Editorial policy
Editorial policy
This policy explains how the GTA Explained editorial team decides what to publish, how we check it, and how we tell you how certain it is.
Where our facts come from
We use sources in this order:
- Official sources: Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, Sony (PlayStation) and Microsoft (Xbox), including their store listings.
- Established outlets that cite named or official sources.
- Other outlets.
- Insiders, only ever as rumors.
Social media posts are leads to check, never a source on their own. Every fact we publish is stored with its sources and the date we last checked it, and our fact pages list those sources below each table or tool.
Status labels
Each fact carries one of these labels:
- Confirmed: Rockstar, Take-Two, Sony or Microsoft said it, either at the official source or quoted word for word by at least two independent outlets.
- Reported: a credible outlet reported it, but it isn’t official. We name the outlet.
- Rumor: an insider’s claim. We say so up front, and a rumor never appears as fact in a headline.
- Expected: our own estimate, based on how past Rockstar releases went. Nobody has announced it.
- Not announced: there’s no official information yet.
- False: shown to be untrue. We use this label when we check a claim that’s going around.
How we check and update
Before a fact is marked Confirmed, we find the official statement, or two independent outlets quoting it word for word. Big changes, such as a release date, a delay or a price, get a second check, or we wait for the official source. When sources disagree, we publish the best-supported value and tell you about the conflict.
Each fact is stored once and shared by every page that uses it, so a fix reaches all of those pages together. The “Updated” date on a page changes only when its content really changes.
Leaks, fakes and spoilers
- Leaks: we never host, embed, link to or describe leaked builds, footage, images or code. We may report that a leak happened and how Rockstar or Take-Two responded, citing mainstream coverage.
- AI fakes: we never publish AI-generated images or video of the game, its characters or its places. When a fake spreads, we may explain why it’s fake, without showing it.
- Spoilers: no story spoilers in titles, descriptions, images or the top of a page. Articles that discuss the story carry a clear warning first, and we don’t publish cutscene videos or images.
- Off limits: piracy and “free download” pages, mod menus, cheats or exploits for online play, account or in-game currency sales, grey-market keys and gambling promotion.
Our own words
We write everything ourselves. We don’t copy or rework other outlets’ articles, and when we rely on someone’s reporting, we credit it and link to it. Quotes are short, marked and linked. Official trailers are embedded from the official channel, never re-uploaded, and we don’t use game music. Game images come only from Rockstar’s own media pages, with credit, and we remove any image if its owner asks.
How we use AI
AI tools may help us with research, outlines, first drafts and translation drafts. A human editor checks every fact against our data or the original source, rewrites the text in our own voice and approves every page before it’s published. We don’t mass-produce pages, and we don’t use AI to create images or video of the game, its characters or its places.
The Arabic edition
Our Arabic edition, شرح GTA, is written for Arabic readers, not translated word for word. It leads with what matters in the Arab world, such as local prices, unlock times and store availability, and it uses consistent Arabic terms for the game. A native Arabic speaker reviews every Arabic page before it’s published.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it and say so. Our corrections policy explains how to report an error and what we do next.
Independence and advertising
GTA Explained is independent and isn’t affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive. The site shows ads from Google AdSense, and they never influence what we cover or how we label it. We don’t choose the ads you see or take payment for coverage.