Published Jun 24, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
Steven is a seasoned writer specializing in the video game and technological fields, with years of experience creating reviews, features, and industry analysis. Passionate about the gaming world and its evolving culture, Steven always wanted to combine his enjoyment of writing and love for gaming in a way that can provide insightful coverage for players and enthusiasts alike, striving to provide this since he joined Screenrant in 2024.
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After years of waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6, we finally got an official pre-order date and price for the upcoming release, which has been met with a massive wave of criticism and negativity online. Despite how eager players were to start their pre-orders as soon as possible, even the hype behind GTA 6 wasn’t enough to overlook the $80 price point and basic features being locked behind a $100 premium edition.
As if that wasn’t enough, an additional announcement by Rockstar regarding the release of GTA 6 has gamers upset to the point where several outlets have flat-out refused to sell the game at all.
One of these outlets is none other than Video Games Plus. Not long after the announcement, VGP stated on X that since Rockstar is only planning to include a digital download code in all physical copies of *Grand Theft Auto 6 *rather than a traditional disc, the company has no plans to sell the upcoming game until Rockstar releases a new version of the game that includes a physical disc.
VGP is far from the only company making the bold move, either, as other businesses like LootBoxGamingUS have made the same decision that they “will not be supporting the release of GTA 6,” unless Rockstar goes back on this decision. Considering that GTA 6 is estimated to be one of the best-selling video games in history, it’s unlikely these choices to protest the release were made lightly.
Although not everyone seems to mind the lack of physical copies included with the GTA 6 release, an overwhelming number of fans have rallied in support of both companies for their actions in fighting for physical media preservation.
With the industry increasingly shifting away from physical media releases, it’s more than a ltitle understandable why fans would be so up in arms over Grand Theft Auto 6 doing the same, especially when there are growing fears that countless developers are closely keeping an eye on what Rockstar can get away with to follow and implement for themselves.
While the news is especially frustrating after Rockstar had previously announced that GTA 6 would not be a digital-only purchase, some fans have pointed out that the decision could have been made to prevent the chance of players leaking and spoiling GTA 6’s story ahead of release.
Given that a growing number of recent games, such as Resident Evil Requiem, Forza Horizon 6, and *LEGO Batman: The Dark Knight *had the entire game released, spoiled, or even pirated ahead of schedule, it wouldn’t be too surprising if it factored into Rockstar’s decision-making. Regardless of the reasoning, however, the download-exclusive release of Grand Theft Auto 6 is still a disappointing sight to see, which hopefully can get corrected after the full release in November.
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Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
Online Multiplayer