Video Games Plus, a gaming retailer based out of Canada, and an independent gaming retailer known as Loot Box Gaming have both stated that they won’t be selling GTA 6.
Not huge retailers in the grand scheme of things, but interesting to see at least some taking a stand especially when they are almost certainly losing out on money by doing so.
Even if the disk was in the box, it wouldnt matter.
It’d just be some basic files that an installer transfers over. You’d still have to download a bunch online and use the code in the box to activate it because theres no way they’d put the whole game on a disk.
So, while I applaud giving the finger to rockstars exploitative bullshit, this seems more performative than anything.
Ok, but you can still physically take that disk with those minimal files and trade them in for at least some credit or cash somewhere.
If it’s digital, you can’t do that at all. Hell, if you download or play the game and do not like it then it can’t even be returned for a refund on many systems. A physical disk gets you something. Something…
except no you cant, because the download keys already been used and registered and permanantly tied to an account. Making the disk worse less than nothing.
Can you give an example of which games do this? I’ve never had issues with using pre-owned discs.
Battlefield… 4? did it to a limited extent - the code was required for online multiplayer, but not singleplayer.
By Battlefield 6, and enough people absolutely loathing their existence, EA took the hint and didnt repeat that model. Though BF6’s campaign is apparently online-only, so they apparently pivoted to a different insane design choice.
Weird. I’ve been able to play many used games, including GTA in the past. Is this something new with 5 and beyond? I would think the GAME was playable, but any exclusives or anything extra from an order would not be.
That is not how disks that don’t have data on them have worked in the past. The disk works as the game key, allowing you to install and play the game, even if there is no data on the disk.
yeah, the disk is essentially the
DLCDRM key for the consoleedit more coffee
Exactly like a Switch 2 Game Key Card.
You can still share and trade those.
Video Game Plus pointed to its policy of not selling games that only offer digital codes, and as a result, it will not sell the biggest game of 2026. The retailer noted that this isn’t a reflection of Rockstar Games or the game itself, but argued that it’s part of their goal of preserving physical media.
Based
It is a reflection though. A box with a piece of paper in it is a direct reflection of fucking idiocy.
“The biggest game of 2026”
Is it a terabyte or something?
300GB apparently. So not far off. Especially with SSD prices these days.
Isn’t a series S as low as 256gb?
That tells me the game needs to be under that
I have a Series S and the usable storage is around the 360GB mark.
I’m not going to buy GTA6 but imagine having to dedicate your whole console to 1 game :(
Lol, soon we will be buying games on game consoles instead of disks.
We’ll be back to physical memory cards.
WTF…so much for optimization.
Not surprised they’re large, mostly because the asset sizes are dictated by what screen resolution people play (yeah, 1440p fomo) and how big their monitors are (27" or bust), and how often they stream or make screenshots.
Blame the people wanting to be able to see every flies asshole. Textures get huge fast.
That’s such a weird example
It is. But I don’t think it’s any more weird than photo realistic horse balls that seem to have been all the rage a short while ago.
We don’t frequent the same internet circles apparently
Fuck… I’d have to delete at least 5 other games to make room…
5? In a closet behind me I have a physical disk containing 4 full games, including their scanned manuals, on one CD. That’s right, a CD, not a DVD.
Fifteen times the size of the smallest PS3.
Man, they should offer disc anyway so gen-z can experience the “please insert disc 2 and press continue” while installing.
There are already games with dedicated install discs like that.
It’ll be the Windows 95 14-disk floppy set all over again, but this time with 18 DVDs
I see you were also traumatized by the floppy release. Lol
I had pre-ordered the CD release from Babbage’s, and went to pick that up. Being that I was only 15, I had to get a ride, and it was also 45 min each way, so this wasn’t exactly easy for me.
When I got home, I still hadn’t realized they gave me the wrong one and cracked it open to see the horror. Said screw it, I wasn’t going to be able to go back anytime soon and installed it for the next hour or more.
Luckily, because this was pre-activation key (we remember those days, right? … right??), when I took it back, they apologized and gave me the right one without much problem.
Only installed once from 14 floppies, but it still was terrible.
No, but the packaging is a refrigerator box.
Fragile…it’s italian!
the keycode is laser-etched onto one of the nails holding it together.
That looks like a major award!
