IGN says GTA 6 pre-order leak a bust

IGN said on May 18 that a widely shared rumor about Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders starting that day had failed to materialize. The report followed several days of fan speculation tied to a Best Buy affiliate email and theories that Rockstar Games might pair pre-orders with a third trailer. By late May 18, IGN said it did not look like pre-orders were going live and described the rumor as a bust. Rockstar’s official GTA VI channels, meanwhile, still pointed to Trailer 2 as the latest major public update. ### Where did the May 18 rumor come from? IGN said the latest wave of speculation began after YouTuber Frogboyx1gaming appeared during a livestream to receive a Best Buy affiliate email referencing a GTA VI pre-order campaign running from May 18 through May 21. That email was treated by some fans as a sign that retailer listings and a broader marketing push were imminent. (me.ign.com) IGN said it asked Best Buy for comment and did not receive a response. Polygon reported that the Best Buy email helped fuel a second theory: that Rockstar would use the same moment to unveil Trailer 3. That expectation grew after fans said they had spotted unlisted videos on Rockstar’s YouTube page, though Polygon noted that as May 18 went on, “it’s been crickets.” (me.ign.com) ### Did pre-orders actually go live on May 18? Best Buy’s searchable game and pre-order pages did not show a live GTA VI pre-order listing in the material surfaced on May 18 and May 19. IGN’s follow-up said plainly that “it doesn’t look like GTA 6 pre-orders go live today,” after the expected launch window failed to appear. Polygon reached the same conclusion, calling the trailer-and-preorder buildup a “giant fake-out.” (polygon.com) Best Buy search results that did appear were for older Grand Theft Auto titles and unrelated games, not a purchasable Grand Theft Auto VI product page. That left the affiliate email unconfirmed as evidence of an actual retail launch. ### What has Rockstar actually confirmed? (bestbuy.com) Rockstar Games’ official Grand Theft Auto VI page currently promotes Trailer 2 and game details set in Vice City and the state of Leonida. Rockstar’s news post for Trailer 2 remains the clearest official marketing milestone tied to the game in the sources reviewed here. (bestbuy.com) Polygon said Rockstar’s most recent official communication before the rumor cycle was a November 6, 2025 update announcing a second delay for the game. IGN separately reported that GTA VI is now due on November 19, 2026, after first being announced for fall 2025 and then delayed to May 2026. (rockstargames.com) ### Why were fans primed to believe it? IGN said the scale of interest around any GTA VI retail signal reflects the game’s status as one of the industry’s most anticipated releases. Polygon said the long silence from Rockstar has encouraged fans to build theories from retailer activity, platform emails and video-page changes. Neither outlet presented the Best Buy email as confirmed proof of a launch plan. (polygon.com) ### What should fans watch next? Rockstar Games has not announced a Trailer 3 date or a pre-order start date in the official pages reviewed on May 19. The next concrete milestone named in current reporting is the game’s scheduled release date of November 19, 2026, unless Rockstar or retail partners publish a formal pre-order update before then. (me.ign.com) (nordic.ign.com)