A high-profile gaming analyst has reacted to the rumor that Grand Theft Auto VI may not have a physical-disc option at launch this November. To be sure, this is an unconfirmed rumor for now, and Rockstar has not commented on the situation. In any event, Matt Piscatella of Circana shared a quick-hit take on the rumor on social media.
Without naming GTA 6 outright--but obviously referring to the hugely hyped game--Piscatella wrote: "I would say that the big game missing physical at launch would be an even bigger fart on the wind sales-wise than game key cards are now. But it really wouldn't be worth it. So, I won't say that."
Piscatella is clearly being cheeky here, but the takeaway seems to be that bypassing a physical edition for GTA 6 at launch wouldn't mean much in terms of the game's initial sales. The "fart on/in the wind" is an idiom that refers to something that would have little to no importance.
Piscatella's reference to game key cards is related to the Switch 2's physical game cartridges that do not actually have the game on them, but instead only a "key" that unlocks the title. People made a lot of noise about these cards, but Piscatella seems to be saying that didn't lead to much in terms of negatively affecting Switch 2 game sales overall.
The GTA 6 rumor about there being no physical game disc option at launch stems from Polish website PPE.pl. An insider there named Graczdari, who previously correctly reported on details of Oblivion: Remastered and Microsoft Flight Simulator for PS5, said Rockstar Games may not release GTA 6 on a physical disc at launch in part to protect the game from suffering story leaks ahead of launch. The report, as relayed by VGC, said GTA 6 may have a digital-only release with the game coming to market on a physical discs three or four weeks after launch, or possibly not until 2027.
GameSpot has contacted Rockstar Games in an effort to get more details.
Rockstar Games has released two trailers for GTA 6 so far and shared further insights into its characters and world, but the company has not nailed down specifics about the launch. While the game is set for a November 19 release, Rockstar hasn't confirmed a price yet, nor are preorders available.
GTA 6 is projected to sell 40 million copies and generate $3 billion in revenue for its first year. The game is the most important game release in video game history, some believe. However, others have said that GTA 6 won't singlehandedly save all the major issues in the gaming industry.
Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, will release its next earnings report on February 3. The gaming world will be watching for any morsel of news about GTA 6, but Take-Two historically defers to Rockstar to make its own announcements about the game. During Take-Two's last earnings briefing in November 2025, the company announced that GTA 6 was delayed to November 2026.
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Without naming GTA 6 outright--but obviously referring to the hugely hyped game--Piscatella wrote: "I would say that the big game missing physical at launch would be an even bigger fart on the wind sales-wise than game key cards are now. But it really wouldn't be worth it. So, I won't say that."
Piscatella is clearly being cheeky here, but the takeaway seems to be that bypassing a physical edition for GTA 6 at launch wouldn't mean much in terms of the game's initial sales. The "fart on/in the wind" is an idiom that refers to something that would have little to no importance.
Piscatella's reference to game key cards is related to the Switch 2's physical game cartridges that do not actually have the game on them, but instead only a "key" that unlocks the title. People made a lot of noise about these cards, but Piscatella seems to be saying that didn't lead to much in terms of negatively affecting Switch 2 game sales overall.
The GTA 6 rumor about there being no physical game disc option at launch stems from Polish website PPE.pl. An insider there named Graczdari, who previously correctly reported on details of Oblivion: Remastered and Microsoft Flight Simulator for PS5, said Rockstar Games may not release GTA 6 on a physical disc at launch in part to protect the game from suffering story leaks ahead of launch. The report, as relayed by VGC, said GTA 6 may have a digital-only release with the game coming to market on a physical discs three or four weeks after launch, or possibly not until 2027.
GameSpot has contacted Rockstar Games in an effort to get more details.
Rockstar Games has released two trailers for GTA 6 so far and shared further insights into its characters and world, but the company has not nailed down specifics about the launch. While the game is set for a November 19 release, Rockstar hasn't confirmed a price yet, nor are preorders available.
GTA 6 is projected to sell 40 million copies and generate $3 billion in revenue for its first year. The game is the most important game release in video game history, some believe. However, others have said that GTA 6 won't singlehandedly save all the major issues in the gaming industry.
Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, will release its next earnings report on February 3. The gaming world will be watching for any morsel of news about GTA 6, but Take-Two historically defers to Rockstar to make its own announcements about the game. During Take-Two's last earnings briefing in November 2025, the company announced that GTA 6 was delayed to November 2026.
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