Terminally ill GTA fan may have played GTA 6 early after family appeal to Rockstar Games

Ubisoft employee says Rockstar responded positively to request for terminally ill fan to access GTA 6 early

A terminally ill Grand Theft Auto fan may have been given early access to Grand Theft Auto 6 following a public appeal to Rockstar Games from a family member working in the games industry.

The request was made by Anthony Armstrong, a UI Integrator at Ubisoft Toronto, who posted on LinkedIn asking whether Rockstar Games could arrange a private playtest for a close family member.

Armstrong said the individual was a long-time fan of the Grand Theft Auto series and might not live long enough to see the game’s full release.

In his post, Armstrong explained that the family member had been battling cancer for several years and had recently been given a prognosis of between six and 12 months to live.

He noted that the relative lived near Rockstar’s Oakville studio and asked if there was any possibility of allowing them to experience the game early. Armstrong acknowledged Rockstar’s need for secrecy and stated he would fully understand if a non-disclosure agreement was required.

Screenshots of the post circulated widely online after being shared beyond LinkedIn. Armstrong later updated the post with a brief message confirming that Rockstar had responded, before deleting it.

“Final Update: 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,” Armstrong wrote.

While no official confirmation has been provided regarding the nature of the response, fans have interpreted the update as an indication that Rockstar agreed to the request.

If so, it would not be the first time the studio has offered early access to a terminally ill fan. In 2018, Rockstar allowed a fan from the Netherlands to play Red Dead Redemption 2 before its release.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026.