Best Buy affiliate listings leak GTA 6 pre-order window: May 18–21

Best Buy affiliate materials circulated online on May 14 and set off a new round of speculation over when Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders might begin. Multiple gaming outlets said the retailer’s affiliate partners had received campaign information pointing to a physical pre-order window running from May 18 through May 21. Rockstar Games has not publicly confirmed any pre-order date or a third trailer, and the reports remained unverified by the publisher as of Thursday. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent, is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and fiscal 2026 results on May 21. ### What exactly did the alleged Best Buy material say? May 14 reports from IGN, Gameranx and other outlets described an alleged Best Buy affiliate email promoting a “GTA 6 Pre-Order (Physical Game)” campaign. Those reports said the campaign window ran from May 18 to May 21 and was aimed at affiliate partners rather than ordinary shoppers. (ign.com) TechWiser reported that the affiliate material also referenced a 5% online sale commission. PC Guide and Beebom said the screenshots appeared to come from a stream by content creator Frogboyx1Gaming, who was cited as showing the email live. Neither report established that a public Best Buy product page was live on Thursday. ### Why are fans connecting the leak to a third trailer? (gameranx.com) ScreenRant reported that affiliates were said to have been told pre-orders would begin on May 18 and close on May 21, and it linked that timing to speculation that a third trailer could arrive at the start of the window. ComicBook and other outlets repeated that connection, but cited the same leak-driven reporting rather than a Rockstar announcement. (techwiser.com) May 12 had already become a date of fan speculation before no new GTA VI announcement appeared. Tribune and MSN-carrying reports said attention then shifted to the newly surfaced Best Buy material and to the days leading into Take-Two’s earnings call. ### What has Rockstar actually confirmed? (screenrant.com) Rockstar Games confirmed in a May 2, 2025 Newswire post that Grand Theft Auto VI was being moved to May 26, 2026. That post did not include pre-order timing, retailer details or any mention of a third trailer. Take-Two later said on November 6, 2025 that Grand Theft Auto VI was “now launching November 19, 2026,” according to the company’s second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings release. (tribune.com.pk) Forbes repeated that November 19 date in coverage this week, but also said pre-orders were not yet live and Rockstar had not announced a window. ### Why does the May 21 date keep coming up? (rockstargames.com) Take-Two Interactive said in an April 23 release that it would report fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2026 results on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The company’s investor relations site lists the earnings call for 8:30 p.m. UTC that day. Gameriv and Wccftech pointed to that schedule as a reason the alleged May 18-May 21 campaign drew attention. (ir.take2games.com) Those outlets framed the timing as notable because any official GTA VI update before the call would arrive just days ahead of a closely watched investor event. That remains an inference based on timing, not a confirmed company plan. (take2games.com) ### How much of this is confirmed, and how much is still rumor? IGN said Best Buy had “potentially leaked” the pre-order date, and Vice described the reports as something that “might” have been leaked. Forbes took the same line more directly, writing that pre-orders were not live and Rockstar had not announced a window. (gameriv.com) Best Buy had not published a public confirmation visible in the reporting reviewed Thursday, and Rockstar had not posted a matching announcement on its Newswire. That leaves the May 18-May 21 window in leak territory for now, even as multiple outlets describe the same affiliate material. ### What should readers watch next? (ign.com) May 18 is the first date named in the alleged affiliate campaign, and May 21 is the end date cited in those reports. Any confirmation would most likely appear through Rockstar Games, Best Buy retail listings, or Take-Two’s investor communications before or during the May 21 earnings event. (techwiser.com) (rockstargames.com)