By Christine Ji and Weston Blasi

As Rockstar Games kicks off 'Grand Theft Auto VI' preorders, its digital-only 'code-in-a-box' strategy is upsetting some fans

Preorders for "Grand Theft Auto VI" kick off Wednesday.

After a 13-year wait, the next installment of one of the world's most popular video games is finally rolling out. But as preorders for "Grand Theft Auto VI" (aka "GTA 6") kick off on Thursday ahead of the Nov. 19 release date on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms, a major launch surprise has caught many eager fans off-guard.

On Wednesday, "GTA" developer Rockstar Games shared that the "physical" release of the game available for preorder will not include a traditional disc. Instead, players will receive a digital download code inside the box.

What's more, the game features two tiers, with the standard game priced at $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition at $99.99, which runs about $10 higher than most new-release games on the major consoles.

Gamers took to social media to air their grievances, with one user on X posting "$80 game and can't even get a disk."

Others complained that "GTA 6" is gatekeeping the game's core features, such as specific customizations and missions, behind the $20 upgrade.

Many gamers are worried over what this signals about the future of their hobby.

"The real concern is that 'GTA' is a market-moving force in PC gaming and in gaming in general," Steve Burke, editor-in-chief of the media channel Gamers Nexus, told MarketWatch. "I think there is a real chance that this drags game prices up overall."

But MoffetNathanson analyst Clay Griffin isn't surprised by the price increase and digital format of "GTA 6," he said.

"If there's any game that could justify a higher price point, it would be this one, because of of Rockstar's history of delivering these unbelievably expansive open-world games," Griffin told MarketWatch. "I don't think consumers will be incredibly offput."

While Rockstar hasn't confirmed the file size of "GTA 6," Griffin anticipates that the game "will be well north of 150 gigabytes," he said, which would require multiple physical discs. Getting rid of the physical disc also facilitates distribution by reducing supply-chain hiccups and the possibility of a premature leak.

Both the digital format and the price increases will help Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO), the parent company of Rockstar, recoup the hefty costs associated with "GTA 6." Game-development costs have skyrocketed over the past decade, while the cost of games has increased at a much slower rate.

But ditching the physical disc strikes a blow to secondhand markets like GameStop, allowing Take-Two to capture more profits, Griffin added.

For the year ending March 31, 2026, Take-Two reported $2.3 billion of capitalized software-development costs. While the company does not publicly break down the balance-sheet item by specific title, Griffin said he believes up to two-thirds of that could be associated with "GTA 6." That's not including marketing and other variable costs tied to the game. For context, "Grand Theft Auto V" reportedly cost $265 million to make.

Griffin anticipates "GTA 6" could bring in over $1.8 billion in sales in fiscal 2027, he said. "There's just no doubt that it's going to be the biggest game of the year."

And other experts say sales could be even higher.

"If it sells to the same percentage of console holders as it did in 2013 -roughly 30% - at [the] $80 price point, and some for the $100 edition, my forecast is they will make $3 billion in the first 12 months and sell about 38 million copies," Joost van Dreunen, a videogame-business professor at the NYU Stern School of Business, told MarketWatch.

Critics of a digital-only gaming ecosystem have long argued that two problems could arise from physical games going away. One is the appreciation among hardcore players for collecting physical media, which also protects them from the games being taken offline by their makers. But the other, and perhaps most important, concern could be its impact on pricing for consumers.

When gamers buy a digital code, they don't actually own a product; they own a nontransferable license to download it.

The digital codes that contain the games' licenses expire after they are redeemed. This means that players cannot lend their copy of "GTA 6" to a friend and cannot buy it at a 50% discount a year from now at GameStop (GME) or eBay (EBAY).

Digital-only gaming eradicates the used-game market, which means the games' only storefront is the PlayStation or Xbox Games store. Because it doesn't have a used game market to compete with for pricing, games like "GTA 6" could remain at the $80 price-point for several years, without ever being offered for a meaningful discount to players - something that is extremely common for nearly all games as they get further away from their release dates.

But van Dreunen doesn't think this pricing power will negatively impact consumers in the case of "GTA 6." That's because the game's popularity will likely force its developers to consistently add updates to make the game bigger and bigger, creating new value for players down the line.

"Great games retain their playability over time, and publishers will act accordingly," van Dreunen said. "They'll continue to roll out additional content. Expansion packs, new drops, season moments and so on. The game over time will become richer and larger, which may justify that $80 over time, because you're getting more game for your money."

He also predicts that Take-Two will eventually roll out a super-premium physical version of the game for its most hardcore fans.

"They are going to leverage physical sales as a collectible segment," van Dreunen said. "Base game $80, expansion $100, but I'm sure they'll launch something thats 2x or 3x more expensive that will include a foldable poster of the map, keychain, etc."

-Christine Ji -Weston Blasi

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06-25-26 0752ET

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