Best Buy affiliate emails circulated online on Thursday, May 14, and several gaming outlets said the messages pointed to a possible May 18 start for Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders. Screen Rant, citing reporting by The Sixth Axis, said the emails described a Best Buy affiliate campaign tied to “GTA 6 Pre Order (Physical Game)” running from May 18 through May 21. (screenrant.com) Rockstar Games had not announced pre-orders on its official Grand Theft Auto VI page or in a Newswire post reviewed on May 14. (rockstargames.com) Rockstar’s most recent official update said the game is scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026. ### What exactly did the Best Buy material say? A screenshot published and described by multiple outlets showed a Best Buy U.S. creator or affiliate campaign labeled “GTA 6 Pre Order (Physical Game).” VideoCardz and other sites said the campaign listed a 5% online-sale commission and a May 18 to May 21, 2026 window. (screenrant.com) Video Games Chronicle reported that YouTuber Frogboyx1Gaming received the email during a livestream and that other Best Buy affiliates later said they had received the same message. (rockstargames.com) Insider Gaming said it had independently verified the email was real, though that verification applied to the email itself, not to any official Rockstar launch plan. (videocardz.com) ### Does the leak confirm that Rockstar will open all pre-orders on May 18? Rockstar Games had not confirmed a May 18 pre-order date as of Thursday. The reported Best Buy material referred specifically to a physical-game affiliate campaign, which is narrower than a companywide global pre-order announcement across all retailers and digital storefronts. Digital storefront pages for PlayStation and Xbox were already live in a limited sense on May 14, with wishlist or store listings visible for Grand Theft Auto VI. (videogameschronicle.com) Those pages did not show a pre-order opening tied to Thursday’s leak. ### Why are fans linking this to a third trailer? Screen Rant and Video Games Chronicle said some fans were connecting the reported May 18-21 window to hopes for a third trailer. Those reports framed the trailer talk as fan speculation rather than a confirmed Rockstar plan. (videocardz.com) Take-Two Interactive’s next earnings call is scheduled for May 21, according to Wccftech’s report on the leak, and some coverage noted that timing as another reason the four-day window drew attention. (store.playstation.com) No official filing or Rockstar statement reviewed here tied a trailer or pre-order rollout to that date. ### What has Rockstar actually confirmed so far? Rockstar Games said in an official Newswire post that Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to launch on Thursday, November 19, 2026. (screenrant.com) The company’s official game page describes the setting in Leonida and the protagonists Jason and Lucia, but it does not list pricing, editions or a pre-order date. PlayStation’s U.S. page says players can wishlist the game now, while Xbox’s store page lists the title without a live pre-order option in the material reviewed on May 14. (wccftech.com) Those pages indicate retailer and platform preparation, but not a confirmed start date for purchases. ### What should people watch next? May 18 is the next concrete date named in the leaked Best Buy affiliate material, and May 21 is the end of that reported campaign window. (rockstargames.com) Any confirmation would most likely appear first on Rockstar Games’ official Grand Theft Auto VI page, Rockstar Newswire, or storefront pages run by Best Buy, PlayStation and Xbox. (screenrant.com) (playstation.com)