Hacker group confirms it will release stolen Rockstar Games data

A group of hackers has said it will release data stolen from Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar Games, after its demands were not met.

This weekend, the hacker group ShinyHunters demanded a ransom for data it said it had obtained from the GTA studio’s cloud servers. In a statement, Rockstar confirmed the breach, but downplayed its impact.

At the time, ShinyHunters issued a deadline of April 14 for Rockstar to pay a ransom, less the data be released. However, speaking to the BBC, the group has now confirmed it will release the stolen data online.

Law enforcement advice globally is not to pay cybercriminal ransoms as it encourages theft and comes with no guarantee that hackers will delete stolen data.

ShinyHunters hasn’t said what the data it’s obtained is related to, but due to its alleged method of access (a third-party tool used to track cloud costs), it’s speculated that potential exposure likely includes financial records, marketing plans, contract information, and player spending data, rather than game assets.

However, the breach will bring to mind the infamous 2022 hack, which saw early Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay footage leaked online, before the game was even announced. An 18-year-old was eventually convicted and placed in a secure hospital by a British judge.

In a statement issued this weekend, Rockstar confirmed the breach and claimed that it would have “no impact on our organization or our players”.

“We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach,” a spokesperson said. “This incident has no impact on our organization or our players.”

Grand Theft Auto 6’s current release date is November 19, 2026, following two high-profile delays. The game was originally planned to release in Fall 2025, but this was then pushed back to May 26, 2026, before Rockstar then announced the new November date.