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GTA 6 is shaping up to be a disaster for retailers - Polygon

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Or is it just one of Asha's balls in my throat?
www.polygon.com

GTA 6 is a big problem for GameStop and other retailers

GameStop employees are already dreading Grand Theft Auto 6's release in November
www.polygon.com www.polygon.com


As fans are painfully aware, GTA 6's physical edition is actually just a code in a box. For Rockstar, the controversy isn't really hurting its bottom line: Digital sales for the $99.99 Ultimate Edition version of the game are proving more popular than the standard $79.99 version. For stores like GameStop, which rely on sales and trade-ins of physical discs, the game's digital nativity isn't a minor detail. Since news of the lack of actual discs broke, GameStop workers are expressing worry that a digital-first GTA 6 puts the retail chain's future in jeopardy.

At the very least, codes will be a pain for retail employees. GameStop workers claim that, in general, they are expected to maintain high numbers for things like pre-orders, memberships, and warranties. Right now, many GTA 6 fans are wondering if pre-ordering the physical edition of the game is even worth it. There's also little incentive to purchase a warranty on what is essentially a digital product.
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"We ended a day that I fully expected to be flooded with 500 preorders with…5… preorders…" one GameStop worker wrote on Reddit.

"Our store is at 11 and our store goal is 200 lol," another wrote.
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Since GameStop employees have to explain the unusual situation surrounding the game, displeased customers can take their anger out on workers. The situation at some stores is bad enough that stores are directing employees to try and communicate the benefits of buying a box with a code in it.

"Every customer I had today walked away when I informed them it was a download code and no ultimate edition," one worker claimed.
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GameStop is not the only retailer sweating GTA 6 right now. The sequel to one of the most successful games of all time has long been expected to drive hardware sales. With Rockstar's game releasing in the thick of a component shortage driven by AI-related demand, console sales aren't a guarantee anymore.

The most immediately obvious hurdle is pricing. Every major console has become more expensive in 2026; in the case of the Xbox, it has meant multiple price increases in a single year. Existing hardware prices are already shocking consumers, and all signs suggest the component crisis will only grow worse. Inevitably, some people will get priced out — which could mean fewer console sales.
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Or, potentially, no sales at all. According to The Game Business, at least one senior decision maker at a retail chain has expressed worry that their stores won't have enough hardware to meet the GTA 6-driven demand. Yet even without GTA 6 in the picture — or the increased prices — consoles in some markets are reportedly already selling at a faster than they can be produced.

The issue isn't necessarily that consoles like the Xbox are selling like gangbusters, it's that hardware supply is already limited. In the short term, the issue may not be evident. Earlier this year, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki said that the company had secured the "necessary volume" of PlayStation 5 units for the rest of 2026. After that? Who knows.

No matter what happens, though, executives and employees alike are feeling worried about GTA 6.
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i don't care if GameStop is affected, because fuck GameStop, but I care about the locally owned shop in my town that was probably expecting a lot of pre-orders for this game.
 
Again there is all this hope around GTA6 having these crossover benefits for other parts of the industry...and most of its bunk.

It will help sell some console boxes and help Rockstar make money, that's largely it. Not gonna save retail, just like it won't allow other AAA games to sell well at $80.
 
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LordCBH said:
i don't care if GameStop is affected, because fuck GameStop, but I care about the locally owned shop in my town that was probably expecting a lot of pre-orders for this game.
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If Gamestop is getting 5 out of expected 500 orders, those mom and pop stores are probably getting fuck-all.
 
Rockstar just shot themselves in the foot.

I don't know how much the rest of you know about GameStop culture (I'm an expert), but pre-orders and shame are huge parts of it. It's not like it is in a digital-only landscape where you can become successful by being an asshole. If you screw someone over from GameStop, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

What this means is the GameStop customer, after hearing about this, is not going to want to purchase GTA VI physically or digitally, nor will they purchase any of Rockstar's games.

This is HUGE.

You can laugh all you want, but Rockstar has alienated an entire market with this move.

Rockstar, publicly apologize and sell disc versions or you can kiss your business goodbye.
 
