"Not even a physical disc": GTA fans miss physical releases – and the old Rockstar

The discussion stems from a post titled "What Rockstar used to be" in the r/gaming subreddit. In it, user u/PantatRebus shows off their old PSP copies of GTA: Liberty City Stories and GTA: Vice City Stories. They are particularly enthusiastic about the many extras Rockstar included with the games back then: a newspaper styled after the GTA universe, radio station playlists, fictional advertisements, additional story background, large city maps and character posters. Looking ahead to GTA VI, however, they come to a sobering conclusion: "Now I don’t get anything at all. Not even a disc."

The post apparently struck a chord with the Reddit community. Many users write that the packaging used to be part of the actual gaming experience. Even on the drive home from the store, people would study the manuals, unfold the maps and read the fictional newspapers. Others recall elaborate Collector’s Editions with metal cases, duffel bags or large maps, which they considered just as much a part of buying a Rockstar game as the game itself.

Fans blame GTA Online

Many users are convinced that the success of GTA Online changed Rockstar in the long run. Statements like "The money changed them" appear multiple times in the thread. Time and again, users criticize Rockstar for scrapping the originally planned story expansions for GTA V (PS5 version available on Amazon for around $25) in favor of GTA Online. For some fans, this decision marks the exact moment when financial interests began to increasingly overshadow the studio’s creative direction. The departure of influential developers such as Dan Houser, Leslie Benzies and Lazlow Jones also leads players to fear that Rockstar Games has since lost part of its creative identity. User u/Tenshigure sums it up aptly: "GTA 6 will be the first ‘real game’ from them not only in over a decade, but
a true test to see if their team still ‘has it’."

All in all, however, the mood surrounding GTA VI (PS5 version available for pre-order on Amazon for around $80) remains largely optimistic. Most fans expect Rockstar to once again deliver an extraordinary open-world experience. Concerns are focused more on the company’s long-term strategy: Many fear that after release, the spotlight might once again fall on GTA Online, while the single-player mode – much like with GTA V – receives hardly any major expansions. Others regret that physical editions are increasingly taking a back seat – and this is by no means limited to Rockstar. Just recently, Sony announced that it would stop releasing new PlayStation games on disc from 2028 onward. For many users, the Reddit discussion is therefore also symbolic of the transformation of the entire gaming industry.