On April 11, Rockstar Games was targeted in a GTA 6 data breach by a hacking group, ShinyHunters. The group claimed to have accessed a significant amount of private company data, including financial records, player spending habits, and contracts with outsourcing partners.
ShinyHunters reportedly used Anodot, an AI analytics and cloud-cost monitoring platform employed by Rockstar, to breach the company’s Snowflake data warehouse by posing as a legitimate internal service. Instead of breaking Snowflake’s encryption, the hackers accessed Anodot’s system to obtain authentication tokens, which allowed them entry into Rockstar’s Snowflake instance. They demanded a digital ransom by April 14 and threatened to leak the data if their demands were not met.
Rockstar Games eventually confirmed it was affected by the GTA 6 data breach. However, the company stated that only a limited amount of information was accessed and that neither the company nor its players were impacted. In a statement to Insider Gaming, a Rockstar Games spokesperson said, “We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach. This incident has no impact on our organization or our players.”
GTA 6 Data Breach: A Look Back at Rockstar’s Leak History
This is not the first time Rockstar has experienced a GTA 6 data breach. In 2022, hackers leaked over 90 videos and images from an early version of GTA 6, marking one of the gaming industry’s largest security incidents. “We take leaks very seriously indeed, and they disappoint all of us; it’s really frustrating and upsetting to the team,” Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said in response.
Furthermore, in December 2023, the first GTA 6 trailer leaked on X/Twitter less than 24 hours before its scheduled premiere, prompting Rockstar to release the trailer early on YouTube. Developers expressed frustration on social media, and Zelnick later described the leak as “disappointing.” “In terms of the leak, that’s always disappointing for the team, but ultimately, I don’t think it hurt us,” he said.
GTA 6 is scheduled for release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S on November 19, 2026. Rockstar Games will likely continue to strengthen its security measures following these incidents.
