Following months of rumors and speculation, it was confirmed last month that GTA 6 won't launch on disc on either PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, as all retail copies of the game will be a download code, with the status of an actual disc release still uncertain.
As if this decision couldn't get even more controversial, Rockstar Games provided a clarification on how the download code for the game works, a clarification which delivers a rare win for Xbox Series X|S users, which won't have to worry about anything other than pre-loading the game ahead of its November 19 release date.
"The digital download code for Grand Theft Auto VI works differently depending on the platform and country of purchase. It is recommended that you buy and play from a retailer that is in the country of your platform account to avoid potential activation problems," Rockstar Games wrote on its support website.
While GTA 6 Xbox codes will not be region-locked, PlayStation 5 codes are, due to how the PlayStation Network operates. Codes purchased in the following countries can only be redeemed by accounts registered in the corresponding regions:
- Brazil: Brazil
- LATAM: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay
- North America: Canada, United States
- Korea: South Korea
- Japan: Japan (Product codes in Japan will expire 170 days after the issuance date, which is the launch date of November 19, 2026, due to regional regulations)
- United Kingdom: United Kingdom
- Saudi Arabia & UAE: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
- Rest of Asia: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand
- Rest of EMEA and Asia: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine
What Rockstar Games failed to mention, though it's only partially its fault due to opting for a digital-only release, is that many PlayStation 5 owners will not be able to play GTA 6 unless they go through some loopholes, such as creating a PlayStation Network account in a different region, which, according to the EULA, is against the rules and could result in the account being banned.
To date, this hasn't happened yet (for example, my Japanese account created during the PS3 and PS Vita days to buy entries in Bandai Namco's Tales series ahead of their Western releases is still up and running), and the vast majority of those players already have accounts registered in other regions, so this isn't a major issue, but still, it highlights an unresolved issue with the PlayStation Network which has yet to be addressed, and definitely should be if Sony will indeed sunset discs by 2028 as per its controversial announcement earlier this month.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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