Terminally Ill GTA 6 fan might start playing the game soon

Rockstar may be giving a terminally ill fan a special chance to play Grand Theft Auto 6months before the game's official release. Rockstar Games' open-world epic is arguably one of the most anticipated releases in gaming history, with developers teasing the game for years. Rockstar has finally confirmed GTA 6 in 2022 and in December 2023, the first official trailer for the game debuted, which subsequently broke records on YouTube to become the largest non-music video premiere ever. However, the game has come a long way to its current November release date.

GTA 6The status of one of the most anticipated gaming titles comes with the fact that the game has been subject to numerous delays throughout its existence. Revealing trailers for Grand Theft Auto 6 teased the game as a 2025 release, with Rockstar first officially pushing the release date to May 2026. The developer later pushed the game's launch even further, currently scheduled for a November 19 launch following a wave of layoffs and employee protests at Rockstar. However, a recent exchange with a Ubisoft Toronto employee on LinkedIn suggests that one particular fan may get a chance to try GTA 6 soon.

GTA 6 Online could support a 32-player lobby

Court documents suggest that GTA 6 Online could have a 32-player lobby

Court documents from Rockstar's ongoing union dispute appear to reveal that Grand Theft Auto 6's online component will support a 32-player lobby.

Rockstar may let terminally ill fan play GTA 6 soon

Recent LinkedIn posts by Ubisoft Toronto employee Anthony Armstrong shared the story of a terminally ill family member. In his posts, Armstrong reached out to all Rockstar employees regarding a family member who was battling cancer and was recently diagnosed with only 6 to 12 months to live. Armstrong talked about how the family member is “huge GTA fan” and probably won’t live long enough to see it GTA 6 fully released and requests to create an exclusive playtest under an NDA. Later updates from Armstrong revealed that he had been in contact with the company's CEO GTA publisher Take-Two and others said they had received “great news” from the Rockstar team. The posts have since been deleted from LinkedIn.

Even if the post is no longer viewable on LinkedIn, part of it is still cached in the Google search engine.

The deletion of the posts probably indicates that Armstrong was successful in arranging an exclusive playtest GTA 6 for a sick family member. It wouldn't be the first time Rockstar arranged a similar situation where a terminally ill fan would get a chance to play Red Dead Redemption 2 before starting. The gaming industry has often seen developers extend similar opportunities to those suffering from terminal illnesses, including one fan who got into the game Borderlands 4 soon, almost a year before its official release.

GTA 6 is one of gaming's greatest stories, for better or worse

Rockstar's feel-good story comes as a bright spot for the studio after a controversial end to the year. The previously mentioned layoffs saw Rockstar receive quite a bit of backlash from fans and former employees, with even the British Prime Minister weighing in on Rockstar's situation. Rumors of another delay have also swirled around Grand Theft Auto 6although a former Rockstar developer warned that further setbacks could threaten to ruin the excitement of the game. Rockstar has not officially mentioned any new delay GTA 6 yet, although the game's current release date is still 10 months away.

GTA 6 joined the exclusive club long before the official release date

Upcoming launch GTA 6 caused many different developers in the industry to adjust their plans around the game. Sony is said to be healing GTA 6 as a pre-launch PS5 exclusive, scheduling and moving its major releases to accommodate. Many smaller studios have also suggested that they are planning a release schedule around Grand Theft Auto 6's debut, they are trying to avoid their new releases having to compete with such a massive launch. GTA 6The release is set to be one of the most monumental events in the gaming industry, and many developers are scrambling to deliver.