Investigators Zero In On GTA 6 Leak Source
Since August 18, a mysterious figure or group known as Cyberleek has been leaking gameplay clips of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. The online community has been actively trying to identify and track down the person or people behind these leaks, and it appears they may be making headway, with a new Discord user emerging as a prime suspect.
On August 25, a user named Vice Cit on GTA Forums, who has gained recognition for their digital forensic work regarding Cyberleek, shared a report based on new evidence that surfaced on Reddit. A now-deleted Reddit thread suggested that a Discord user called “stayonthegrindd” could be linked to Cyberleek. However, the internet has a long memory, and many saved the original post. After analyzing the details and Cyberleek’s blockchain activity, Vice Cit has compiled some compelling evidence.
In the report, Vice Cit outlines a timeline of events, correlating Cyberleek’s blockchain activity with Discord timestamps. On August 16, Cyberleek teased what is believed to be the GTA 6 map. The next day, they uploaded the notorious basketball gameplay clip to the dark web. Early on August 18, a user named “Cyberleeker” on Dread, a dark web forum, shared that basketball footage across several hosting sites.
About eight hours later, stayonthegrindd joined a GTA 6 Discord server. Shortly after, they posted and then deleted the same basketball clip, claiming it was from 2026. When asked what leaked gameplay others wanted to see next, stayonthegrindd replied, “I will be back with driving gameplay.” They also mentioned that while the video was allegedly compressing, they could quickly share the full map. Roughly an hour and a half later, the leaked map was uploaded to the blockchain, followed two hours later by the first GTA 6 leak video featuring Jason driving, also uploaded by Cyberleek.
Additionally, on August 18, a Discord user reported seeing the beginning of a GTA 6 gameplay clip featuring a black car. They claimed this video was sent to them via DM from stayonthegrindd, but it was deleted before they could fully view it. This clip would later be known as the “Gas” gameplay clip, which didn’t make it to the blockchain until days later, on August 23.
So, what does this all imply? According to Vice Cit, the timeline raises significant questions. While it’s possible that stayonthegrindd merely stumbled upon the basketball leak footage on the dark web and shared it on Discord, the rest of the timeline suggests a deeper connection to Cyberleek.
“This person either had this material and was trying to amplify the leaks by posting it in a place they knew would spread like wildfire,” Vice Cit speculated, “or they are a friend of the person who possesses the leaked material and had access to it before it was uploaded to Arweave. Either way, I believe this is a major breakthrough in the investigation, and it’s likely that Take-Two is already aware of this information.”
I share Vice Cit’s perspective, who has a background in digital forensics. The timeline presented in the Reddit post and examined by Vice Cit strongly indicates that stayonthegrindd is either Cyberleek, a member of the group, or someone closely associated with them. They clearly had prior knowledge of and access to some of the leaked clips and map images, and the timing of their Discord posts in relation to Cyberleek’s uploads seems too coincidental to overlook.
At this stage, it’s reasonable to assume that Take-Two, law enforcement, and the company’s legal team are fully aware of this Discord user and their apparent connection to Cyberleek, likely investigating them for several days now. The real question is whether this leads to the hacker or leaker responsible for the numerous GTA 6 leaks, or if it turns out to be a dead end, allowing Cyberleek to evade capture.
