In the days leading up to Rockstar's official 26-minute extended look on Netflix, three separate pieces of gameplay footage circulated online. None of them come from Rockstar, and none have been confirmed. Here's what's actually being claimed, and why we're not treating any of it as fact.
What the leaked footage shows
The clips appear to have surfaced from a single source, shared through the unofficial fan account RockstarINTEL rather than any Rockstar channel.
Driving, a heist, and a strip club (August 22, 2026)
The earliest of the three clips shows driving sequences, part of a robbery, and a strip-club scene.
Vice City Beach at sunset (August 25, 2026)
A short clip showing the beach area in late-afternoon light, with a density of pedestrians that lines up with what Rockstar has shown in its own trailers.
A nightclub interior (August 25, 2026)
Indoor footage set inside a nightclub, consistent with the nightlife identity Rockstar has leaned on for Vice City throughout its marketing.
Why we're calling this a rumor, not a fact
There's no way to verify any of this against a recent build of the game, and Rockstar hasn't acknowledged the clips at all. It's also worth being clear about what this isn't: it's not the large-scale 2022 leak, and it doesn't come with the kind of internal documentation that leak included. Until Rockstar says otherwise, this is unconfirmed, however plausible it looks.
Two days later, Rockstar released its own footage through Netflix, the first gameplay it has shown on its own terms since the 2023 reveal. We cover that separately in our full announcement timeline.