FlashFeed

Fake GTA VI beta keys are already draining cryptocurrency wallets worldwideAI-generated scam websites now imitate Rockstar branding with alarming accuracyMalware hidden inside fake game downloads can expose banking credentials instantlyGrand Theft Auto VI is not due on consoles until November 19 2026, but official preorders open soon, and cybersecurity researchers have warned criminals are already exploiting the wait with a coordinated wave of fraudulent websites.Malwarebytes and NordVPN have both flagged sites promising "VIP early access" or exclusive beta keys to one of gaming's most anticipated releases.The schemes ask victims to hand over money, personal information, or both, often before any real product changes hands.How the scam worksSome fraudulent sites ask players to pay a few hundred dollars in cryptocurrency for a so-called VIP beta key. This method makes refunds or fraud reports practically impossible once the payment clears.According to Stefan Dasic of Malwarebytes, GTA VI is "the perfect bait" that can be used by cybercriminals.The franchise sold hundreds of millions of copies and went 13 years without a new entry — conditions that make hype, and therefore impatience, unusually intense.Gerald Kasulis of NordVPN said scammers now use AI to mimic Rockstar's official branding so convincingly that polished emails and websites slip past a gamer's usual scepticism.Some pages invoke the phrase "help us build Vice City," a reference to the game's fictional setting, to create a false sense of insider access.Victims are sometimes directed to download software branded as an early build, including one fake file called GTA Mobile 6.According to researchers, this file contains malware capable of letting fraudsters remotely access the victim's device, often bypassing antivirus software.NordVPN has separately traced some of these fraudulent domains to a wider network with a documented history of spreading banking trojans, infostealers, and ransomware.Other variants simply harvest names, addresses, dates of birth, or existing GTA login credentials, data that can then be resold.Several of these scam sites even target PC and Android users, despite Rockstar never confirming that those versions exist yet.Who is being targeted?The typical victim tends to be someone too young, too eager, or simply underinformed, and primarily driven by a desire to be first in line for the game.However, Malwarebytes' assessment of the scam wave reveals that the trick itself is rarely sophisticated, yet it consistently fools people regardless of age.The character of those falling for these scams goes beyond simple naivety, since urgency and curiosity are what scammers are really exploiting across these campaigns.Younger players and newcomers to online gaming appear especially exposed, given their relative unfamiliarity with how official preorder and beta access processes normally function.Neither company has data on exactly how many people have visited these sites or lost money so far.Rockstar Games has not responded to requests for comment on the ongoing scam wave or its impact on players.Security researchers are urging anyone tempted by claims of early GTA VI access to pause and verify the source before entering any personal or financial details.Players who have already entered credentials or payment information are advised to change their passwords immediately.They should also contact their bank without delay, since cryptocurrency payments in particular cannot be reversed once sent. Via PCGAMER

The minds behind Invincible VS are open to collaborations with other genres and IPs, specifically in regards to welcoming potential guest characters from the Mortal Kombat franchise.We got the chance to sit down with Invincible VS’s Game Director, Dave Hall, and its Lead Combat Designer, Bau Bautista, at Evo 2026, where we asked them about the possibility of adding guest characters from completely different properties a la Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8.Both Hall and Bautista enthusiastically welcomed the idea, but made sure to preface that the characters would have to reasonably fit within Invincible's world for such a crossover to make sense.