No, nobody's playing GTA 6 early on TikTok, and the "early access" downloads are malware
A clip of Lucia in a clothes shop is doing the rounds with a caption saying it's the real game. It almost certainly isn't, and the links that come with this stuff are how people get robbed.
By Wes Calloway
This week's "I'm playing GTA 6 right now" clip is Lucia browsing a clothes shop, posted to TikTok by an account that says it's on a PS5. There's no early access to GTA 6. There's no public beta and no demo either. The game comes out on 19 November, preload opens on the 12th, and that's it.
A lot of people think the clip's AI. Either way, it isn't proof of anything, and we're not going to share it.
The bit that actually matters: the scams
Clips like this are bait. They come with a link, the link promises early access or a free copy, and whatever you download is malware. CBS News Miami ran a whole consumer warning about it on 18 October. Chris Mawson, the editor of Power Up Gaming, told them: "When the user installs it, unfortunately, it turns out to be malware or a virus."
The pattern's always the same. Fake ads on social media, a fee or a "verification" step, sometimes a request to pay in crypto because it's harder to get back, and a countdown to make you rush. Mawson's advice was blunt: "Anyone promising that on social media should be treated as an immediate red flag."
How to not get done
Buy it from the PlayStation Store, the Microsoft Store, Rockstar's own site or a proper retailer. Pre-order with a card, not crypto. Don't install anything from a social media link that says it's GTA 6, on your console, phone or PC. And if a "key" costs a fraction of the real price, it's either stolen or fake.
There's no PC version yet either, so any "GTA 6 PC download" is a scam by definition. We went through what we actually know about PC if you're waiting for that.
When you can really play it
Midnight on 19 November in your store region, or after you've downloaded it from preload on 12 November. Physical copies don't help either, since there's no disc in the box, just a code. Three more weeks. You can wait three weeks.
Are you playing GTA 6 on day one?
Votes are anonymous. One per browser.
Sources
Keep reading
GTA 6's boxed copy is just a code, and some shops won't sell it
Three weeks out, here's what the no-disc box means for trade-ins, slow internet and anyone who wanted a game on the shelf.
3 min read
GTA 6 preload: when it starts, how long it takes, and the two settings that stop it stalling
Preloading opens on 12 November, a week before launch. On a typical home connection the download is an overnight job, and a console that falls asleep halfway through is how people miss launch night.
3 min read
How big is GTA 6? Nobody has the real number yet, and the one going round is fake
No store listing shows an install size. The 676.7 GB screenshot was doctored. But the numbers we do have give a decent idea of how much space to clear before preload opens on 12 November.
3 min read