Sorry, I don’t see an issue here. Everyone is perfectly happy giving Steam loads of money for games they’ll never physically own, but when it comes to consoles, suddenly we’re supposed to make a stand?
No. The overwhelming majority of game sales are digital downloads.
If you think having a disc somehow solves this, try playing Gran Turismo on the PlayStation 4. Sure, you get a disc, but you still have to sit through roughly six hours of downloads and installation before the game is actually playable.
The lack of a disc isn’t the issue.
You indeed failed to see the issue.
It is not really wise to compare Steam with the console ecosystem, especially when there exists several alternatives to obtain games on PC.
Physical discs matter more on consoles than on PCs, given that there is not a whole lot one can do if their account gets banned for the silliest of reasons, or if one wants to share a game.
Also, have you thought that you might be referring to two different sets of customers: one that is fine with digital purchases on Steam/PSN, and the other that strongly supports physical purchases?
Using a single example of GT is insufficient to make a broad statement like the one you made.
especially when there exists several alternatives to obtain games on PC.
Not really sure what you mean here. Do you have a disk drive installed on your PC? If so how old is your case? Or when was the last time you had a car with a cd player in it? Or are you talking about any other store front like epic or battle.net? Because they’re all in competition with one another.
Physical discs matter more on consoles than on PCs, given that there is not a whole lot one can do if their account gets banned for the silliest of reasons, or if one wants to share a game.
This is categorically and objectively not true. Bans on consoles are few and far between and many times they actually brick the console itself. You’re not sharing games. No one is sharing games. The extreme vast majority of games are digital downloads. You’re not passing around your cartridge of super smash bros 64 between school mates in 2026.
Also, have you thought that you might be referring to two different sets of customers
No. Why would I do that? I don’t care. I own a PS4, a Steam Deck, and a gaming PC. They’re all fundamentally the same customer experience built on similar architecture. This is just a ridiculous argument.
In fact, I feel like, deep down, you generally agree with my original comment but didn’t want to say so for fear of being ostracized by the community in this thread. It feels like you picked the most ridiculous, indefensible arguments against what I was saying and just ran with them.
You are arguing against points I did not make. Do not confuse consumer preference with consumer rights.
The fact that most people buy digitally does not magically eliminate the benefits of physical media: resale, lending, collecting, and not tying every purchase to a single account or storefront. That is especially relevant on consoles, where you don’t have the competitive marketplace that exists on PC. Comparing Steam to PlayStation as though they are equivalent ecosystems ignores the very thing being discussed.
You went from making weak arguments to inventing facts. “No one is sharing games” goes against the used games market as well as game lending. As earlier, your point about Gran Turismo is just an anecdote dressed up as a general principle.
And your last paragraph is a joke. If you have to speculate and invent my position instead of addressing it, that is a sign your rebuttal is weak, just like your original comment.
Dude, I literally quoted what I was responding to. I don’t think you actually understand what you’re talking about.
You made a few weak points that don’t amount to a hill of beans, then acted as though my argument was the weak one.
The Gran Turismo example still stands because it’s a well-known issue, not just an anecdote. Gran Turismo is notorious for taking an extremely long time to install even with the physical disc inserted.
And bringing up niche markets like collectors who want the box art is irrelevant. They make up a tiny fraction of the people who actually buy and play these games.
The reality is that physical media generates far less revenue than digital sales through online storefronts.
It’s a business. You understand that, right?
You are still arguing against a position I never took.
I never disputed why companies are pushing digital. I disputed the idea that losing physical media is not a loss for consumers. Rights like resale, lending, ownership independent of a single account, and preservation do not stop to matter because digital is more popular.
It’s a business.
That is an explanation for why companies make these decisions, not a defence of them. By that logic, any reduction in consumer rights would be acceptable so long as it increases profits. I don’t think that is a particularly compelling standard.
We are discussing two different questions: you are defending the business incentive, while I am discussing the consumer trade-offs. There is nothing more to add, so I will leave it at that.
You also don’t own your games digitally on Steam.
You also don’t own your games on disc.
Did you not read the last part about Gran Turismo?
The game is unplayable without a download digitally accompanying the disc. Without that download the game is unplayable.
You seem to be hung on that one example and have made a whole argument supported by it.
One does own their games on disc.
