This is one outlet's own report from Kotaku — the article as it was filed.
AIPROPX ReportKotaku · 29m ago
One Shot From The New GTA 6 Leak Already Has Some Fans Yelling About A Downgrade
Cyberleek Downgrade Grand Theft Auto 6 GTA 6
Earlier today, another Grand Theft Auto 6 leak was posted by Cyberleek, a person or group that has been posting daily GTA 6 leaks online since last week. One scene from the new leak is being directly compared to a moment seen in the very first GTA 6 trailer back in 2023, with some fans claiming Rockstar has downgraded the upcoming sequel's visuals, while others suggest there are other explanations for the difference.
On August 26, Cyberleek posted yet another GTA 6 leak. However, unlike the person or group's past leaks, Wednesday's new GTA 6 video featured what appears to be the game's prologue, showing flashbacks of Lucia's life and finally catching up with her in prison. Kotaku won't be spoiling any of the new information or details revealed in today's prologue leak, but it does provide us with a new look at a sequence first seen in GTA 6 's original trailer nearly three years ago . In that trailer, we see Lucia look out a prison window while wearing an orange jumpsuit. And we see what seems to be that same scene in the new prologue leak. However, they don't quite look the same.
The scene in the trailer features more orange sunlight piercing through the window, giving the scene a more cinematic, moodier tone. By contrast, the newly leaked footage of this same moment features less dramatic lighting and lacks the extremely bright orange sun glowing through the glass. Many online, especially on Twitter ( where engagement is rewarded with money), began sharing comparisons between the trailer and the leak and claiming Rockstar had downgraded GTA 6.
— Lo-Ping (@GamingAndPandas) August 26, 2026
Some of these comparisons are spreading like wildfire on social media. One post by (Not) Centro Leaks on Twitter has over 2.5 million views and 400+ replies. Another post by Lo-Ping, seen above, has 2.1 million views and 1,300 shares. Lo-Ping's post simply says "Oh YUCK" and shows screenshots from the trailer and the leak side by side. Other posters are instead asking people if they think GTA 6′ s visuals have been downgraded. The end result of all this is that a lot of people are now spreading these images around and claiming GTA 6 's trailers lied, and that Rockstar has substantially nerfed the game's visuals ahead of its launch in November.
So, have GTA 6 's visuals been downgraded? I can't actually tell you that, and nobody else claiming to know the truth on Twitter can say so either.
Yes, at first glance these screenshots seem to show a "downgrade," but there are a lot of variables to keep in mind. We don't know how Cyberleek even got their hands on the leaked footage. Perhaps the build these leaks come from doesn't have all the lighting effects turned on, or has different settings than what will be seen in the final game. Another thing to keep in mind is that we don't know what HDR settings the build is using, nor how they were recorded. People have pointed out that some of the previous Cyberleek clips looked like HDR footage that had been improperly encoded and uploaded online. And we also don't even know if this new leak is from the same build as the past leaks or a different, older version of the game. It's also possible that Rockstar decided the overly bright sun and cinematic look in the trailer didn't fit the scene and went for a more realistic, flat look. I have no idea, and neither does some random poster on Twitter.
The point is that while the tweets going around online make it look like GTA 6′ s visuals have suffered some major downgrade, we don't actually know what's going on yet. And so much of the leaked footage has looked really impressive and matched what we've seen in trailers and screenshots released officially by Rockstar Games. So before you go panicking or spreading misinformation, take a moment and chill.
Perhaps we'll get to see this same scene tomorrow in Netflix's GTA 6 extended look event. If so, I'll be curious to see how it compares to the versions seen in the leak and the first trailer.
You'll be able to hit the gym and gain some muscle tone in Grand Theft Auto 6
Rockstar says Jason and Lucia’s romance will have repercussions that ‘cut much deeper’ than those in previous games
What appears to be the game's prologue has been shared online by Cyberleek
A police chase is cut short to show the briefest glimpse of a cutscene
The company also uncharacteristically apologizes for the lack of official information
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