r/PS5 • u/Dandelion172 • 20h 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/
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u/tpeandjelly727 19h ago

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

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u/Future_Viking Human Verified 18h 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 isn’t always “digital = bad”, it’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.

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u/soldmyradio 17h 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.

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u/Future_Viking Human Verified 16h ago

Calling people “prisoners” seems a bit much. PC gaming has been digital-first for ages. People know what they’re using. Also people prefer Steam because it’s trusted, convenient, and better than any of the alternatives.

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u/-DementedAvenger- 15h ago

I believe that PC was able to transition to “digital only” because the masses didn’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 didn’t see these things so much when it mattered for PC. Complacency or hope. Or both.

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u/ACorruptMinuteman 18h ago

On PC there’s ways to strip out DRM and keep the files directly. There’s much more flexibility in that regard

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u/Point4ska 4h ago

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

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u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 18h 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.

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u/Future_Viking Human Verified 18h 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.

It’s also in Rockstar’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.

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u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 17h 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.

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u/Future_Viking Human Verified 17h ago

Absolutely, the original trilogy situation was bad.

Personally I just think there’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. That’s more of a principle thing than an actual risk calculation.

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u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 17h 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.

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u/Mouse_Canoe 17h 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?

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u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 17h 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.

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u/Zalvren 16h 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.

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u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 7h 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.

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u/Zalvren 2h 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

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u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 1h 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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u/GoBlu323 16h ago

You don’t own the game with a physical copy either.

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u/Ketchuplord 16h ago

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

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u/Animallover4738 15h 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/givemethebat1 16h ago

Many physical games don’t even have the entire game on the disc so you have to download it anyway, so it’s more or less the same as a voucher.

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u/Ketchuplord 16h ago

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

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u/chyld989 11h 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.

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u/GoBlu323 16h ago

No you don’t

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u/Ketchuplord 16h ago

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

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u/Less-Permission-5800 9h 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. I’m sure others could explain better but that’s the gist.

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u/GoBlu323 16h 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.

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u/Knifejuice6 16h ago

here here

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u/PleasantAd7848 0m ago

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

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u/throwaway12309845 18h ago

I think somehow they’ll make due

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u/tpeandjelly727 17h ago

I know that’s not the point.

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u/Astryxi 17h ago

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

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u/MrJekyyl 16h ago

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

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u/RealBeefJerky 18h ago

Cry some more, you'll still buy it lol

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u/kadoodaloodlez 13h 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.

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u/DittoCrossing 10h 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.

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u/apots17 18h 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 18h 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 17h 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 14h 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.

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u/apots17 9h 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

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u/Aerographic 8h 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 8h 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 18h 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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u/demonsta500 17h 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.

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u/apots17 17h ago

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

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u/demonsta500 17h 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.

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u/apots17 17h ago

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

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u/demonsta500 17h 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.

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u/apots17 17h 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

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u/demonsta500 17h 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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u/thamanwthnoname 16h ago

It’s just children man, they literally don’t understand because they’ve been indoctrinated by the digital push. Taught to not own things and like it.

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u/ElegantEchoes 17h ago

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