I can still play using my physical copies after all these years, regardless of whether I am logged into PSN or if I am playing it on a PS4 or a PS5.
Years ago, when the PS4 launched, the philosophy was still different. Games were generally released in a semi-complete state on disc and were at least potentially playable without massive downloads. Go back another generation and it was even better. Games shipped complete, were fully playable right out of the box, and if you bought them, you still own that experience today. I still have my Xbox 360 collection, and from time to time I play those games on my fully functional Xbox 360.
What I’m talking about is this generation, and the end of the previous one, where more and more games began shipping incomplete or effectively unplayable without day-one downloads and patches.
Yes, I use Gran Turismo as an example because it illustrates the point. I’m not hung up on that one game. I play plenty of others.
I take your point about Steam’s licensing, but at least those games go on some impressive sales from time to time. A physical disk can be resold on the used market for a discount after some time. Can GTA VI’s code in the box?
Not selling the most hotly anticipated game of the decade is certainly a choice. I guess they hate money.
Buying only a download code is essentially a gift card.
Can I order the disc and return it from my least favorite online marketplace after I use the code?
This is a tough one because on one hand I’m old school I like to own physical things. Going to the music store and looking at, and then buying, CDs was my favorite. I like my CD and BluRay collection
On the other hand, it’s a waste of money and material to make a physical copy of something you can sell digitally. Plus you got to package it, ship it, etc…
It’s better for the environment if we don’t make physical products
“Security measure to not leak the game”
Entirely BS. How has the entire games industry existed before then?
Can we also talk about how they’re locking full on content behind the ultimate edition? Not just some cosmetics, but the actual shops you’d go to in game to customize your character. In a single player game. That’s fucked.
It’s enough that I’m not getting the game. I can wait for PC and we’ll see if they release it as a full game rather tham carve it up. This is just an excuse not to have a $100 base price so they avoid that backlash while they effectively have it for the full game.
Remember when you bought a game and it was yours?
Remember when you unlocked things in game through completion and achievement?
Remember when you bought a game you got the whole game, not 70% and access to a storefront?
Fuck AAA gaming man. I feel sorry for the devs and artists who work so hard on a game only for executives to slice it up and smear the goodwill the game had by attempting to be predatory and parasitic capitalists.
Fuck the billionaires.
I feel like devs and artists should know about this already since this shit keeps happening and that they’re enabling this behaviour. Please correct me if you think Im saying some dumbass shit but I think at this point I can’t excuse them.
They’re people who followed their passions, learned the skills, and were able to join those companies and have secured an income, which we have tied to our very survival.
Can we blame them for being used by corporations when the alternative could be homelessness and societal outcast? Especially in this current fascist regime with less and less social protections? Even more so if they have families to provide for.
I’m sure they’re aware. But we’ve yet to achieve class consciousness. They’re made to believe they have no choice. Corporations union bust and threaten that you’re replaceable and that there are no jobs.
Devs aren’t the enemy. They’re working class just like us. Executives psychologically, financially, and physically manipulate and abuse us. They’re the enemy we need to focus on.
So, unionize?
Also, is it hard for someone who managed to get hired by a AAA company to get hired someone else? You’d think they’d be more valued.
Then you get fired cause they union bust. A union almost formed and then they laid off a ton of people so they wouldn’t reach the threshold.
Damn, is there any option left that doesnt end in violence?
You can’t correct an opinion, own it or shut up
Is it wrong to want to know better?
Knowing is facts, not opinions
I’m just gonna wait for epic to give it away. Didn’t pay for 5, don’t intend on paying for 6.
same fam, see you in 2032
The game costs $100, the “lite” bullshit is just a poor deception.
But the code leads to a download, right? Which is you owning it, just like all other digital media you’ve downloaded.
Until you can’t download it anymore.
The “retro” gaming market is going to absolutely suck in 30 years because you don’t “own” anything.
“Ownership” should not imply the DRM you purchased it through can revoke said “ownership” whenever it becomes convenient. If you still have to ask permission to play something you “own”, I don’t call that ownership.
Isn’t this game gonna be huge wrt size? Like how would this fit on a single disk. You would prolly need 10 disks or sth like that
Cursory search indicates that Xbox Series X can read BD-50, PS5 can read BD-100, so that’s 6-7 and 3-4 discs, respectively
Also worth mentioning that’s with the game uncompressed. There’s likely going to be many large sections of the game that will compress to a fraction of their original size.
