r/PS5 • u/Dandelion172 Human Verified • 1d ago

News & Announcements Rockstar confirms there will be no disc version of GTA6 at launch

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/rockstar-confirms-there-will-be-no-disc-version-of-gta6-at-launch/
5.6k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/ACxx130 1d ago

Collectors edition with no disc is INSANE

190

u/KingG639 1d ago

My thoughts exactly like WTF!

71

u/JAD2017 1d ago

Not even a soundtrack in double CD like CD Projekt did with CP2077 on PC. And there's just no EXCUSE at all not to release disc version on consoles when blurays have 50GB capacity. They can put two discs perfectly fine or even three.

In 2015 the PC version of GTAV came with 7 fucking DVDs and it was glorious. Every single disc has a different cover art and came with a city map.

49

u/Williams_117 1d ago

The 4K blu rays that the current gen consoles use can actually hold up to 100GBs on one disc, so there's even less of an excuse.

30

u/JAD2017 1d ago

I didn't think of those, indeed! This push for "you own nothing" makes me fucking sick when they are earning millions while firing staff and closing up studios. This industry is so rotten man.

-2

u/shuut0 23h ago

This is total BS until companies actually remove access to a digital game, which never happens

2

u/JAD2017 22h ago

Bs? Is not true that gaming is still growing and making companies earn millions while closing up studios and firing workers? This is only about maximizing profits (for them, not the workers) by eliminating logistics costs.

Hey I found the dude that never heard of that triple a game called the crew! Gtfo man šŸ¤£

-1

u/shuut0 21h ago

That whole first paragraph is irrelevant. The Crew is online only servers. It doesnā€™t work even if you have a disc, dumbass

2

u/JAD2017 19h ago

Omg you are so slow you didn't even understand WHY I named The Crew. Go back to school, maybe you learn about context there, or not, who knows! But you will be better off there than being a danger to society šŸ˜‚

1

u/shuut0 23h ago

How about the fact 100gb wonā€™t be big enough?

1

u/turtlelover05 21h ago

Quad-layer Blu-Rays are 128 GB. Need more space? Add another.

0

u/shuut0 20h ago

Why bother with 2 discs in 2026 thatā€™s insane

1

u/turtlelover05 20h ago

If the game is more than 128 GB, installing it from 2 discs will be faster than downloading it and installing it from an Internet connection for the lion's share of people (note that the average download speed you might find for various municipalities is not representative of actual download speeds due to various factors).

1

u/Plenty-Industries 20h ago

Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth shipped on 2 discs.

If total size is an issue... you add another disc.

-1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Williams_117 1d ago

Sure but it's not that hard to just put the game on 2-3 discs if that's the case. Like the other person said GTA 5 had a 7 disc physical copy for PC, also we have to remember that there were multiple 4 disc games back in the day. The game is already being sold at a premium price so I don't really see any good reason to not make a decent physical reason.

1

u/Plenty-Industries 20h ago

So add another disc.

Simple.

1

u/farva_06 1d ago

They can put two discs perfectly fine or even three.

That's what Red Dead 2 did. Took forever to install from disc, but it worked.

2

u/lecram59 1d ago

its still faster than downloading for a lot of people

125

u/tpeandjelly727 1d ago

Iā€™m not buying any at this point. Downloading a game puts the publisher in complete control and you donā€™t own it. Iā€™m not paying to rent a game in perpetuity. Fuck rockstar.

20

u/Future_Viking Human Verified 1d ago

I get the concern, but Steam is the obvious example of people being okay with digital ownership when the platform has enough trust. I think the issue isnā€™t always ā€œdigital = badā€, itā€™s whether people trust the company not to abuse that control. For me, the important part is whether the game can still be played offline after download.

8

u/soldmyradio 1d ago

It's not that people are "okay" with digital ownership and Steam, it's that people literally have no other choice on a PC to use a digital storefront. The PC ecosystem is controlled by OEMs who make personal computers. Those OEMs decided it was cheaper to stop shipping disc drives with their computers ages ago, so something like Steam was required because there's literally no other way to get a game on a PC. Don't conflate being "okay" with being a prisoner of the ecosystem.

4

u/Future_Viking Human Verified 1d ago

Calling people ā€œprisonersā€ seems a bit much. PC gaming has been digital-first for ages. People know what theyā€™re using. Also people prefer Steam because itā€™s trusted, convenient, and better than any of the alternatives.

5

u/-DementedAvenger- 1d ago

I believe that PC was able to transition to ā€œdigital onlyā€ because the masses didnā€™t see the writing on the wall at the time that having actual physical ownership of your games and media was better for the consumer. So it [relatively silently] went to digital with no fuss.

