Grand Theft Auto 6’s controversial code-in-a-box physical release hasn’t stopped it from already selling out on Amazon in around five hours on both PS5 and Xbox.
The past 24 hours have been an absolute whirlwind for GTA 6 fans. This time yesterday, Rockstar suddenly shared a ton of details about the game’s pre-order situation, which included an awesome amount of new screenshots and the confirmation that the game will cost $80 or the base edition instead of the $100 we all feared it would be.
That was the good news, but there was also plenty of bad, from all of the content that’s been locked off to the more expensive Ultimate Edition, to the confirmation that GTA 6’s online isn’t going to be a thing anywhere near launch. The worst news was that GTA 6’s physical release isn’t going to have a disc, and will just be a code in a box, gutting collectors everywhere.
It Looks Like Most People Don’t Care About GTA 6 Not Having A Disc
The Fear That This Will Catch On Is Growing
As loud as the reaction has been to GTA 6, the biggest game of all time, skipping out on a proper physical release, it looks like it really doesn’t matter to a lot of people. Pre-orders for the code-in-a-box release went live on Amazon US just over six hours ago, and it managed to completely sell out on PS5 and Xbox in around two hours.
GTA 6 is still in stock at Amazon UK, but I’ve got no idea how long that’s going to last if it’s managed to sell out in the US. I guess if you really want an empty box on your shelf, now might be the time.
That’s right, despite just being a download code chucked into a plastic box, GTA 6 is showing as sold out at the biggest retailer of them all. It really speaks to just how powerful Grand Theft Auto is, but it’s also a worrying sign that consumers are getting less and less bothered about whether a game is actually a physical release or not.
While that does make me a little worried about the future of physical media, it’s worth noting that GTA isn’t like any other game out there, and was always going to sell out pretty fast no matter what format it released in. Here’s hoping that the rumours of a proper disc release in December are true, so we can get some proof that people still want discs.
Amazon US Has Restocked GTA 6’s ‘Physical’ Release
If you were worried that Amazon US was permanently out of GTA 6 copies, you’ll be happy to know that it’s already restocked them for both PS5 and Xbox Series. As of the time of writing, pre-orders are back online on Amazon US, so it seems like it was just a momentary stock issue from the influx of purchases.
While I hasten to remind everyone that this isn’t really a physical release, if you do want to have an empty GTA 6 box sitting on your shelf, you might want to pre-order now in case it goes out of stock again. No judgement here, I pre-ordered as soon as I got a whiff of stock issues and felt that all-too-familiar FOMO.
GTA 6 Being A Code In A Box Is The Death Knell For Physical Games
GTA 6 isn’t a reminder of a better time, but rather, the dawn of a new era, and the disc-less physical release proves it.