Tbf my copy of GTA V for PC came on 7 discs back in 2014, so I guess it’s not unheard of for them. My gaming PC didn’t have a disc drive so that was a fun start. Multi-disc games are worse on consoles though for sure
I bought World of Warcraft back in 2005 and it came in 5 Disks.
Like in good old Xbox 360 days, L.A. Noire came on three DVDs.
[for consoles] if it doesn’t have a disc, i won’t pay more than $5 for it.
unless it’s stardew. then i’ll buy it for every system.
I have only bought stardew valley once, because I only game on PC, but I definitely would buy it for multiple systems if I used them; it’s already such good value that I feel like I’m stealing. I do love a passion project.
I wonder if ConcernedApe has a proper desk yet
He does!
Are blu-ray drives even standard on gaming pcs anymore? I have no idea. They sure aren’t on laptops, you’re lucky to get an rj45 port on a laptop.
On PC the majority of “physical” games is just a steam code in a cheap plastic box. One of the reasons no retailers are selling PC games
Haven’t had an optical drive anywhere in my home since 2012, don’t miss it. Most new PCs do not have them
I got an external one so I could access the various discs I burnt over the years. Been slowly (though not very consistently lol) ripping the data off of the older CDs and DVDs with the intent of writing some m-disc blurays. Been surprised at the lack of errors on the older discs, but the new discs should eliminate that worry. Even if they don’t last the promised 1000+ years, it’ll be a problem for future generations to deal with.
Though the quality of my former prized files is kinda shit to the point where I’m already wondering if I even really care about losing most of it. I mean I did fine without any optical drive for like a decade or more.
Well, GTA 6 isn’t launching on PC any time soon so that’s not particularly relevant right now.
This is a fight retailers lost along time ago, even if they don’t realize it. Even if it upsets some segment of the game buying population digital delivery and store fronts right on the console/PC are many orders of magnitude more convenient. And if the consumer loves one thing above cheap and flexible it is convenient.
It’s convenient for some customers, but the reason retailers like GameSpot have been able to hang on for so long is because it’s really inconvenient for other customers. People with smaller budgets rely on the second-hand market, buying and reselling one or two games at a time versus wanting to own forever.
2ND Hand? The thing I boycotted steam for so long when it released? Out of fear it will A) control the market and B) kill 2nd Hand games.
Which it did…long ago. Which games could you buy 2nd Hand?
Steam killed the second-hand market for PC, but PC only accounts for about half of the gaming market. All those other people? Capable of buying used and trading in physical media.
I’m Canadian. Never heard of VGP. Looked them up, they have one location. By not huge you really mean inconsequential. Negligible.
Yah, they should just read the writing on the wall and cut they’re losses.
They do a lot of online sales as I understand it. Given there’s not a lot in the Canadian market online for physical resale, they are really only behind EB Games in that regard.
We have Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy here too. They all ship. And I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they outsell this little shop.
I realize now it was not at all clear, but I was speaking about secondhand market, which VGP and EG Games both do, and not the others that I’m aware of.
Edited to add, no wait my comment did mention physical resale.
I didn’t acknowledge that point because it’s not entirely relevant to choosing not to carry a new launch title. The resale market makes up an even smaller portion of impacts to the publisher and they would never see a dime of those transactions regardless. I understand why they’re doing it, but I’m not sure this is really newsworthy or “stand” relevant.
What disc will this game fit on? I’d like to buy a stack of them to backup my media library.
The disc also acts as a DRM check and allows you to download the full game from there. No disc means no resell. You can’t get a pre-owned copy. You can’t lend it to a friend. If you lose access to your console account, you lose the game. Fork over another $100 to continue playing.
I didn’t expect that you would be able to reuse games these days anyway. That surprises me that you can still do that. Thanks for explaining what the actual problem with this is.
A few games, like certain Battlefields, have tried making it so you can resell the disc for single player content but won’t be allowed to access multiplayer content
People didnt like that, so I think they stopped doing that for recent Battlefields… not 100% sure
Lots of games have shipped on multiple discs over the decades. As recently as FF7 Rebirth which was shipped on two or three, iirc.
