The fallout from Grand Theft Auto VI being discless didn't take long to reach retailers. At least two game stores have said they will not stock the physical version of GTA 6 because the box contains a download code instead of an actual disc. The argument made by Video Games Plus and Loot Box Gaming is that a box with a code in it is not a physical game, so they will not sell it as one, which makes sense.
Rockstar Games confirmed the physical GTA 6 edition does not include a disc. You buy the box, open it, and find a download code. It's the same digital download everyone else gets, just sold in plastic, upsetting collectors and people with slow internet. Now some retailers are objecting too, for reasons that are partly principled and partly business.
GTA 6 Retailer Objections
| Their Objection | The Reasoning |
|---|---|
A code in a box is not a physical product | They sell physical games; a download voucher is a digital product in disguise |
No resale or trade-in value | Once a code is redeemed, it is worthless; that kills the used-game business |
Misleads customers | Buyers expect a disc in a game case; a code feels like a bait-and-switch |
Hurts their core model | Stores like these survive on physical sales and the secondhand market |
The used-game market is the lifeblood of specialty game stores and a code-in-a-box copy has zero resale value because once it is redeemed it is dead.
A discless GTA 6 does not just simply offend the sense of what physical means, but removes a revenue stream that retailers depend on. You see, when you buy a disc, finish the game, and trade it in, the store resells it used, often multiple times. It's even a part of the recent promotion run by GameStop. Each resale is a profit. So stocking discless GTA 6 means selling it once, a worse deal for the store than almost any disc-based game.
From this perspective, their grievance is understandable. Retailers publicly refusing to carry GTA 6, the most anticipated game in years, is a striking if futile protest that puts the discless trend in the spotlight. However, the reality is that they're rather small. These are a couple of stores, most GTA 6 sales will be digital anyway, and the big retailers will stock whatever Rockstar ships. A handful of specialty shops opting out will not dent sales in any meaningful way.
That said, these stores have every right to defend their own business model. A code-in-a-box copy is bad for them because it kills resale, so their refusal is as much self-interest as principle. The death of physical media really does hurt collectors, the secondhand market, and people with limited data plans or poor internet connections.
The only way this changes is if every retailer in the world, especially big-name brands like GameStop and Best Buy, refuses to sell GTA 6, which is never going to happen. Even so, Rockstar might still listen. It's unlikely, but between this controversial decision, its issues with the UK government, and the problems with the Ultimate Edition, Rockstar may look for extra goodwill somewhere, and shipping a physical disc might be the PR life-jacket they pick.