Sony deleted one of its Grand Theft Auto VI promotional posts and quietly reposted a corrected version. The change was small enough that most people would scroll right past it, but it says something about the discless launch. For those who missed it, the original ad showed a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive. The repost, which went up after a couple of hours, swapped in an updated version of the PS5, the one without a disc drive, alongside an updated GTA 6 logo.
The timing, right as pre-orders kicked off, implies a mistake on behalf of Sony's social media team. Showing a PS5 with a disc drive in a GTA 6 ad creates an obvious mismatch. After all, why highlight a disc slot for a game that ships with no disc? Sony caught that and fixed it to avoid potential backlash.
So what does the edit actually tell us? Nothing major, really.
Sony's team built an ad with a PS5 that still had a disc drive, suggesting the disc-less reality was not fully baked into the visuals at the time. Once Rockstar's code-in-box details went public and got criticized, Sony realized what it had done. It's not like it's unusual for marketing assets to get updated when final product details lock in.
Do not over-read this. The edit is interesting. It accidentally reveals that parts of the chain were not fully synced, not because it exposes some master plan.
What it does confirm, though, is that the discless release for GTA 6 is locked, and everyone is adjusting to it. Sony is not going to show you a disc drive for GTA 6 because there is no disc to insert. Interestingly, there are insider claims that a disc version is arriving in December, emerging shortly after retailers pushed back, with others launching a petition.
This leaves the ad edit landing in the middle of an active fight over what "physical" even means for GTA 6. Sony fixing its visuals does not resolve that. It just confirms which version is real right now. For physical fans, it is one more small visual reminder that the traditional disc release they wanted is not happening in November, and maybe not at all unless the December rumors pan out.
