GTABoom reported on October 30 that two well-known industry insiders pushed back on the claim that GTA 6 review builds show flashing, reviewer-specific watermarks. NateTheHate wrote on X that, to his knowledge, the claim is not accurate and review copies are not watermarked.
Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson reportedly reached the same conclusion after looking into it, while noting that Rockstar does have strict security measures around review builds. Rockstar has not said anything publicly about how review copies are protected, so both the original claim and the denial remain unofficial.
Why it matters: it muddies the picture of how traceable pre-launch review footage is ahead of the reported November 18 review embargo. Treat the watermark story as unresolved. It does not affect pricing, editions, stock or bonus deadlines.