Rockstar enrage GTA 6 gamers with historic change while confirming pricing below $100

The hype around GTA 6 is gigantic, but fans have been enraged by developers Rockstar making a historic change to how the game will be bought.

It's now been nearly 13 years since the last edition of the world's most popular video game series, Grand Theft Auto, was released with GTA V back in 2013.

With over 230 million worldwide sales, GTA V is the third-greatest selling game of all time, only sitting behind Tetris at the top and Minecraft in second.

Fans have been champing at the bit to finally get their hands on a new GTA and take control of lead characters Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, with a new trailer dropping last week.

Pre-orders for the absurdly highly-anticipated title are finally set to go live in just a few hours after several delays have pushed the release date to November 19, 2026.

However, some prospective players have been left furious after it was announced the game will not be available to buy on a physical disc.

Jason and Lucia from GTA 6 (Rockstar)

GTA 6 fans left fuming with Rockstar decision

The battle between physical media and digital only is a growing one across all art forms, with streaming services like Netflix and Spotify lessening the need for people to own their own copies of movies or records.

It's been a repeated sticking point in gaming, too, with Microsoft's initial efforts to make the new Xbox One digital only in 2013 being met with derision.

However, it has now been announced GTA 6 will only include a digital code and there will be no disc.

Even if you buy an actual box from a shop, there will be no disc inside it and you'll instead have to input the code and download the game to your console of choice.

In an announcement on Wednesday, Rockstar said: "The physical version of Grand Theft Auto VI, containing a download code inside the box, will be available starting November 12 to support pre-loading."

The news hasn't gone down well on social media, with a lot of fans not happy with the announcement.

"I prefer my physical games to actually be physical, not some false idol sitting on the shelf," one X user wrote.

Another echoed the sentiment by writing: "Physical Edition with just a digital code? So the box is yours, but the game is theirs.

"Gaming is slowly shifting from ownership to access."

One poster wondered why Rockstar are even bothering to release boxes at all, saying: "Why even waste the plastic then on an empty case

"Just do digital only then. It's what they're already doing."

"Physical media people we lost," another fan despaired.

When contacted for comment, Rockstar pointed to their blog.

The new GTA 6 box art (Rockstar)

GTA 6 prices confirmed

The long-awaited prices for GTA 6 have been confirmed ahead of pre-orders going live this week, as reported by IGN.

The standard edition of the game has been priced at $79.99. That is just over £60 in the United Kingdom.

The Ultimate Edition - which includes an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel - will set you back $99.99 (£75.96)

Rumours around the game's pricing have circulated for years, with a big jump to $100 dollars touted and feared in many corners.

While those whispers have proven to be technically correct, the $100 edition is only for the game with extra bonuses, and the basic edition will be available at a lower, standard price.

Those who pre-order GTA 6 will be able to download it a week in advance (though not play it early) so the game is ready to play the second it's released.

With a hefty file size and huge demand on console online infrastructure as millions of players rush to finally return to Vice City expected, it's hoped preloading the game will make November 19 go as smooth as possible.