The GTA 6 pre-order rollercoaster has taken another sharp turn. After days of hype around a leaked Best Buy affiliate email that appeared to point toward Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders going live on May 18, new information now suggests that the whole thing may have been a mistake.
The original leak gained traction because it looked more convincing than the usual blurry screenshot rumor. Multiple people claimed to have received a Best Buy affiliate email mentioning a “GTA 6 Pre Order” campaign running from May 18 to May 21, and several outlets reported on the claim while still treating it as unofficial.
However, according to a new GTA Forums discussion shared by Videotech, internal company emails now suggest that Best Buy got the information wrong and that GTA 6 pre-orders are not expected to launch on May 18. In other words, the leaked email may have been real, but the date attached to it may not have been accurate.
GTA 6 Fans May Have Been Misled by a Real Email
The important detail here is that the Best Buy email is not necessarily being called fake. That is what makes this situation more confusing. The latest claim suggests the email existed, but the information inside it may have been incorrect.
The original affiliate campaign email reportedly listed a May 18 to May 21 window for a physical GTA 6 pre-order campaign, which immediately sparked speculation that Rockstar was preparing to open pre-orders ahead of Take-Two’s upcoming earnings call.
At the time, the timing seemed believable. GTA 6 is currently scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, so a pre-order window around five to six months before release would not have been impossible. Rockstar’s official GTA 6 page still lists the November 19, 2026, release date and supported platforms, but it does not list pricing, editions, pre-order bonuses, or a live pre-order option.
GTA Forums Admin Says the Claim Was Verified Privately
The latest twist comes from GTA Forums, where user “Graczdari_91” claimed that internal company emails suggest Best Buy was wrong and no pre-orders would be launching on May 18. GTA Forums admin Spider-Vice later said the information had been “verified in DMs” and that the company email matched the one tied to the forum member’s account, according to the forum screenshots circulating online and reports summarizing the thread.
Spider-Vice also explained the situation by saying that a person with a high-ranking position in a European distribution company had provided evidence through a corporate email. According to people familiar with the matter, the discussion pointed toward there being no GTA 6 pre-orders scheduled, with Best Buy apparently making a mistake.
The reason this rumor exploded is simple. GTA 6 is easily one of the most anticipated games in the world, and fans are watching every possible sign of the marketing rollout. A Best Buy affiliate campaign with dates, a physical game label, and a commission figure looked like a serious retail clue rather than a random guess.
Several reports also noted that the email appeared to be tied to Best Buy’s affiliate system, which made it feel more credible than a typical social media post.
Rockstar Still Has Not Announced GTA 6 Pre-Orders
As of now, the safest position is clear. GTA 6 pre-orders are not officially confirmed for May 18.
Rockstar’s official GTA 6 website currently shows the game as coming on November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The page includes trailers, character details, locations, and wishlist links, but there is still no official pre-order button or edition breakdown listed there.
The Take-Two Earnings Call Timing Still Keeps Fans Watching
Part of the reason people believed the Best Buy leak was the timing. The rumored May 18 window would have landed just before Take-Two’s upcoming earnings call, which many fans expected could include some GTA 6 business discussion. That made the rumor feel logical, especially after Rockstar recently updated the official GTA 6 site with new character and location information.
Even with the May 18 date looking shaky now, the broader marketing question remains. GTA 6 is still several months away, and Rockstar will eventually need to reveal editions, pricing, pre-order bonuses, and possibly a collector’s edition if one exists.
So, while this specific Best Buy date may have been wrong, the pre-order conversation is not going away anytime soon.
GTA 6 Pre-Orders Are Still Coming, Just Probably Not Today.
