Multiple retailers are refusing to sell GTA 6 physical edition copies. A handful of stores have announced they won’t carry Grand Theft Auto VI after Rockstar Games announced it won’t have a disc in the box.
Retailers Boycott GTA 6 Physical Edition Over No Disc Release
GTA 6 pre-orders are now live, and many players are rushing to purchase the game digitally in advance. However, one group not thrilled with the rollout is physical game collectors. Rockstar Games has recently found itself steeped in controversy after revealing that GTA 6 physical editions will ship with no disc in the box. However, it’s not just players threatening to boycott the game. Now stores are as well.
Several retailers announced that they are refusing to sell GTA 6 in-store over it not having a physical disc. Loot Box Gaming, for example, made the announcement in a post on X. “Assuming information about it being a code in a box is true, we will not be supporting the release of GTA 6. 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.”
Video Games Plus (VGP) also confirmed it will not be selling GTA 6 due to the physical disc situation. “Based on the information currently available, the physical release of Grand Theft Auto VI for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X is expected to be a code-in-box product. As a result, VGP will not be offering it for sale under our current company policy.” Several other retailers also followed suit, largely citing game preservation and consumer ownership as reasons for boycotting Grand Theft Auto VI.
GTA 6 Fans Split Over Retailer Boycotts
Player reactions to retailers not selling GTA 6 were surprisingly pretty divisive. Game collectors of course praised the stores for standing up for physical media. However, some Grand Theft Auto fans were actually pretty critical of the retailers and argued they will lose out on a lot of money.
One user on X, for example, wrote, “Your whole existence and purpose for life is a CD. Holy **** that’s sad.” Another commenter replied, “Despite how noble this move is, all it’s done is just hurt your own business more than anything. Take-Two and Rockstar Games only need the console platform storefronts to sell their games.”
Although retailers boycotting the Grand Theft Auto VI launch also got support. “You guys are the goats! Hopefully it gets a disc version down the line. It pisses me off that their website says physical, but then it’s a code in the box.” This user wasn’t alone in this sentiment, as GTA 6 Physical was actually trending across social media due to players being angry over the no-disc version.
All that said, a GTA 6 physical edition with a disc could still be released in December. As we reported earlier today, Rockstar Games recently responded to the physical edition controversy. While the publisher was vague about a physical copy of the game being available “months from now,” a leak claims that a disc version might be released after the game’s launch on November 19.
The post Retailers Are Refusing to Sell GTA 6 Physical Edition appeared first on VICE.
