Pre-Order

Best Buy Email Accidentally Leaked GTA VI Pre-Order Launch Date

An internal Best Buy email sent to affiliates pointed to GTA VI pre-orders going live on Monday, May 18, 2026. The leak ignited the community, sent Take-Two's stock briefly higher, and was later walked back as an 'internal error.'

An email sent out by Best Buy to affiliate partners in mid-May appeared to confirm what every GTA fan has been waiting for: GTA VI pre-orders were going live on Monday, May 18, 2026.

The email was professionally formatted, used Best Buy branding, and listed both physical and digital editions tied to a May 18 launch window. Screenshots circulated on X within hours.

What the Email Said

According to multiple users who received and forwarded the message:

  • Pre-orders opening Monday, May 18, 2026
  • Both standard and special editions referenced
  • A "limited launch window" with affiliate commission rates listed
  • No mention of Trailer 3, but the timing aligned with the long-rumored "Trailer 3 week"
  • Take-Two Stock Jumped on the Leak

    Within hours of the screenshots going viral, Take-Two's stock added an estimated $2 billion in market cap before settling — a clear signal that even financial markets are now reacting to GTA VI rumors in real time.

    That alone makes the leak interesting beyond fan speculation: if the email had been a fabrication, it had a real-world financial impact regardless.

    Best Buy Walks It Back

    By the next day, a Best Buy employee surfaced and described the email as an "internal error" — material that wasn't supposed to be sent yet, mistakenly pushed to the affiliate list. Best Buy did not retract the email publicly, but no May 18 pre-orders appeared.

    What This Tells Us

    Two interpretations both stand up:

  • 1.The email was real but premature — meaning pre-order assets exist and have been queued up internally. Retailers prepare these weeks in advance. The actual go-live date may simply have slipped a few days.
  • 2.The email was a stale draft — drafted around a hopeful internal target that has since shifted.
  • Either way, the existence of polished retailer pre-order materials confirms the campaign is imminent. With Take-Two's earnings call on May 21, expect official news within days.