If you haven’t already heard, the books for the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 video game have opened. Rockstar Games revealed the pre-order date, which started on June 23, when it revealed the official cover art. In case you missed the details, the game is set to land on November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and in two editions: Standard and Ultimate. Pricing and availability for the PC platform are to be announced.
Anyways, there is bigger news than the unknown status of the PC version, and that is GTA 6 will not have a physical disc even if you choose the non-digital version. The so-called physical disc is also a digital version, which Rockstar Games calls Code in Box.
That’s not the worst for devotees of the franchise who are hoping to add a tangible collectible to their GTA shrine. The Code in Box, which you will get in a box as implied, is only available for the Standard Edition, not for the Ultimate Edition. So, yeah, gone are the days when fans were treated to a smorgasbord of collectibles like toys, statues, posters, a physical disc in a box with special box art, and more.
The Standard Edition comes with the Vintage Vice City Pack as well as a free month of GTA+ as pre-order bonuses. The Vintage Vice City Pack pre-order bonuses include a ’55 Vapaid Stanier Sedan and Garage, outfits and hairstyles—presumably a nod to the Vice City days, and an exclusive weapon pattern. Those are it.
Meanwhile, the Ultimate Edition gets you the same pre-order bonuses as the Standard Edition, plus a bunch of in-game extras, including a ’95 Grotti Cheetah, Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers, personalized weapon variants, Vice City Style, Jason’s safehouse vehicles featuring an Army-fatigue-tinged Dinka Enduro motorcycle and a Crest Kayak, a Ganado retro build, Rideout Customs Mod Shop, signature salon styles for key characters at Sara’s Unisex Salon, a Shitzu Squalo, unique clothing styles for both key characters at Stock 305 Clothing Store, a ’67 Vapid Dominator Buggy, the exclusive Electric Fang Tattoo Parlor, the exclusive One-Eyed Willie’s Mod Shop, a capsule collection of apparel and accessories inspired by Goodtime State’s hit TV show character, Macca the Gator, raid the PTT Youngin$ Illegal Goods Store—and live to tell the tale—to score some special items and distinct contraband, and finally, you can track down and restore classic cars in a special commission.
I know, those perks sound like they should be in the game as standard, so it does make you wonder if there is anything to look forward to in the Standard Edition. They might as well call the Standard Edition the Barebone Edition.
But the real dealbreaker, to me, is the lack of a physical disc, and of course, the price. The Standard Edition, Digital, or Code in Box costs US$79.99, while the Ultimate Edition commands a cool US$99.99. It is significantly more expensive than Rockstar Games’ other blockbuster releases, and it is even more expensive than the content-heavy Standard Edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 at launch.
Considering that you will not be getting a physical disc for the so-called physical edition (Code in Box), it would be considered even more expensive because you will not be able to resell it to recoup some of the initial investment. That is doing fans a major disservice, IMHO. That’s not to mention you can no longer share with your friends like the good’ol days.
This is not helping the console community, especially not after PlayStation made a shocking announcement, which we will be talking about in our next post.
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Images: Rockstar Games.