Rockstar's GTA 6 digital-only launch raises consumer concerns

I grew up preferring physical copies and spent years working in a secondhand videogame store, trading and repurposing discs. Pre-owned titles were an affordable way to play, and swapping games with friends was part of that experience. Rockstar's GTA 6 preorder reveals its so-called physical editions are little more than a box with a code.

Other publishers have used similar approaches, and some digital-only launches have been defended on price grounds, but Rockstar offers no disc or discount to justify this change, which reads like a move toward greater control over distribution. That structure prevents lending or reselling and feels anti-consumer, especially given Rockstar's long history of earning from in-game purchases.

Fully digital releases also risk long-term availability: if servers shut down, a game locked to online systems may become difficult or impossible to play. There are rumours a disc version might appear after launch, based on a vague Reddit post, and Rockstar declined to comment beyond standard support links.

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