Policy on posting copyrighted Rockstar Games material
Last Updated: January 10, 2025
Question: Am I allowed to post game footage on YouTube or other websites? Can I use copyrighted material on fan sites if it is for non-commercial use and doesn't have spoilers?
Answer: Generally, Take-Two Interactive does not object to our fans using materials for non-commercial uses in a manner which does not intentionally spoil the plot for others.
"Non-commercial" means that you don't make money through the game footage you post or use the material as part of a promotion for a product or service. Take-Two Interactive reserves the right to have its copyrighted material taken down at any time.
We’re happy for fans to upload footage of their gameplay - we love seeing machinima and clips from our games and even share some of it with our fans on the Rockstar Newswire and social media from time to time. However, we do have guidelines that we ask you to follow if you are going to post or stream on video-sharing sites. Below is a list of examples that, if posted, would result in a take-down notice:
Pre-Release Footage: No pre-release leaked footage of any kind. Any posting of in-game footage from leaked copies of the game prior to its official release date will be taken down, regardless of how the game was obtained. This includes "early unboxing" videos.
Spoilers: Posting video showing the ending of the game, an edited combination of cutscenes and/or in-game plot dialogue, or any other big reveal in the story. It's ok to show cutscenes as part of a larger play-through (or in a narrated ‘Let’s Play’ type video) but isolated videos of the game's cinematics will be removed. If you are unsure if what you want to post is considered a spoiler, please contact copyright@take2games.com and describe exactly what scene you are wondering about and in what context the scene would appear.
In-Game Entertainment: Showing content like the TV shows and comedy performances in Grand Theft Auto, or the silent movies in Red Dead Redemption. We prefer fans to experience these in the context of the game's world, so any posting of these in isolation will be flagged for removal.
Encouraging Cheating: This includes videos that describe, display, or promote ways to cheat in our online titles, such as:
gaining illegitimate RP/XP, in-game money or inventory items, or unauthorized “services” that offer to sell or deliver any such content to users in-game or to their account.
duplicating counterfeit in-game items or in-game money.
selling/gifting accounts, including those containing illegitimately gained in-game money, XP/RP, inventory items (e.g. weapons, properties, vehicles) or stats (e.g. health, stamina, Dead Eye).
glitches, “God Mode” exploits, or similar abuses designed to give players unfair advantages over or harass other players.
using third-party mod menus and tools within GTA Online and Red Dead Online.
Promoting Modifications / Ports: distributing or promoting unauthorized mods or ports that violate Rockstar’s rights. This includes porting existing game content to a platform or game engine where it is not otherwise officially available, as well as combining unrelated intellectual property whether created by Rockstar or a third party.
Content that violates our Terms of Service
This is not meant to be an exhaustive statement of Take-Two’s policy, and we reserve the right to remove content we find objectionable on a case-by-case basis. We also reserve the right to change our policy from time to time, and this information may be updated in the future.
If you have any questions about this policy, please don't hesitate to ask by sending an email to copyright@take2games.com.
Please note: this policy is intended to address occasional, non-commercial in-game content use by individual members of the Rockstar fan community. It does not apply to the exploitation of Rockstar IP for film, TV, or streaming distribution; in music videos; advertisements; or publication in books, magazines, or digital publishing. If you are a filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, author, musician, agent, or represent a production company or advertising agency, this policy likely does not apply to you. Licensing requests can be submitted to copyright@take2games.com for case-by-case consideration; requests must include a detailed description of the content in question and specific proposed use in order to be eligible for review.