Buried within the news of Grand Theft Auto 6's price ($80) was a disappointing note for lovers of physical media: There will be nothing in the box, except a code, when someone purchases a physical version of the game. (Rockstar Games’ exact language was that there would be a “download code” in the box. They'll likely start showing up in stores ahead of the release date, so players can pre-load the game, Rockstar Games said in the news release.)
A majority of video games are sold digitally these days, and it's been like that for a while. In May, Sony reported in its financial results that 85% of PlayStation games were sold digitally. Capcom, which recently released Resident Evil Requiem, reported in May that a massive 93% of its video game sales were digital. Nintendo is the only real outlier; it sells a significant amount of physical game cartridges. In its February quarterly earnings report, Nintendo reported that digital sales are at 50.4%. Both Microsoft and Sony have console options that don't even have a disc drive at all. Thanks to the AI-fueled technology component shortage, those disc-free consoles are the cheapest option to get a console.
Physical media is slipping away, and it's no longer surprising or panic-inducing to open a video game case and find nothing inside. But there is still a market for discs, however small it may be. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella posted on BlueSky in March that, despite reaching an all-time tracked low, physical game sales reached $1.5 billion in 2025. It's a tiny portion of the video game market, sure, but that's still a lot of money! Niko Partners research and insights director Daniel Ahmad told Aftermath in an email that the remaining 20% or so of Sony's physical sales amounts to 70 million physical discs sold.
Ahmad pointed out that there's a big difference between a retail presence and actually selling a physical retail disc. "Going forward, given increased digital adoption and push for higher margins, more publishers will conclude they only need the former," he said. Ahmad said it's a cost-saving measure for companies, "doubly so for a game like Grand Theft Auto V that may need to ship on multiple discs."
It's not surprising that Grand Theft Auto 6 is shipping without a disc, and I'm not particularly sad about how this applies to this very game in particular. (Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick did say on CNBC in May that there would be a "big physical component" for GTA 6, but no disc does not line up with that statement.) But I am sad that this is becoming the norm as companies look under the couch cushions for places to save money. There are a lot of reasons I like physical media. I like collecting physical objects. It's better for game preservation. You can let your friends or family borrow your games. Games writer Imran Khan pointed out on BlueSky that without discs, GTA 6 will have no secondhand market: "There will be no way to get that game cheaper than MSRP barring a sale," he wrote.
The thing that I'm stuck on is, why even sell a physical version to begin with if you're not going to put a disc (or discs) in the case. It feels like a colossal waste of resources to produce and sell an empty box, something that is effectively a gift card for one specific item. I know that the answer here is that there is still money to be made by video game publishers. People will buy the box! People bought empty cardboard boxes of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch! But I can't get over just how stupid the whole thing is. I keep wanting to write, No one wants to buy an empty box! But I suppose some people still do, and will with GTA 6.
A couple of retailers have vowed now to sell GTA 6 because there's no disc. On X, a representative for Canadian retailer Video Games Plus wrote, "For nearly 40 years, VGP has been committed to supporting physical media and preserving the value of physical game ownership. As part of that commitment, our company policy is that we do not carry physical products for video game consoles that contain only a digital download code." That applies to GTA 6, even if it is poised to make big numbers.
Loot Box Gaming, a Delaware-based independent retailer, released a similar statement: "When we started LBG, it was out of a love for our favorite form of media, gaming, as well as the preservation of said media. If a product can’t honor the people who pay their hard earned money to purchase it, then we have no business trying to sell it to our customers whom we value above anything else."
There's been speculation for a while now that GTA 6 wouldn't have a physical disc as a means to keep leaks from leaking. Leaks have been a part of GTA 6's legacy for some time—even before it got a trailer. Rockstar certainly has measures in place to stop leaks, but the company hasn't commented on the reason behind the disc-less physical version. Aftermath has reached out to Rockstar Games for comment.
