Gamers who pre-ordered a physical copy of Grand Theft Auto 6 on Thursday got a shock: the box they will receive contains a code for a digital download, not a disc. Rockstar Games confirmed the move when pre-orders went live, ending years of hope that one of the biggest franchises in entertainment history would keep the physical medium alive.
“My initial reaction was one of confusion and shock,” said Ben, a 24-year-old UK gamer who covers GTA news under the handle ‘videotech’. His surprise was compounded by an interview Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick gave to Variety in February, in which he said a digital-only launch was “not the plan”. Ben told the BBC that many had hoped the disc would be available at launch—for more than sentimental reasons. “An important benefit of owning a disc is that you can lend the game to a friend or sell it later,” he said.
“GTA 6 physical edition will contain only a digital download code, not a disc, sparking debate over game ownership.”
Online retailers selling the physical edition have already stated that the code inside is single-use and will become invalid after it is redeemed. That means no lending, no resale—a fundamental shift in how players can own the game. The standard edition costs £70, while a premium edition is priced at £90.
Digital sales now account for the vast majority of game revenue, with platforms like Steam and the PlayStation Store long established. The number of consoles without disc drives is accelerating the trend. Mat Piscatella, senior director at market research firm Circana, posted that “more than half of all Xbox Series consoles in the US don’t have a physical drive, while over a quarter of PS5’s are the same.”
For some gamers, the announcement was less upsetting. Alogirlx, a gaming content creator from Canada, told the BBC’s What in the World podcast: “I’m pretty much all digital these days, I download most of my games directly onto my console. Whether there’s a physical disc or not it doesn’t really change anything for me.”
But the move raises a broader question: if the maker of one of the biggest franchises in entertainment history opts out of physical discs, does that mean the disc is dead? With physical game sales already at an all-time low, the issue may be less about the disc itself and more about what ownership means in the digital age.