GTA 6: The hacker who leaked the game is set to stand trial in November

Arion Kurtaj, the hacker who leaked 90 GTA 6 videos in 2022, is released from a psychiatric hospital and goes on trial the same month the game is released.

GTA 6 is once again linked to the name of the person who leaked its best-kept secret ahead of time. Arion Kurtaj, the hacker who leaked dozens of videos of the game in 2022, has been transferred from a maximum-security psychiatric hospital to a conventional prison. The reason: he is facing a new criminal trial in November 2026, the same month Rockstar is finally releasing the game.

Who Is Arion Kurtaj and What Did He Do?

In 2022, Kurtaj—then a teenager and member of the hacker group Lapsus$—gained access to Rockstar Games’ internal communications system and published 90 videos of the production of GTA VI nearly three years before its release. He also leaked the source code for GTA V. According to Rockstar itself, recovering from the attack cost the company $5 million. According to the police investigation, he carried out the hack from a hotel room, using only an Amazon Fire Stick, a cell phone, and the room’s TV, while he was out on bail for another hacking case.

After the leak became public, Rockstar publicly acknowledged being “extremely disappointed” that details of its upcoming game had been shared in this way, though it stated that it did not expect the incident to affect its ongoing services.

From a Psychiatric Hospital to a Conventional Prison Cell

In July 2023, a court declared him unfit to stand trial on psychological grounds. Months later, in December 2023, a judge ordered his indefinite commitment to a maximum-security hospital, deeming him a danger to society—in part due to his severe autism and his criminal history. A medical evaluation from that time quoted his own words:

“He continues to express his intention to return to cybercrime as soon as he can. He is highly motivated.”

This isn’t the first time Kurtaj has made headlines from behind bars: in March 2026, it was revealed that he had managed to smuggle a cell phone into the hospital and was bragging on Snapchat about how “incredible” his stay there was. That indefinite confinement has just truly changed. As confirmed by BBC cybersecurity reporter Joe Tidy—after the court restrictions preventing reporting on the case were lifted on July 14—Kurtaj is no longer in the hospital: doctors have declared him fit, and he has been transferred to a standard prison, where he will await his retrial.

The Trial Coincides with the Release of GTA 6

Here’s the detail that has sparked the conversation: the new criminal trial is set for November 2026—exactly the same month that Rockstar is releasing GTA VI, scheduled for November 19, 2026 (date already confirmed). The kid who ruined the game’s surprise will be sitting in the dock just as the rest of the world finally gets to play it—an irony that hasn’t escaped anyone in the community.

For now, there are no details on the exact charges that will be tried this time or on the defense Kurtaj will present. It’s also unclear whether, if found guilty, he will serve a prison sentence: his first trial ended with an indefinite hospital admission, not a conventional prison sentence.

As the case proceeds through the British courts, the countdown to the game’s release continues—you can follow all the latest updates in our news section. Do you think the trial will go through this time, or will Kurtaj get off scot-free again due to his health condition?