“I think for us, the Invincible universe is just such a beautiful, violent universe that they would have to fit that. I wouldn't want to put Mario or Luigi in there. That'd be cool, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to rip his head off,” Hall laughed.This, of course, prompted us to suggest characters from the equally bloody Mortal Kombat universe, which received eager nods of approval from both developers. “NetherRealm, they’re the best. That would be incredible,” Hall said. “If there's an opportunity, I'm not going to say no to Scorpion, Bautista added. One of the things to keep in mind is, Invincible has a ton of guests and crossovers throughout the comics, so it's not outside the realm of possibility. If we have that opportunity, yes, I'm going to take that.”If there's an opportunity, I'm not going to say no to Scorpion.Guest characters are a hot topic within the fighting game community as of late, with Tekken 8 revealing Yujiro Hanma for Season Three and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves adding Kenshiro to the fray this summer — not to mention Final Fantasy VII’s Tifa Lockhart making her way into Street Fighter 6 in early 2027. Mortal Kombat itself is a franchise famous for bringing in wild guest characters from other media genres, including the Xenomorph from Alien, The Boys' Homelander, and even Omni-Man himself.It’s a trend that’s sweeping across the entire fighting game landscape right now, and one that the Invincible VS team is clearly open to joining if the stars align. And with the groundwork already laid in Mortal Kombat 1, it's not a stretch to assume this crossover might come to fruition on Skybound's side.Atom Eve Almost Had a 'Revive' Mechanic at LaunchOutside of potential guest characters, the devs also let us in on a few more details regarding the game’s future, including the addition of more single-player content, continuing its story mode, and even adding new mechanics to characters from its base roster down the line. More specifically, Hall and Bautista mentioned Immortal’s 'revive' technique in keeping with his canonical status as, well, The Immortal. They revealed that they’d initially intended on giving such a mechanic to Atom Eve prior to launch, but simply felt that she wasn’t in a finished state to add yet another tool into her kit at the time.“Some of the issues that we ran into early on with some of the other characters that are similar to Immortal, like Power Plex and even Eve, was that she was supposed to have a revive mechanic,” Bautista explained.“But there was too much to work through. I didn’t know if we could do this to the level and the quality that we needed to in time. So we were like, ‘Okay, let's focus now on what we can achieve and make sure she's solid as heck, and then come back to this mechanic.’ When asked if this was something they’d be willing to adding to her kit in future updates, Bautista seemed open to the idea once the game’s meta gets solidified by its playerbase.“There’s always potential, especially once our meta starts to get more established,” he told us. “Who knows where we're going to push the game? There's all sorts of crazy opportunities. But one of the things we ran into is, once we shipped, our focus has been all about solidifying the foundation of the game. And so now that we're in a pretty solid state, now is the time for us to push things. We're like, ‘Hey, guess what? We've got a pretty solid roster of characters. We can push some new mechanics and ideas.’ And Universa and Immortal are the perfect opportunity for that.”Yes, the Invincible VS Devs Are Reading What You Say on TwitterOn top of adding new characters and mechanics to the game, the devs assured us that they are hyper-aware of any and all community feedback, whether that be comments sent from players in their official Discord server, posts on social media, and even suggestions in their DMs. “We listen to everything that's happening out there, Hall said. We're constantly on top of every board, everything, and they're directly messaging us on many apps, so it's important for us. We need the players’ feedback. That's what we thrive on. We listen to everything that's happening out there.“We're very quick. We're kind of a real-time developer and if we see something's wrong, we're going to fix it as soon as we can. We're going to do a hot patch or anything of that nature. What we're kind of focused on right now is giving more to the players. So this is why we're going to keep pushing and getting more characters out there, getting some modes out there, getting our tournament scene going a little more. We're here for the future right now.”Invincible VS Devs Promise More Single-Player ContentSpeaking of “getting modes out there,” the two devs assured us that they are “not done” with publishing more single-player content for Invincible VS, promising to add more content down the line.However, Hall admitted that they couldn’t give “any reassurances” about continuing the cinematic story mode, which notably ended on a cliffhanger.“We are definitely working on things to get more single-player experience,” he said.“It's an important thing for us to kind of push forward on. Like I said, we're trying to keep building the game. We're not done. We're moving as fast as we can to get more and more content out there for the players. Something to keep in mind, too, is that we're a tiny team. We're 50 people, so there's only so much we can do, but at the same time, we're trying to prioritize getting the most bang for our buck.”Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.