GTA 6 pre-order leak is very real; e-mails traced to legitimate affiliate platform as May 18 date firms up

The GTA 6 Best Buy pre-order story just got a lot harder to dismiss. Insider Gaming has independently verified the leaked affiliate email by having two separate affiliates forward it directly, which confirms that the emails originate from Impact - one of the largest affiliate partner marketplaces in the industry, used by major retailers including Best Buy. Anyone signed up for Best Buy's affiliate program through Impact may have received the same email from notifications@app.impact.com.

The campaign, which is titled "GTA 6 Pre Order (Physical Game)," runs from May 18 to May 21 and offers affiliates a 5% commission on physical copy sales. The leak was originally brought to light by YouTuber Frogboyx1Gaming during a live stream. The Australian creator TGG was among the first to corroborate it. Now with Insider Gaming's verification, which is backed by traceable infrastructure rather than the testimony of creators, the leak appears to carry way more weight than before.

If the May 18 pre-order date is actually on point, it would land exactly five months before GTA 6's confirmed November 19, 2026 release date on PS5 (curr. $595 on Amazon) and Xbox Series X|S. What this should do is effectively rule out fears of another delay. Furthermore, the timing also lines up with Take-Two Interactive's earnings call on May 21 - the same day the rumored affiliate campaign ends. As we mentioned in our past coverage, there are widespread speculations that trailer number 3 (which would be the first major Rockstar footage in over a year) could drop alongside the official pre-order announcement to close out the campaign window. Meanwhile, trailer 2 has already crossed 160 million YouTube views.

No MSRP shows up in the email, however. Price estimates still range from $70 to $100. Simultaneously, Insider Gaming's new report indicates that the market has already made its feelings pretty clear: Take-Two Interactive's stock jumped nearly 5% on Thursday alone - up $10.79 per share to $237.78 - adding close to $2 billion in market value within hours of the pre-order rumors. Neither Take-Two nor Rockstar has officially confirmed anything yet.