The PAL version of Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 supposedly leaked earlier today, and has shown up on torrent sites across the internet as a 6471 MB (6.32 GB if you don’t like big numbers) file released by iCON. The NFO file warns not to connect to Xbox Live until the game is released to the masses (three full times in ALL CAPS, so you better heed the warning), and even encourages people to buy the game anyway since “R* deserves it.”

Here are the full details about the file, which hasn’t been confirmed as legit but certainly seems like it is:


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--iCON brings you: Grand Theft Auto IV--
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not region free! sorry bushlovers!

Japan, Rest Of Asia, Australia, Rest Of Europe

hey this is iCON again. we just finished
that crappy GTAIV game of thing and thought
you might want to have it too. so here it is.

!!! IMPORTANT: !!!
DONT PLAY THIS GAME WHILE CONNECTED TO XBOX LIVE TILL NEXT WEEK!
DONT PLAY THIS GAME WHILE CONNECTED TO XBOX LIVE TILL NEXT WEEK!
DONT PLAY THIS GAME WHILE CONNECTED TO XBOX LIVE TILL NEXT WEEK!
setcha xbox live profiles to hide your games
list from dirty little spys. or skip online
till next monday. otherwise you might get banned
for playing this bitch early.

if u dont mind, well.. like we care.

and guys, seriously, go and buy this one!

R* deserves it...
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------iCON - Passion for Videogames-----
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Gameplay videos have been showing up on GameTrailers and YouTube, but unfortunately for anyone who wants to see more of the game early without pirating it most of them have been removed.

While there’s not really anything Take 2 can do to stop the game from spreading once it’s made its way on to the internet, according to Xbox-Scene they have been trying to monitor who plays it on Xbox Live so they can see anyone who got it and wasn’t supposed to. They’re also trying to keep the achievements secret by having people who got the game legally make their profiles private (which leads me to believe that this list could be false, why would they try to hide something that has already been found?). Here’s what Xbox-Scene says they sent to anyone who was getting the game early (and legally):

Xbox 360 Version:
We need your Gamertag because Microsoft will be helping Rockstar Games monitor access to the online modes up to release date. Because of this, we will need to add your Gamertag to the approved list of gamers who can play online prior to release. In addition to supplying this information, if you do intend to go online before April 29th, you will need to change a couple of the basic settings on your Xbox 360 and keep these settings like this till the game comes out, otherwise other people will be able to see your achievements list for GTA IV (even if you are playing another game) and we’d like to keep that information back for the fans. You will have to switch your profile to private and appear off line. We have attached a document that explains exactly how you do this just in case.

PS3 Version:
There are no privacy settings that can be set on the PS3 but we will still be tracking who is going on line so again it will make it easier for us to identify you as a genuine user if we have your ID.

However, a number of people have been seen playing the game on Xbox Live. You can see the full list at MyGamerCard.net, where the number of Xbox Live users who have played the game has been steadily rising. I contacted some of the gamers who have been playing it on Xbox Live, and the few that responded all said that they had gotten the game because they either worked at a game store or knew someone who did.

Fortunately, it’s less than a week until the game releases on April 29, so it won’t be long until everyone can play without having to download it or work in a store that has the game already.