According to reporting from Windows Central, the push toward digital-only gaming just moved a step closer to becoming the industry standard. Strauss Zelnick, chief executive of Take-Two Interactive, publicly defended the decision to release Grand Theft Auto 6 without a physical disc, framing the shift as a practical necessity rather than a corporate power move. As one of the largest publishers in the gaming space, Take-Two’s stance carries significant weight, especially as Sony prepares to eliminate physical media from its next-generation consoles by 2028.
The Shift to Digital-Only Gaming for GTA 6
Rockstar Games has confirmed that GTA 6 will launch exclusively through digital storefronts. Retail purchases will only include a one-time-use download code, marking the first time the franchise will entirely skip physical distribution. Zelnick told IGN that the company’s revenue streams are already heavily skewed toward online distribution. “Our business is well over 90% digitally distributed,” he said. “It’s already a digital business. So in certain instances, especially if it’s a big game, discs just don’t really make sense for the consumer.”
The technical reasoning behind this decision is straightforward. Modern AAA titles routinely exceed 150 gigabytes, with GTA 6 expected to push past those limits. While next-generation optical media like the PlayStation 5’s 100-gigabyte Blu-ray discs and Xbox Series X’s similar capacity provide more room than previous generations, manufacturing, shipping, and retail shelving costs remain substantial. Publishers no longer need to absorb those expenses when a download code fulfills the same function at a fraction of the cost.
Why Discs No Longer Make Sense for Publishers
Zelnick also pointed to the ubiquity of mandatory online activation as a key factor. “Most instances you have to register online to play anyhow. So if you’re already connected, who cares if you download digitally? It’s all the same and it’s much more convenient,” he noted. This reality has been true for years, but publishers are now treating it as a baseline rather than an exception. The infrastructure for digital distribution is mature, and the friction of physical manufacturing is increasingly viewed as outdated.
Historically, Rockstar has relied on multi-disc releases to accommodate massive install sizes. GTA V required two discs on the Xbox 360 due to storage constraints, and Red Dead Redemption 2 faced similar limitations on earlier Xbox hardware. Those constraints have largely been resolved, but the publisher is now choosing to skip physical media entirely. Zelnick compared potential future physical releases to the vinyl record revival in music. “It doesn’t mean that we won’t have physical additions now and then, I’m sure we will in the same way that there’s still vinyl in the recorded music business,” he said. The comparison suggests publishers view physical media as a niche collectible rather than a primary distribution method.
What This Means for You
For everyday console owners, the shift away from physical discs changes how you interact with your library. The most immediate impact is the loss of resale and trade-in value. Retailers like GameStop and local used-game shops will no longer stock new GTA 6 copies, and players who finish the campaign will have no official secondary market to recoup costs. This also affects game preservation. Without a physical copy, your access to the game depends entirely on storefront availability, server status, and publisher goodwill. If a digital storefront shuts down or a license is revoked, the game disappears from your library with no recourse.
Account dependency is another practical consideration. Zelnick’s comment about mandatory online registration glosses over the reality that players must maintain multiple accounts to access a single game. A console platform account, a publisher account, and potentially a subscription service are all required before you can even launch the title. While convenient for day-to-day play, this creates a single point of failure. If your primary account is suspended or your payment method is declined, your purchased game becomes inaccessible.
How to Prepare for a Disc-Free Gaming Future
If you are planning to build a console gaming setup around digital distribution, there are a few practical steps to take. First, verify that your console model includes a disc drive if you still want the option to play physical media for other titles. Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X offer disc-less variants, but those models cannot read used games, trade-in copies, or physical media from previous generations. Second, monitor your platform’s offline play policies. Sony and Microsoft both allow offline play for digitally purchased games, but they require periodic online check-ins to verify licenses. If you have unreliable internet, configure your console as your primary device to avoid constant authentication loops.
Finally, treat digital purchases as long-term licenses rather than owned property. Back up your save data to cloud storage or an external drive, and keep track of your purchase receipts. As the industry moves further toward download-only releases, the line between ownership and licensing will continue to blur. Preparing for that reality now will save you headaches down the road.
Source: Latest from Windows Central
Over to you: Will you keep buying digital codes for major releases, or are you holding onto your disc drive for now?
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