Playable GTA 6 map nuked without warning by Take-Two lawyers: 'My guess is that the map was probably a little too accurate'

A man with purple hair and face tattoos poses for a mugshot in the GTA 6 trailer. — (Image credit: Rockstar)

Good news, GTA fans: a dedicated modder has gone to great lengths to create a playable version of GTA 6's map in GTA 5. Bad news, GTA fans: Take-Two has already decided it's not having any of that, and has dispatched a battalion of lawyers to obliterate videos of the project from the internet, and as a result our modder has also put the kibosh on people downloading it. So more bad news than good, really.

"In case you don't know, I basically created a playable GTA 5 map based on the leaks and the trailer shots of GTA 6," explains map creator Dark Space in a recent YouTube video. Dark Space based his project on a GTA 6 community mapping project, one that's attempting to model the upcoming game's world based on trailers and leaks. It didn't come as a surprise, mind you: Dark Space says he always feared Take-Two might go nuclear on them, and the only real shock was that "They didn't bother emailing me."

Take Two interactive has copyright claimed and removed my video on the GTA 6 map I made in GTA 5. I expected something like this could happen. I am surprised they didn't bother emailing me. I would have taken it down if asked.March 23, 2025

"My guess is that the map was probably a little too accurate," muses Dark Space. "They must feel some sort of threat from it existing, because they feel that having a playable version of the map to drive around in could ruin the surprise and newness of GTA 6 when it releases."

So Take-Two got YouTube to take down Dark Space's videos of the project, leveraging its ownership of all things GTA to have the footage thrown down the memory hole. Although Take-Two, in its infinite mercy, didn't issue takedowns against the actual download links for the maps, Dark Space "removed the download links to my mod, even though they didn't ask me to, but I think it's smarter to get out in front of them rather than waiting for their email (that will never come)." He adds that the takedown took away a "month's income that I spent two months working hard to earn".

It's a sad if predictable outcome for a project like this, driven by fan passion but which ran the risk—at least in executive heads—of spoiling Take-Two and Rockstar's best-laid plans for GTA 6's marketing blitz. Dark Space is, well, less than thrilled about it.

GTA 6 trailer — Not a lot of people know that Lucia was actually locked up for violating Take-Two's copyright. (Image credit: Rockstar)

"In reality, my map does not negatively affect their sales. It was building hype around the game and giving players something to enjoy while we waited for the next trailer from Rockstar. When will these companies learn to stop attacking their own feet? Because it's thanks to the community of players and modders that these companies can stand."

Which is, ah, maybe a tad grandiose, although I don't disagree with the spirit of Dark Space's point. I don't think Rockstar, of all studios, needs any assistance keeping the hype train for GTA 6 going, but I do agree that publishers would do better to recognise that modding communities are just hardcore fans who only make their games look better and livelier.

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One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.

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