Blueray if the game is under 128 GBs.
GTA5 on Steam says it requires 105GB. It’s not unreasonable to think that GTA6 would take more than 128GB.
Of course with compression (at the cost of longer load times) and/or lower quality textures, I would bet you could make it fit.
I also seem to recall some disk based games in the past containing a subset of the full game. Although at that point you don’t really “win” by having it on disk of isn’t the full game.
Or you could do multiple disks.
GTA5 has gone through a decade and more of storage requirement bloat thanks to rockstar, I wouldnt be surprised if GTA6 is at laucnher smaller than GTA5 currently
Rockstar marketing exec: “It must be at least 1TB”
It’s interesting to watch the cycle of bullshit that happens around every hyped game.
Years up to the release, people are full of wild speculation, impossible expectations, and excitement.
Months up to the release, suddenly every piece of news is blown massively out of proportion. People are now extremely overreacting to every minor piece of news like it’s going to end this game.
The internet is so boring when it comes to video games. Reviews have become useless because nothing is ever good enough. Online discourse is worthless because people are always focused on the weird parts of a game or it’s release.
or the reviews are in lines of “brings nothing new, 9/10”
It’s like anything… Think about how many people ride bicycles. Now go to ANY online community where people talk about cycling; it will likely be the most insufferably pedantic assholes you can imagine.
99% of people who buy video games don’t identify as “gamers”, they don’t read gaming media, and they certainly don’t interact with gaming discussion online.
As both an industry professional (former), and a self-identified gamer, I stopped giving a shit what “core gamers” had to say 10 years ago.
Its such a weird thing to watch from a PC gamer perspective. The game won’t release on PC for another year or longer after consoles. I’m really not feeling like I’m missing out or anything, if anything it’s like I’m standing back and watching a potential train wreck from afar.
Rockstar has been hyping this game up like it’s the next coming of Christ and there’s just no way it lives up to that much hype. People complaining about the lack of physical media, or the confusion surrounding paid DLC. I’ll just sit back and watch what happens. If it releases flawlessly with zero issues, then I’ll look forward to the PC release. If it crashes and burns, well they have a year to fix it and to convince me it’s worth it.
I don’t think this is an overreaction. As a PC gamer, this completely ruins my plans for playing the game. I was planning to buy a used console and the physical edition of the game, so I could resell both when the game came out on PC. This is another entry into “you will own nothing and be happy.”
i’m fortunate to have some friends who are close enough we trust each other to lend consoles. we tend to swap the nintendo/playstation for about a month a year so we can catch up on whatever we missed the most (and we’ve bought each other games just so we can play them, it’s cute)
Games like that don’t really fit on discs anymore when they are probably over 100GB. So you get a disc and put it in the console and then it downloads 150GB more content onto the console, that means the disc is just a license key anyway.
What is a bigger issue is that they want to charge $80+ for a game. I’m not going to pay that much for any game.
What’s wrong with the disk being a license key? That’d work just fine for my plan of reselling the game and console when it comes out on PC.
When the studio stops hosting the game to download, the license key is worthless.
I suppose I should clarify that I’m not advocating for it, but it’d be better than a digital key that’ll be tied to your account forever.
Two discs. You put in one, it installs half the game, you put in the other, it installs the rest of the way. Or three or even more discs if the game is THAT big.
The PS4 can handle this, a couple PS5-era games we got for PS4 came on two discs.
Games came on multiple disks back in the day. Why not now?
Why even? I stopped using discs when CDs were the thing. Skipped DVD and bluray completely. Don’t even had a drive for over a decade now.
So you can own your game.
You own the games you downloaded, they’re on your machine.
They do now, not just in the past. FF7 Rebirth shipped on multiple discs.
To what end? The reason games came on multiple disks back in the day is because Internet speeds were slow (if they were there at all.) it was way faster to load via disk, and companies couldn’t even count on users to have a stable Internet connection anyway.
That’s not true anymore. The only reason physical disks exist at all now is more out of tradition than anything practical.
I don’t know how to make you understand the value of owning your own things.
Do you think you don’t own a digital copy of every piece of downloaded digital media?
No. You don’t. A copy that can be remotely deactivated is not something you own. If you can’t use it if the company were to go bankrupt, then you don’t own it.
