Those (rightly) miffed by the news that GTA 6 would be launching without a disc in the box might have cause for hope. As reported by VGC, the same individual who accurately leaked that Rockster’s latest game would be shipping with just a code in the box is now bringing news that this is just for the first run. In December, they claim, a disc-based version of the game will be released for consoles. And it appears Rockstar has confirmed the same.
This initially comes from Graczdari, a source for Polish site PPE, who claims that the disc-less boxes will only be a single run. After this it will be replaced with an option to buy a proper physical copy of the game after a few weeks, just before the holidays. And while any single-sourced story from an anonymous leaker is to be taken with quite a hefty pinch of salt, as reliable as this particular leaker has proven to be, there’s a further reason to believe it could be true. PPE pastes a screenshot of an email sent to one of its readers, purporting to be from Rockstar Support, explaining that yes, “you will be able to acquire a physical copy during the following months.”
Now, we’ve no way of proving this email is legitimate, but the combination of the two sources is at least cause for hope. Rockstar is understandably extremely paranoid about its game leaking ahead of launch, given the necessity of producing and shipping boxed copies of a game well ahead of launch such that they can be on store shelves in time for the long lines of fevered fans to grab them. It just takes one naughty store employee, or even a maverick factory worker, to get that disc out into the wild and all across the internet, and given the incomparable hype surrounding Grand Theft Auto that seems vastly more likely than for any other game.
Shipping containers
So, by shipping a ridiculous empty plastic box with a code that cannot be activated until the exact date and time, this particular insecurity can be contained. But it sucks, leaving players at the whim of the console store’s permanence, the longevity of the servers, and the strength of their internet connection. (To bring this home, right now if you want to play the original top-down GTA games, you either have to wrestle with DOSBox and illegally download the PC versions, or get your hands on a physical copy of the PS1 port—something I’ve literally done today, and without which the games would now be unplayable on any console.)
If this new rumor proves true, there is at least a way to have a permanent incarnation of the game in at least some form (we of course don’t yet know how much more than what’s on the disc might need to be downloaded to play it), although one that’s going to still be a pain in the ass for day-one buyers. Will there be a method by which customers can get hold of a disc without having to spend another $80?
We’ve put all these questions to Rockstar, and will update should they get back to us.