Rockstar confirms region-lock to leave GTA 6 'best on PS5' campaign in shambles

Rockstar Games has broken its silence to be the bearer of bad news once again. So much for that “plays best on PS5” tagline…

Now that marketing for Grand Theft Auto VI is officially starting to ramp up, we can expect to hear a lot more from Rockstar Games in the coming months.

However, one of its most recent updates on the console editions of its next game have got fans all flustered.

In the “Grand Theft Auto VI Platforms, Editions, and Versions” article on Rockstar’s official website, shared by Idle Sloth on X, details on the various pre-order editions were shared in black-and-white, such as contents, physical vs digital and"more.

The standout line for many, though, can be found towards the bottom of the page: “PlayStation: Codes purchased in the following regions are to only be used by users holding an account for PlayStation registered to a specific set of countries as follows”

It goes on to say that any Xbox codes purchased “are not region-locked.” Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate which console is best-suited for the next Grand Theft Auto?

The GTA 6 region-lock proves why physical media matters

PlayStation owners are probably scratching their heads at this news as all digital codes for Sony’s platform are region-locked. That’s always been the case and it’s unlikely to change, especially when the company plans to shelve physical media altogether in a couple of years.

However, GTA VI is an interesting case because this region-lock is going to be more restrictive than ever, especially for those living in the United States.

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In the past, region-locks for the United States have covered the entire region. So a digital game you purchased in North America for instance would be redeemable in South America but not anywhere outside of America.

As Rockstar Games’ breakdown of regions confirms, though, the United States is going to be split up for GTA VI’s code distribution. Brazil, LATAM countries and North America will all make up their own separate regions.

Now this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker by any means, and if you’re dead-set on purchasing a copy of GTA VI from outside your region (some gamers do this to secure cheaper copies), you’ll still be able to do so on Xbox.

For PlayStation, however, it shines a brighter light on its ongoing digital vs physical controversy. PlayStation 5 discs are not region-locked. You can buy a PlayStation 5 game from the United States, bring it back to the United Kingdom and play it on your console with no issues.

However, GTA VI will be the first Grand Theft Auto game that you can’t buy on disc, which is why this region-lock is a bigger deal than usual.

It’s especially vexing when both PlayStation and Rockstar Games claim GTA VI will be played best on Sony’s consoles, all while sneakily restricting who can play what and where.

Again, it’s not an enormous deal-breaker as we’re sure most people will purchase their copy of the game in their own region, but it’s another damning sign for the future of gaming. Options are important, and yet they’re slowly dwindling.