When Grand Theft Auto 6 – or GTA VI as it's widely known – went live for pre-order last week, the internet almost came grinding to a halt, such was the huge interest in the upcoming game.
What quickly transpired, however, is that pre-orders of the game, including boxed versions, wouldn't actually ship with any disc inside. And, increasingly, it seems that such a physical version may never transpire.
Indeed, every GTA VI pre-order that arrives on 12 November – ahead of the 19 November go-live date – will contain a download code only, providing ample time for players to download the game instead.
Which raises the question: why bother with a boxed copy at all? You might as well just download it in the first place, right?
Death of the disc
It's also having a waterfall effect, as Sony just revealed that PlayStation would be axing disc formats from January 2028.
That means future PlayStation consoles will be digital download only – a format that, frankly, nobody asked for or actually wants. Such is the huge nature of Grand Theft Auto, however, it seems to have somehow made it acceptable.
Gaming communities and retail stores are up in arms about this announcement – and rightly so. As reported on TechRadar, Game has vouched to "not sit idly by" as Sony removed the physical format and swathes of its business.
It's broader than that, though, as no physical media means no second-hand market. And that just isn't good for gamers. If you're buying GTA VI for £70/$80 and, god forbid, you don't enjoy it – then, as has been the case for decades, you'd likely sell it on at a lower price to another player.
The option for gamers to function in that way has provided less 'risk' in their purchases. Sure, there are demos in abundance to sample games, but the big open-world titles of today might not gel with all players, or quickly lose their appeal. Not knowing is part of the fun of play.
Digital divide
The knock-on effect of that is potentially huge. If a gamer is willing to spend X amount on titles in a given period, only being able to do so at full price – and, as we've so often seen, an elevated price compared to physical – from a digital download store will limit the volume of their purchasing power.
Fewer games getting played, fewer explorations from players and therefore experiments from studios actually creating the games – simply fewer benefits to the industry as a whole.
It's like what's happened (and continues to happen) in cinema: arthouse struggles to find an audience, while huge-budget blockbusters are the only mindless movies that pass time and again. Not that everyone asked for it.
In gaming, just as is pointed out in a savvy Reddit thread, the move to digital only is akin to removing your purchase power altogether: "You are renting permission to play it," remarks the post. It shifts the power in a way that, ultimately, is less beneficial for gamers.
