Rockstar Is Giving a Fan With Terminal Illness Early Access to GTA 6

Rockstar is opening Early Access for Grand Theft Auto 6 for a fan with a terminal illness. This is something that happens every so often, and you can’t help but feel good about a company for taking the step to fulfill a fan’s wishes. On a day when Rockstar North was in the news for an explosion at the facility, the company reached out and gave some love to someone who truly appreciates their products. The explosion was an accident and had nothing to do with this news, but it shows that even something like an explosion in an office park won’t derail Rockstar from giving back to the community.

On January 18, 2026, DiscussingFilm posted on X that Anthony Armstrong, the UI Integrator at Ubisoft Toronto, had received word from Rockstar that they’d get early access to GTA 6. Armstrong made the request for a family member who has battled cancer for several years, and recently received the terrible news that they had six to 12 months to live. Armstrong reached out to let Rockstar know that their family member is a huge GTA fan, and since the game has been delayed several times, he fears they won’t be able to play it. Fortunately, Rockstar hooked him up.

Rockstar Grants Terminal Patient’s GTA 6 wish

In Armstrong’s request, he noted that the current release date for GTA 6 is around the same time his family member “will be leaving us,” and that he currently lives near the Oakville studio (the location of Rockstar Toronto). Noting the need for secrecy to protect Rockstar’s IP, Armstrong asked whether they could set up an exclusive playtest so he could experience the game before passing away. He added that they’d sign a non-disclosure agreement and take any steps necessary to make the request happen, asking for a private message to proceed. While he didn’t elaborate, in his update, Armstrong said that they got “great news.”

While Armstrong couldn’t elaborate, it’s clear that Rockstar Games has made some sort of accommodations to let Armstrong’s family member play the game before it’s released. It doesn’t happen often, but these kinds of stories pop up in the news every once in a while. A similar request was made to Disney before the release of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. Disney arranged for a screening of the film, as it wouldn’t be released until it was too late. The family later posted a picture of the sick patient wearing a Stormtrooper helmet while holding a blaster as various characters stood around the bed.

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Stories like this may happen more often than we know, since the screening’s secretive nature would keep it out of the news. It’s also a bit distasteful to engage in publicity surrounding these sorts of requests, so there’s a good chance that fans of video games, movies, and more have been given unique access before release as part of a dying wish. It should be noted that Rockstar Games didn’t publicize this in any way, and Armstrong’s note about not being able to share more than receiving good news suggests the studio will remain silent on this and any future private access granted to terminal fans.

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