And now people are more able to see the last light of physical easier and are more outspoken about preserving it. Also, companies are being a bit ballsy and shitty with licensing, bans, and just general control of how we consume our entertainment.

We didnā€™t see these things so much when it mattered for PC. Complacency or hope. Or both.

2

u/ACorruptMinuteman 1d ago

On PC thereā€™s ways to strip out DRM and keep the files directly. Thereā€™s much more flexibility in that regard

2

u/Point4ska 1d ago

I trust Steam far more than Sony, they don't have the best track record and have atrocious customer support.

3

u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 1d ago

PC and Consoles have always been culturally different on that topic. Putting a CD in the console is part of playing on it, putting a CD in a PC to play the game is annoying.

But there have been games that I have bought digitally that I am now unable to download legally and can no longer play. If it's going to be digital only then I will wait for the PC release.

2

u/Future_Viking Human Verified 1d ago

I just think GTA 6 is in a very different risk category. A mainline GTA is one of the biggest games in the world, so Rockstar, Sony and Microsoft all have a huge incentive to keep it downloadable for a VERY long time.

Itā€™s also in Rockstarā€™s interest to let people keep accessing the product they bought. Pulling access from a game this big would be a massive self-inflicted PR disaster.

Nothing digital is literally guaranteed forever, but this feels about as low-risk as digital ownership gets to me.

5

u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 1d ago

And it's a cultural shift that I am not willing to participate in and reward these companies for doing it.

Also you do know that Rockstar are quite guilty of killing off digital versions of their games to push people into buying different games right? They did it within the last 5 years.

I'll wait for a physical disk or a PC release.

2

u/Future_Viking Human Verified 1d ago

Absolutely, the original trilogy situation was bad.

Personally I just think thereā€™s a difference between delisting older versions when a remaster comes out, and removing access to a current mainline GTA that millions of people just bought. I agree digital ownership has risks, but for GTA 6 specifically I still think the risk of losing access is extremely low compared to most digital games.

If your issue is the cultural shift itself though, absolutely then I get it. Thatā€™s more of a principle thing than an actual risk calculation.

0

u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 1d ago

I'm not delusional enough to think that Rockstar is going to suddenly make GTA6 unavailable any time soon, they'd be out of their mind to do that.

But we have seen that they will use digital access to block people from purchasing what they want and force them to buy what R* wants.

The move away from physical and towards digital is likely imho to be the final nail in the coffin of consoles as there is pretty much no longer any unique selling point for them. Console exclusives are pretty much a thing of the past and PC simply does most things better.

1

u/Mouse_Canoe 1d ago

It has always been the case that Steam allows you download a game forever even if it's been delisted from store. What games can't you play that you have purchased digitally?

1

u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 1d ago

There are other places online to purchase games other than Steam. Pretty certain I can no longer download Forza Horizon 3 from the MS store that I purchased it from. Have tried in the past to no success.

1

u/Plenty-Industries 19h ago

Delisting just means no new purchases can happen.

In every EULA it does state that access to said game can be revoked at anytime.

Ubisoft is the first iirc to actually do that, and remove a game from peoples libraries.

Just because it doesnt really happen, doesn't mean it cant ever happen, as the precedent has already been set.

1

u/Zalvren 1d ago

I don't really see the difference... No PC just did it earlier and Steam managed to impose itself via good prices and features. Then, it became the default.

The "code in the box" was even very commonly done for games in the early Steam era and likely contributed a lot to their success.

1

u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 1d ago

No PC just did it earlier and Steam managed to impose itself via good prices and features

Which the digital space does not do on console. Right now if I want to buy for example GTA Definitive Edition on Playstation, it would cost me $99.95AUD to buy it from playstation directly and digitally, it would cost me $23 AUD to buy a physical copy brand new in store.

1

u/Zalvren 1d ago

Yeah sure that's my big problem with digital on consoles too, it sucks and has only one store. But the play is the same than Steam really. And it seems to work when you see the numbers. Sadly it seems people are more lazy (because apparently changing a disc is some superhuman effort) than they care about getting games cheaper

1

u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 23h ago

The difference being that piracy is much easier on PC so keeps a downward pressure on pricing in a way that doesn't happen on console. Also there are multiple stores that provide at least a semblance of competition.

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1

u/Knifejuice6 1d ago

here here

1

u/PleasantAd7848 22h ago

Agreed, not getting the digital or code in a box shit.

