GTA 6 Made Playable Early For One Gamer, Heartwarming Move From Rockstar

One gamer has had the opportunity to play GTA VI before any fan in a heartwarming move from Rockstar Games.

For millions of fans across the world, the next entry in Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series is the most highly anticipated game of 2026. It'd be fair to say 'of all time'. But unfortunately, not everyone will get their hands on it.

In a now-deleted LinkedIn post, Ubisoft dev Anthony Armstrong appealed to his network to give his family member, who was diagnosed with cancer and "given 6-12 months to live" a chance to go hands-on with the game.

In his post, Armstrong wrote: "The reason I am reaching out is that they are a huge GTA fan and, with this latest update, he may not be around long enough to actually get to see GTA 6 launch, best case scenario he will be leaving us the same month it does," Armstrong wrote, before hoping his family member could "have a chance to experience the game, before passing."

A tragic situation, but there's a bittersweet resolution.

Screenshot of GTA VI, Rockstar Games

A Terminally Ill Fan Gets Their GTA VI Wish Granted

We got our first look at GTA VI when Rockstar Games released the first trailer in December 2023, accompanied by a vague 2025 launch window. Since that time, GTA VI has been delayed multiple times, which is why many fans are hoping it won't be delayed again.

Assuming that GTA VI does stick to its current release date this November, most fans will have to wait 10 months to explore the modernised Vice City for the first time in a mainline entry since GTA: Vice City in 2003.

With these delays in mind, it’s unclear how much of the game was ready to play for the terminally ill fan, given that the launch of GTA VI is a good 10 months away at this point. It's likely far from a ready build.

But it’s nice that this fan has been able to have this moment.

"We spoke to them today and got great news. That’s all I can really say, but thank you all from the bottom of my heart," Armstrong wrote, in a more recent LinkedIn post.

It's not the first time Rockstar Games has done something like this. In 2018, a dying Dutch fan got to play RDR2 before he passed in a private demonstration before the official launch.

Grand Theft Auto VI will be released on 19 November 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Rockstar Games is yet to announce the inevitable PC port.