New Delhi: Grand Theft Auto 6 is still months away, but a quiet story around the game has already hit fans hard. This time, it is not about trailers, delays,
or leaks. It is about a terminally ill fan and a possible early chance to play a game they have waited years for.
According to reporting by Video Games Chronicle, Rockstar Games may have reached out to a family dealing with something far bigger than launch dates.
Ubisoft developer Anthony Armstrong reached out to Rockstar Games on LinkedIn about setting up a GTA 6 playtest for his family member who has been battling cancer for years and just given 6-12 months to live. Anthony says Take-Two’s CEO responded and received great news from… pic.twitter.com/cGfnKKxbIb
— Rebs Gaming (@Mr_Rebs_) January 18, 2026
A LinkedIn post that caught the industry’s attention
The story started with a LinkedIn post by Anthony Armstrong, a UI integrator at Ubisoft Toronto. He wrote that a family member battling cancer had been given “6–12 months to live” and was a huge GTA fan.
Armstrong wrote, “The reason I’m reaching out is that they are a huge GTA fan and, with this latest update, he may not be around long enough to actually get to see GTA 6 launch.” He added that the best case was leaving “the same month it does.”
The post asked if anyone at Rockstar could help arrange a private playtest, even under NDA. The message spread fast before it was deleted.
Rockstar and Take-Two reportedly step in
A later update to the post claimed that Strauss Zelnick had reached out and helped connect the family with Rockstar Games. The final update said, “We spoke to them today and got great news. That’s all I can really say, but thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
The post was likely removed due to confidentiality. Rockstar is known to be extremely tight with information, especially around GTA 6.
This is not the first time
Rockstar has done this before. Years ago, a terminally ill fan was allowed to play Red Dead Redemption 2 early. Other studios have followed similar paths. Gearbox once flew out a cancer patient to play Borderlands 4 ahead of release.
GTA 6 and the wait ahead
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently set to launch on November 19, 2026. That converts to November 20, 2026 in IST. Rockstar first revealed the game in December 2023 and later pushed the release window multiple times.
Even with all the hype, this story stands apart. It is not about sales or records. It is about letting someone experience a world they love, once more, before time runs out.
For fans reading this, it hits close. Games are not just games. Sometimes, they are memories waiting to be made.
