Remember when physical copies of video games included the disc containing the game on them? Me too. You’d think that would be the bare minimum. GTA 6 pre-orders are here, and while available on PlayStation and Xbox store fronts in digital form, you can also reserve a physical copy to arrive on its day of release, November 19. But… that box won’t actually contain a disc you can slot into your console. Instead, a piece of (presumably nice, shiny, colourful) paper will be found inside with a code written on it so you can redeem it on the relevant digital storefront and download it. So, aside from those who love lining up plastic boxes on their shelves (I’m throwing no shade; I have rows of blu-rays lined up in my house), what benefit does getting the physical edition grant you?
It’s a difficult question to find a positive response to right now, but I’ve tried to locate one anyway. We’ll get to that in a minute, but first, let’s talk about why Rockstar has decided to do this.
Over recent years, we’ve had to get more and more used to the prospect of an all-digital future. Sony released a disc drive-less version of the PS5, the Xbox Series S is only download-compatible, and it’s expected that Microsoft will go all digital for its next-generation console, Project Helix. Some big games have already decided to park physical editions to one side to cut costs; perhaps the most notable of these was Remedy’s Alan Wake 2, which launched digital-only, but for good reason: to keep the price below $70. Rockstar has no such excuse, though, with GTA 6’s Standard Edition costing $80 and its Ultimate Edition coming in at $100. This isn’t about production costs. It’s about control and secrecy.
As for why a boxed edition of GTA 6 exists without a disc in it, well, I can only presume that’s to keep up appearances and fill up those store shelves, while simultaneously holding the power to control resales of the game. You just can’t ignore the reach this series has outside of traditional video game circles and the mass appeal it brings with it. If someone walks into any shop that sells games from November onward, they’ll see that iconic multi-panel style of box art and pick it up, with or without the knowledge of the lack of a disc sitting inside of it. Is that fair? Probably not, but you’d hope the cover clearly lets people know that this is the case.
This will also mean trade-ins become null and void, meaning anyone who wants to buy the game will have to do so at full price. Don’t expect GTA 6 to go on sale any time either. With it set to be the biggest-selling piece of media of all time at launch, demand will be there no matter the price, with Rockstar having no need to make reductions to draw in consumers. By taking away your leverage, you’re locked into paying whatever Rockstar and storefront owners deem is worthy. When the biggest game in the world chooses to do this, does that give permission for everyone else to follow suit? It certainly has some fans worried.
In regards to other reasons why discs won’t exist, GTA 6 has been in development for many, many years now, so you can understand why the developer wouldn’t want story spoilers leaking if a retailer were to break street date and copies were to find themselves in the wild prior to most getting their hands on it. Knowing how Jason and Lucia’s Vice City story ends would certainly dampen the excitement for some and take something away from the hype cycle that Rockstar curates so carefully around each of its releases. I doubt a leak would make anywhere approaching a significant dent in pre-order or sales figures, but all it takes is the wrong info to make it out and get misconstrued ahead of time for all of the conversation around a game to turn a bit sour. Just ask Naughty Dog about The Last of Us Part 2.
One thing I do hope pops up in the next few months in some sort of Collector’s Edition, though. I’m particularly fond of the Red Dead Redemption 2 Collector’s Box, containing such treasures as a 1:1 recreation of the Wheeler, Rawson, and co. catalogue from one of the many stores Arthur shops in, and some of the collectable cigarette cards found throughout the world. It’s all housed in a lovely metal tin, and I’d love something of equal quality for GTA 6. And there’s no reason the news that its physical edition doesn’t come with a disc should get in the way of this either, as that RDR2 box didn’t actually contain the game, either, but was designed purely as an addition to it.
Would I love a bank-robbing ready duffel bag full of Vice City fashion and temporary tattoos? Probably not. But it’s not my job to design collector’s editions either. I’d just like one for GTA 6, to at least sweeten the pill of not getting a disc in a box at launch. Let’s see if anything gets announced before November rolls around.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
