A well-known video game insider is saying that the wait for Grand Theft Auto VI reviews is nearly over. In a post on X, he claimed that Rockstar Games has started sending review code to media outlets, with the embargo set for November 18. If that holds, the first verdicts on the biggest game in years go live the day before launch.
Writing on X, NateTheHate said:
Rockstar Games have begun to distribute review code of Grand Theft Auto 6 to media outlets. Review embargo is November 18th.
Review codes going out is a bigger deal than it sounds. It means outlets get a window, likely a couple of weeks, to play a game this size before the embargo lifts. For a studio that spent years keeping the next Grand Theft Auto under lock and key, handing out playable copies at all is a milestone.
His claims are also worth taking seriously. The Reddit gaming leaks community named him its Leaker of the Year for 2025, former Nintendo staff have vouched for his track record and gaming outlets, including us, routinely call him a trusted insider. On GTA 6 specifically, his earlier reads held up on two fronts: he pointed to a November release sticking and to an August marketing push.
GTA 6 Review Code Claims
Claim | Where it stands |
|---|---|
NateTheHate posted it | Confirmed |
Review codes going to media outlets | Insider claim, unconfirmed |
Embargo set for November 18 | Insider claim, unconfirmed |
Rockstar or Take-Two confirming it | Not confirmed |
A credible source, but still a claim Rockstar or Take-Two says so.
Of course, NateTheHate is not Rockstar or Take-Two Interactive, so this is second-hand information. He has also made mistakes before, mostly on Nintendo reveal windows, but he is careful to separate his predictions from hard leaks. Rockstar has confirmed none of this and no outlet has publicly said it received a code yet save for teases.
With that said, the same insider said earlier in the month that codes had not gone out yet but would before the month ended. It also fits what the review code is for, going to traditional outlets rather than the creators some fans expected, despite earlier claims that Rockstar might not send codes at all. A November 18 embargo, as claimed, one day before launch, would be exactly the tight, leak-proof window you would expect from a publisher this protective.
If he is right, mark November 18 on the calendar, because that is when the review scores start and the first real verdicts on GTA 6 arrive. The embargo date alone tells you how tightly Rockstar is holding this one.