GTA 6 fans gutted after update on Rockstar's controversial launch plans for game
The times are a-changin as GTA appears to be the latest franchise to ditch physical game discs.
When pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 went live on Thursday (25 June), fans thought Rockstar Games were offering both a digital download and a physical copy of the game.
However, customers who selected the physical version were actually only getting a box that contained a code for a digital download.
And according to The Hollywood Reporter, Rockstar reportedly suggested that there are no plans to release the new GTA on disc in the future.
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In an email from Rockstar Support, which has been verified by the outlet, a player was told: "You will be able to acquire a physical copy during the following months."
Many people interpreted this to mean that a disc version would be released a few months after launch.
But a source familiar with Rockstar's plans said that the ‘physical copy’ mentioned in the email refers to the already announced boxed edition containing a download code, not an actual disc.
The phrase ‘during the following months’ refers to the months after the game's announcement and before release, when customers can buy or pre-order the boxed edition. It does not mean a disc version will arrive after GTA VI launches on 19 November 2026.
"My initial reaction was one of confusion and shock," Ben, a UK-based gamer who covers GTA news, told the BBC.
"An important benefit of owning a disc is that you can lend the game to a friend or sell it later.”
Over on X, many fans were not best pleased with the options provided on launch, as one person wrote: “Imagine paying full price and opening the case to find a piece of paper. That's disappointing.”
A second added: “A GTA game launching without a physical disc feels like the official end of physical media in gaming.”
While a third penned: “GTA 6 will be the most purchased and least owned game in history. Everyone will have it and nobody will actually have it.”
Someone else also raised another potential issue regarding storage: “With the size of it they should sell a 1TB m.2 ssd with it pre-installed for PS5... You're going to need it anyway if you have like literally anything else installed on your base PS5.”
The shock decision comes after Strauss Zelnick, the chief executive of Take-Two, Rockstar's parent company, said in an interview with Variety in February that the digital-only launch was ‘not the plan’.
LADbible Group has contacted Rockstar Games for comment.
Anish Vij