GTA 6 leak revives longstanding "Project Americas" rumors

Another week, another Grand Theft Auto rumor.

The internet is constantly abuzz with speculation on Grand Theft Auto 6, despite the fact that the game still hasn’t been formally announced. It may be the most anticipated game of all time, yet we don’t even know for sure that it’ll ever exist.

This latest rumor might have some legs, though. Some recent sleuthing may have uncovered a clue as to the next game’s setting. It would be good news for fans of a certain PS2 classic, but folks may want to pump the brakes before the hype train gets too far.

The new theory fittingly comes from Twitter account “GTA 6 News,” which tracks rumors on the game. The Twitter user discovered a mysterious new website when searching through publisher Take-Two Interactive’s current domain list: rockstarcartel.com. It appears that the website was registered back in 2002, but received an update last week on Monday, April 12.

Here’s where the conclusion jumping comes in. The word “cartel” has led some to believe that this could be confirmation that GTA 6 is returning to Vice City. The fictional city is an alternate take on Miami, which was once considered the drug capital of the world due to cartel wars. Vice City has long been one of the rumored settings for the next game, making some believe it can’t be a coincidence.

To add some fuel to that fire, the domain was curiously first registered months before Grand Theft Auto: Vice City released in 2002. The hope here is that history could be repeating itself and the site might be reserved for a new game.

As with any rumor like this, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up. Domain dig-ups like this happen somewhat frequently and don’t always result in a big revelation. Back in February, Nintendo fans discovered that waluigi.com had been updated just ahead of the next Super Smash Bros. character. That sparked a seemingly ironclad theory that Waluigi would be the next character in the fighting game. That rumor did not end up having any truth to it.

“Rockstar Cartel” is also too vague of a phrase to really make much of. While it could be a reference to Vice City, drug cartels don’t only exist in Miami. Considering that most of Rockstar’s games deal with the criminal world, it could be a reference to any number of projects. This could be something reserved for a Grand Theft Auto Online update or even something left-field like a new Max Payne game.

The most enticing explanation, however, would be that this is tied to GTA 6 and that the “Project Americas” leaks are true. The unconfirmed reports claim that the game will be set in several different cities, including Vice City and unrevealed South American cities, all involved with a drug cartel. So it stands to reason it all might be connected.

There’s always the chance that the answer is even more boring than that. “Cartels” could just be a vague branding for a new Rockstar social program. Even more realistic, it could just be that Take-Two was doing a routine update of its domains and made a quick update to the page in the process.

Of course, we can still dream. While there’s no official word on when we might see GTA 6, it’s hard to imagine it won’t happen. The franchise is a cash cow for Rockstar and it’s only a matter of time until news breaks on it. Until then, it’s become a harmless scavenger hunt for hungry fans. We can only play GTA V so much longer, so we need some way to fill the time.