GTA 6 Leak Claims It Might Skip Physical Release At Launch

19 hours ago 3

Published Jan 26, 2026, 4:32 PM EST

Scott Baird is a contributor with over a decade's experience writing about video games, along with board games and tabletop RPGs. Scott has previously worked for Dexerto, Cracked, Dorkly, and Gamepur.

Take-Two might be pushing Grand Theft Auto 6 back to 2027 after all, at least in terms of a disc release, as a prominent leaker is claiming that the game will be digital only at launch.

The big news story for 2026 is whether Grand Theft Auto 6 is actually coming out or will be pushed back another year. There is contradictory information coming from leakers and the rumor mill, to the point where it's hard to say whether Grand Theft Auto 6 will make its November 2026 date.

A surprising rumor is making the rounds about Grand Theft Auto 6, one that comes from Graczdari on PPE.pl (via Video Games Chronicle) and says Take-Two isn't planning a physical launch for the game. Rather, the plan is a digital-only release, with a physical launch coming later, so that the game can't leak online. It's currently unclear how long the wait for the physical release could be, but early 2027 is on the cards.

GTA 6 Could Skip Physical Launch

Graczdari has a great reputation for accurate leaks, so the Grand Theft Auto 6 one should be given more attention than usual, even if it's still taken with a grain of salt.

A purely digital release makes sense if the idea is to avoid leaks, given that so many games end up in the hands of pirates and spoiler streamers via retailers. If Grand Theft Auto 6 has a digital-only release, Rockstar can control the flow of information, making it near impossible for leaks to get out.

The problem with the digital-only launch is that the servers are going to be destroyed on launch day, which means a lot of people are going to be unhappy, hammering that Refresh key as hard as possible to get into the game. That being said, this is Grand Theft Auto 6, meaning people will be happy to stare at the loading bar, so long as they know the game is on the way.