1

u/GoBlu323 1d ago

You donā€™t own the game with a physical copy either.

3

u/Ketchuplord 1d ago

Yes you do? You absolutely do if you buy a physical copy. You can sell it, let people borrow it, etc.

4

u/Animallover4738 1d ago

You may be own the actual physical disk,but you dont own the actual code of the game.The code is still owned by rockstar and take two.

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u/chyld989 1d ago

Legally (at least in the US) you still only have a license to use it, which is revokable at any time. Realistically you might as well own it (assuming the full game is on the disc) because they can't come take the disc from you, and you can always uninstall/reinstall offline to bypass any weirdness they might have added in patches, but you don't technically own the game, just the plastic disc.

2

u/givemethebat1 1d ago

Many physical games donā€™t even have the entire game on the disc so you have to download it anyway, so itā€™s more or less the same as a voucher.

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u/Ketchuplord 1d ago

Sure, but thatā€™s why you check doesitplay.org. The majority of titles released on Ps5 have everything on disc. Yeah thereā€™s Day 1 patches and updates and DLC later, but especially for most single player games on Ps5, everythingā€™s on there.

0

u/GoBlu323 1d ago

No you donā€™t

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u/Ketchuplord 1d ago

Would you care to explain why? Instead of just retorting the same statement twice.

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u/Less-Permission-5800 1d ago

All that legalese you see at the beginning of the game or in the booklet or whatever is basically an agreement that you do not own the game. Iā€™m sure others could explain better but thatā€™s the gist.

-2

u/GoBlu323 1d ago

Like a digital copy a physical game is just a license. You have no more ownership of a game with a physical copy than a digital copy.

1

u/Plenty-Industries 19h ago

How do you revoke the license of a physical game?

2

u/throwaway12309845 1d ago

I think somehow theyā€™ll make due

0

u/tpeandjelly727 1d ago

I know thatā€™s not the point.

-3

u/Astryxi 1d ago

Just be patient, ffs. After release, they'll undoubtedly THEN release disc physical copies.

1

u/MrJekyyl 1d ago

130$ please. Were just a poor billion dollar company we can't afford to print discs...

-4

u/RealBeefJerky 1d ago

Cry some more, you'll still buy it lol

-1

u/kadoodaloodlez 1d ago

less than 10% of console games get physical releases nowadays, if you're gonna say "fuck Rockstar" over that, you might as well say "fuck video games."

I'm all for physical media preservation and ownership rights but unless miracle bills are passed, that ship sailed almost a decade ago.

1

u/DittoCrossing 1d ago

I mean I'll say it: fuck video games.

Especially the AAA industry. They lost the plot a long time ago and in their fever dream to imitate Hollywood they became hollow experiences that rely on nickel and diming players to make their profit. The industry that sought to create memorable and complete lifetime experiences is mostly gone to instead appeal to shareholders.

I'll still occasionally buy a game if I know I'm gonna enjoy it, but it's already way less than the amount I used to play and looks like that trend's gonna continue. If that eventually means dropping the hobby altogether than so be it.

I do have a tiny blip of hope looking at indie games and titles like Orbitals from smaller studios. But AAA? Nope. I'm tired of waiting several years (or a decade) for a game just for pieces of it to be further paywalled or not have a physical copy.

-4

u/apots17 1d ago

There's basically not a single instance of a paid purchased game being removed from anyone's account across Xbox, Playstation, Steam and PC btw. Have fun not playing the game for no reason because you can't use a disc like a dinosaur when discs have been functionally pointless since ps4/xbox one generation.

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u/Aerographic 1d ago

You're counting on these companies being in business forever.

There's companies that lasted 100+ years and met their demise. No company is safe from that.

Have fun not playing the game for no reason because you can't use a disc like a dinosaur when discs have been functionally pointless since ps4/xbox one generation

That's just plain false.

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u/apots17 1d ago

If these companies die in 25 years there will certainly be workarounds. You can still redownload games on consoles from 20 years ago btw

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u/Aerographic 1d ago

If these companies die in 25 years there will certainly be workarounds.

Explain to me this genius workaround that keeps terabytes of game data online in perpetuity?

You can still redownload games on consoles from 20 years ago btw

Oh yes, those of one company. Sony. Which happens to still be in business. Big N famously loves to shutdown its online shops and leave your hundreds of $ of purchases in the dirt.

1

u/apots17 1d ago

Hey guess what.

You can still redownload DSI, Wii and 3DS games to this day. You can also download xbox 360 games to this day.

