A previously unseen clip of Grand Theft Auto VI in development has surfaced online, and its origin story is almost as interesting as the footage itself.
The Footage
On March 1, 2026, a newly created Instagram account posted a short video showing what appears to be in-development GTA VI footage. The clip shows:
The quality is notably poor — compressed and grainy — but the visual style is consistent with known Rockstar development tools.
Four Years on a Phone
According to the person who posted the clip, the footage is more than four years old, originally captured by a former Rockstar employee during the COVID-19 lockdown period (circa 2020-2021).
The clip was reportedly:
Is It Real?
The community is divided:
Arguments for authenticity:
Arguments against:
What We Can Learn
If authentic, the footage provides a glimpse at GTA VI circa 2020-2021 — roughly 5-6 years before launch. At that stage, the game would have been using placeholder assets while the core world geometry was being built.
This aligns with what we know about Rockstar's development timeline: core map and engine work happens years before the polished assets seen in trailers.
The Bigger Picture
This leak is minor compared to the devastating 2022 hack by Arion Kurtaj, which exposed hours of development footage and source code. But it serves as a reminder that GTA VI footage has been floating around in various forms for years — and more may still surface before launch.