GTA 5 was released nearly five years ago, which means that folks are waiting for news of a follow-up. GTA YouTubers are more than happy to provide the scoop, even if it means making it all up.
It isn’t a new phenomenon, but it is an enduring one. For at least two years, a number of YouTubers uploaded a number of videos claiming to have new information about GTA 6. One YouTuber, Sonymouse, uploaded gameplay from Driver: San Francisco and claimed it was a trailer for GTA 6. That video went on to accrue over 23 million views, twice as many views as the official GTA 5 trailer on Rockstar’s Youtube channel. It’s wild.
It’s bullshit, of course. And yet, this YouTuber is not alone. A lot of people claim to have footage of GTA 6, or say they somehow have a copy of a game that does not exist.
At least some of these videos end with the “reveal” that it’s all fake, or pretend they were a part of a joke. But by then, it doesn’t matter. They get clicks thanks to the thumbnails and titles. As you can see, many of these videos have hundreds of thousands of views, if not more.
Others YouTubers go a slightly different route with the idea of “GTA 6“. In the below video by Stomedy, he pretends to not care about the next GTA game by destroying it with a hammer. To sell the illusion that he actually has this game — which again, does not exist yet — he hides the disc from the camera. Eventually you can tell it’s just a copy of Killzone, however. It has over 50k views.
Really, GTA 6 has become its own genre of footage on YouTube, where hundreds of videos claim to have early copies or exclusive info. And of course, you have people who treat GTA 6 as kind of an ARG.
Some people believe that Rockstar left clues about the next Grand Theft Auto in older games. YouTubers use things such as graffiti on a wall, a “I Love VC” towel on the beach, and plane tickets in the games as potential “evidence” of where GTA 6 might be set. But instead as framing these as theories, titles insist that these locations have been “confirmed” or “revealed”.
Many point to a billboard in GTA 3, which showcased an ad about visiting Miami, as proof that Rockstar does indeed hide clues about future games. While that billboard was definitely a nod toward Vice City, we also know that VC was being developed before GTA 3 was out the door. In fact, Vice City was originally intended to be a mission pack for GTA 3. In that case, the overlap makes sense. And hey, it’s perfectly possible that maybe Rockstar has hidden an Easter egg in GTA 5 — but certainly, nothing’s been officially confirmed yet.
Maybe the worst trend in GTA 6 videos is YouTubers calling Rockstar’s support line to ask when the game will be released. I can’t help but feel sorry for the people just doing their job, now having to deal with people perpetually calling to ask a question they both know can’t be answered.
Luckily there are some YouTubers who debunk these types of videos or at the very least poke fun at them. But even when that happens, YouTubers might still make the title “I GOT GTA 6 EARLY!” At this point, to compete on YouTube means to play the title and thumbnail game, even if just ironically or to crack a joke.
If nothing else, keep in mind that Rockstar is not likely to just send a retail copy of an unannounced game to anyone. And if you really want the latest info on GTA 6, don’t call Rockstar — just follow them on Twitter or something.
Comments
6 responses to “Fake GTA 6 Videos Are Racking Up Millions Of Views On YouTube”
More narcissistic YouTube losers who are happy for any attention, whether it be positive or negative.
Seriously I wanna punch each one in the face repeatedly.
They are no better than celebrity gossip sites or pedophiles.
Celebrity gossip sites, absolutely – they’re doing exactly the same thing, it’s shameless and pathetic, but pedophiles? That’s going too far. By all means the sort of (literal, not the Donald Trump kind) fake news these channels spout is awful, frustrating for those that produce quality/accurate content and likely frustrating for the audience as well, but Pedophilia is not something to jokingly or otherwise put in the same ballpark.
Lispyjimmy and sernandoe are some of the scummiest youtubers. I wish rocktar would 3 strike both of them. They would not be missed.
‘you wont believe what happens’ oh dear
Who in this day and age could possibly believe that someone for any reason whatsoever could get their hands on a /physical’ copy of a game before it was ever announced to be in production? Especially something like GTA, which will be announced with at least year and a half (counting inevitable delays) of advance.
Any time I see a face like that in a thumbnail I will not stop scrolling to read the title. Can’t stand that shit.