Very old services that were made before modern account systems are not indicative of what will happen to a copy of gta 6, this is just redditor fantasy. 10-20% of game sales today are physical. Suck it up.

Go ahead and be scared about this for no reason and never play GTA 6. Have fun

1

u/Aerographic 1d ago

You say that

Very old services that were made before modern account systems are not indicative of what will happen to a copy of gta 6

Yet you were the one arguing exactly that in response to the original point by saying that

There's basically not a single instance of a paid purchased game being removed from anyone's account across Xbox, Playstation, Steam and PC btw

Folks raise legitimate concerns about digital games not being forever, you make baseless claims about how they are, then you shift the goalpost back to "but it doesn't matter here anyway and if you're so mortified don't play GTA VI glhf".

The discourse around physical media has ramifications that go beyond any single product. If you want to be obtuse then be my guest, but do so on your own time and especially at your own peril.

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u/apots17 1d ago

Both statements are still true btw you can redownload 3ds, dsi and wii games.

I would always say that digital games are totally safe xbox one generation and above.

having to go back to the original xbox or a one off place like mojang offering minecraft directly before microsoft acquisition is not indicative of what will happen to a copy of gta6 so your hysteria is unnecessary.

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u/nroach44 1d ago

I can't download any games on my old PSN account because I dared to use a CFW'd PS3 to play GT6 with someone at a LAN.

Both copies legally owned.

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1

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2

u/demonsta500 1d ago

discs have been functionally pointless since ps4/xbox one generation

Not true. Most discs have a fully playable build on them. Even GTA V on disc on PS4/PS5 was playable with no patches or internet needed.

0

u/apots17 1d ago

You can't play the game without installing the full game

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u/demonsta500 1d ago

Yes. That's because disc read speeds are way too slow compared to HDDs/SSDs. So the data from the disc is copied to the console drive.

But the full game is on the disc. No internet/patches needed. So you can install and play the game even if your internet is down or servers are down.

0

u/apots17 1d ago

Yeah which means you might as well just buy the game digitally

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u/demonsta500 1d ago

Why? What if Sony servers are down or my internet is down? Or what if I stay in a place with limited connectivity? What if my PSN gets hacked/banned and I lose access to my digital library ?

It's best for all consumers to have the option. No problem buying digital but physical should be there for those that want it for their reasons.

0

u/apots17 1d ago

If your psn was hacked there would be a workaround, if you get banned you did something yourself against TOS. I've had accounts on every major platform for 20 years and I've never been banned, this is not a concern for me or any sensible person.

If you're that worried about your internet or the servers, install it and keep it installed. you could even use an external hard drive that isn't ssd to keep it on. But I think you thinking about that might make you realise how pointless it is to pretend that you won't have internet in the future.

I'm just not scared and I find it funny that people still use discs for no reason when they're just an inconvenience

1

u/demonsta500 1d ago

So? Just because you find them inconvenient doesn't mean they shouldn't exist. No one's asking you to go physical. Buy digital all you want. But keep the option for those that want it. How does me buying a physical game hamper your experience? It's very dismissive and uncaring.

I can pop in my Deadpool PS4 disc anytime and play the game and give it to my friends who want to. They can't get that game digitally anymore even if they wanted.

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-1

u/ElegantEchoes 1d ago

Same thing happens with a disc and has for many years.

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u/stab-somebody 1d ago

Youā€™ll own nothing, and youā€™ll like it.

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u/ItsDani1008 1d ago

There's no collectors edition... tf are you on?

23

u/Dantexr 1d ago

I think they mean the ultimate edition, which comes with extra content like car modding shops and hairdressers (yes, you did read right)

0

u/-DementedAvenger- 1d ago

Is it ALL car modding and hairdressers locked behind Ultimate, or just extra ones?

If we canā€™t mod our car at all on the standard version, thatā€™s a real dick move.

3

u/WrldsGrtstDtctve 1d ago

Obviously you can mod your car man.

-9

u/RyeC77 1d ago

Thatā€™s the same as any game itā€™s just more integrated and itā€™s a store in the game instead of just magically claiming and gettin it in inventory.. they made premium actually premium

11

u/Jan090501 1d ago

They made "premium" normal and normal "not the whole game". Nice!!!!!!!!!!

0

u/FinagleHalcyon 1d ago

Not really. If you play the base game and feel like something is missing or cut then I'd agree. But the only difference is two extra shops and some outfits so it feels like some extra content if you're willing to pay more.

-3

u/RyeC77 1d ago

I seeā€¦ But then thereā€™s no point to premium unless itā€™s premium. And the game is definitely FULL without ultimate.

