Rockstar games co-founder and former Grand Theft Auto editorial writer Dan Houser believes that publishers should continue to offer physical games as long as customers still want them, having said as much in a recent interview. However, he isn't too concerned about the decline of physical media, arguing that major publishers like Rockstar have a very good reason to embrace digital distribution.
On July 25, it was a month since then GTA 6 pre-orders opened with two standalone releases and zero discs between them. The $99.99 Ultimate Edition is only available digitally, while the Standard Edition technically has a physical option, but only in the form of a download code in a box. Rockstar has yet to clarify whether a true physical release might come after launch. Days after its digital-only launch strategy reignited debate that physical media was on its last legs, Sony announced it would stop making physical copies of new PlayStation games in January 2028.
Dan Houser says physical games should remain an option
The ever-increasing debate about the future of physical gaming media reached San Diego Comic-Con 2026, where Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser discussed the issue in a recent IGN interview. When asked if he wanted his upcoming projects to get physical releases, Houser said he did. “If people want it, I think the companies should provide it,” the industry veteran said. However, he admitted that he personally no longer feels strongly about maintaining access to physical emissions.
-
Image by GameRant -
-
Blair Campbell
Former Rockstar producer Lazlow Jones, best known to fans as the inspiration for the GTA character who shares his name, also took part in the SDCC 2026 interview. He expressed a stronger connection to physical media than Houser, citing the familiar experience of inserting a disc into a console after purchasing a new game. But Jones also praised the convenience of downloading games on the go, a key benefit of digital distribution. Houser similarly described the ability to easily patch games post-launch as “critical”, although physical editions can also receive post-launch updates. Regardless of the former GTA editorial writer argued that consumers by and large “love” digital editions.
Find the odd one before the timer reaches zero.
Start
GTA 6 comes just before PlayStation starts phasing out new discs
GTA 6 will be the first mainline version to release after Jones and Houser left Rockstar in 2020. As things currently stand, it could also be the series' first-ever mainline entry to skip a physical console release altogether. While Rockstar has officially ruled out a disc edition materializing after launch, Sony's planned cutoff leaves January 2028 GTA 6 with a narrow window of opportunity to get a physical PlayStation release.
Starting in 2028, Sony will stop offering disc production for new PlayStation games while continuing to fulfill publisher orders for older PS4 and PS5 titles that already have physical releases. The move has drawn vocal criticism from consumers, which had not fully subsided four weeks later, by the end of July 2026. The manufacturing capacity freed up as a result of reduced physical game support is planned to be redirected to the production of optical microlenses.
Source: Insider Gaming
