A family asked for help reaching Rockstar Games and Take-Two, as a loved one battled a terminal illness.
Rockstar Games may have offered a terminally ill fan the chance to play Grand Theft Auto VI ahead of its release. The story first appeared in a LinkedIn post and later circulated on social media, as reported by unofficial fan account @GTAVI_Countdown on X (formerly Twitter):
GTA VI's November 2026 release may mean one terminally ill fan might not get to play before launch
Anthony Armstrong, a User Interface Integrator at Ubisoft Toronto, explained that a family member, who has been battling cancer for years, received a prognosis of 6-12 months. “The reason I'm reaching out is that they are a huge GTA fan and, with this latest updates, he may not be around long enough to actually get to see GTA6 launch,” Armstrong wrote. He added that his family member lives near Rockstar’s Oakville studio and hoped the team could arrange an exclusive playtest, noting that “at the very least an NDA is probably needed.”
Armstrong later shared an update: “Final Update: We spoke to them today and got great news. Thats all I can really say, but thank you all from the bottom of my heart.” The post also mentioned that Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reached out to the family, before the LinkedIn update was removed, likely due to a non-disclosure agreement.
Armstrong also highlighted the support from colleagues and the wider community, writing: “Thank you to everyone who has shown support, reshared, and reached out to your contacts for us, you all are amazing.”
Grand Theft Auto VI was officially announced in February 2022, with the first trailer indicating a 2025 release window. In early May 2025, Rockstar pushed the release to 26 May, 2026, citing additional time needed for polish. Later, in November 2025, the release was delayed again to 19 November, 2026.
Rockstar Games has previously offered early access to fans facing serious circumstances. In 2018, the studio reportedly sent employees to a terminally ill fan’s home so he could play Red Dead Redemption 2 before release for a few hours.
No further details about the early access arrangement for GTA VI have been confirmed by Rockstar Games, save for Armstrong's final update about the matter.