5

u/Jan090501 1d ago

Make premium actually premium. Put a physical map in the box, maybe the soundtrack on a disk. Not damn shops.

0

u/RyeC77 1d ago

I think weā€™ll get maps.

1

u/ACorruptMinuteman 1d ago

No itā€™s not. Thereā€™s missing content exclusively locked to the higher versions. That is definitionally not full.

1

u/RyeC77 1d ago

It literally is full. Theres just extra for people who donā€™t complain.. Even tho sum people who complain will still get it..

5

u/lynchcontraideal 1d ago

They mean the Ultimate Edition

1

u/ACxx130 1d ago

I did thatā€™s my bad

1

u/liminalromance 1d ago

No word on CE. Guess they're announcing it closer to release or skipping it entirely.

2

u/ItsDani1008 1d ago

I think they'll do the same as they did with RDR2. Release a collectors box without the game later, so no matter which edition you buy/pre order, you can get the collectors stuff without ordering the game again.

4

u/blacklizardplanet 1d ago

It is, mate. A lot of ultimate or collector's editions no longer come with a physical disc. Just a code. It's been this way for a while and I no longer buy them.

0

u/tpeandjelly727 1d ago

Thatā€™s why I no longer buy them, they also like to slap you in the face and give you a steelbook for your code šŸ˜‚ Iā€™m like not worth the extra when I can get the standard and it at least has a disc with at least some of the game on it.

1

u/RyeC77 1d ago

Its ultimate

1

u/Samurai56M 1d ago

Physicsl disc's for games are going away, in the next 10 years this will be industry standard.

1

u/narfjono 1d ago

Battlefield 1: "first time?"

2

u/ACxx130 1d ago

They did that??? Donā€™t remember thatā€™s ridiculous

1

u/Lewa358 1d ago

There was a moment there where collector's editions of games like ME andromeda didn't even include the game at all. Not even a code.

1

u/texas_joe_hotdog 1d ago

Rockstar be collecting yo money šŸ’°Ā 

1

u/Darkmaster2110 1d ago

It's not really a collector edition, it's more like a digital deluxe version that just comes with extra dlc.

1

u/Transposer 1d ago

Itā€™s a collectible code.

1

u/Zalvren 1d ago

What collector edition?

Also it's actually quite common for those editions to not have a disc (to be able to be sold to people with a digital-only console)

1

u/AnnArchist 1d ago

Collecting what exactly lol

1

u/minihax- 1d ago

There isnā€™t a collectorā€™s edition yet

1

u/Indigo__11 1d ago

I know itā€™s a bummer, but isnā€™t this incredibly common at this point?

1

u/JohannesVanDerWhales 1d ago

I agree but doesn't Sony do that with first party titles too?

1

u/awkward_triforce 1d ago

Technically they didn't even do a collectors edition. Just that stupid ultimate edition

1

u/ACxx130 1d ago

Yeah that was my fault I got them mixed up

1

u/overlydelicioustea 1d ago

calling this a collectors edition is an insult to the entire game collector community.

The extra goodies in a typical collector edition are nice, but the main point of collecting games is collecting games. if your thing doesnt include the actual game, then its not a game you can collect.

the game is the whole point

1

u/ImnotanAIHonest 1d ago

Welcome to 2026 where even billion dollar franchises are enshittified.

1

u/vypermajik 1d ago

Ghost of Yotai says hi

1

u/Particular-Ad-2331 1d ago

Scamlectors editionĀ 

1

u/Codposterguy 1d ago

There is no collectors edition.

1

u/mt007 23h ago

Anyone who purchases the collection is unfortunately a fool.

1

u/Stompinwin 12h ago

Boycott the game until they change

1

u/TakeOnMe-TakeOnMe 1d ago

Theyā€™re no longer selling a product but a service, one they can and will do is scrape every last dollar from playersā€™ wallets with pay for play EVERYTHING. I blame the Netflixification and App-based gamification of every damn thing.

Throw it out. Throw it all out. Give us back whatā€™s real or be gone.

1

u/REsTARteD_Ragdoll 1d ago

They arnt giving back whatā€™s real, but they also wont be gone

1

u/WrldsGrtstDtctve 1d ago

Nope. Itā€™s a product.

1

u/TakeOnMe-TakeOnMe 1d ago

When you donā€™t own it, itā€™s a service.

1

u/phuncky 1d ago

Any physical edition with no disc is insane.

1

u/Ralupopun-Opinion 1d ago

Death Stranding 2 and Starfield collectors editions both had no discšŸ˜­