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I'm surprised retailers aren't fighting back. GameStop, Walmart, Amazon could just threaten not to stock the actual consoles anymore. If publishers begin to dictate terms to this extent, it is a direct threat to these retailers, who ultimately have the cards here.
 
The closest GameStop is almost an hour away after they closed down all of the local stores. I was surprised to see that streaming it through the cloud is not possible for PS5. I know a couple people that use a PS Portal without a PS5 and pointed out to me that GTA 6 is not on the cloud with purchase like 5 and Red Dead are.

With all of the hardware shortages I figured many companies would push their cloud alternatives to make up for it since you still need to purchase the game to stream it.
 
Yeah, no shit Sherlock.

The biggest game of the century, and it gets no real physical release whatsoever.

Why would any gamer pre-order a simple code at a brick and mortar store, lol
 
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The lower pre-order numbers the higher chance of actual physical copy down the line, obviously still not very high but if ppl were preordering like crazy it would be much lower, so im happy with that :)
 
With there being no need for paying all those brick and mortar fees that should make big savings on game production. No need to fill warehouses full of disc boxes or need to send trucks around to deliver them.

Man, the prices are going to come tumbling down now as things get more efficient.
 
Joel Was Right said:
I'm surprised retailers aren't fighting back. GameStop, Walmart, Amazon could just threaten not to stock the actual consoles anymore. If publishers begin to dictate terms to this extent, it is a direct threat to these retailers, who ultimately have the cards here.
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Let's not get ahead of ourselves here....

You're in a world where many people don't even carry cash anymore and sit on their asses and let Amazon deliver to them. They don't care like you do, they're still getting a cut of something regardless selling a console.
 
Joel Was Right said:
I'm surprised retailers aren't fighting back. GameStop, Walmart, Amazon could just threaten not to stock the actual consoles anymore. If publishers begin to dictate terms to this extent, it is a direct threat to these retailers, who ultimately have the cards here.
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Agreed. They should take those Take2 Rockstar consoles off the shelves.
 
I don't get why they're even bothering with it. Just refuse to sell it at all if it's such a big deal.

Of course no one is going to want to pre-order an empty plastic box when you can just get the exact same thing without the hassle directly through PSN etc.
 
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Puscifer said:
Let's not get ahead of ourselves here....

You're in a world where many people don't even carry cash anymore and sit on their asses and let Amazon deliver to them. They don't care like you do, they're still getting a cut of something regardless selling a console.
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Many people still buy their consoles from these retail spaces. There is no rational argument to dismiss their importance to the consoles, particularly as this would be a moment many ifnally upgrade to next-gen; they'll trade in their PS4s for the new consoles. If GameStop dies, it'll eventually mean fewer people having access to these games and services down the line.

DeepEnigma said:
Agreed. They should take those Take2 Rockstar consoles off the shelves.
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390904.jpg
 
Joel Was Right said:
Many people still buy their consoles from these retail spaces. There is no rational argument to dismiss their importance to the consoles, particularly as this would be a moment many ifnally upgrade to next-gen; they'll trade in their PS4s for the new consoles. If GameStop dies, it'll eventually mean fewer people having access to these games and services down the line.
390904.jpg
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they will re-release a physical version years down the line. they have a decade to milk this game. but really shitty for the initial launch. im sure this game alone would/could have kept some stores in business.
 
It's an empty box with a code in it, why the fuck would anyone bother to go physical?

Man these stores must've been sucker punched by this digital-only release. Absolutely shellshocked.
 
Grildon Tundy said:
Rockstar just shot themselves in the foot.

I don't know how much the rest of you know about GameStop culture (I'm an expert), but pre-orders and shame are huge parts of it. It's not like it is in a digital-only landscape where you can become successful by being an asshole. If you screw someone over from GameStop, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

What this means is the GameStop customer, after hearing about this, is not going to want to purchase GTA VI physically or digitally, nor will they purchase any of Rockstar's games.

This is HUGE.

You can laugh all you want, but Rockstar has alienated an entire market with this move.

Rockstar, publicly apologize and sell disc versions or you can kiss your business goodbye.
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And your contribution to society is ... what?
 
The game probably wouldn't fit on 1 disc even with the PS5 compression.

It probably wasn't designed to kill anything just to keep them from having to provide 2 discs like they did with RDR2.
 
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