PlayStation 6 Confirmed As Digital-Only Is Made Worse By GTA 6's $80 Price Tag

Gamers were previously hailing 2026 as a renaissance for games, but the latest news from Rockstar Games and PlayStation has killed all hope for the future.

On 1 July, PlayStation issued an update on the future of physical games. From 2028 onwards, the company will no longer manufacture discs, which not only gives us an idea of when the PlayStation 6 will launch, but also when it’ll end.

Like clockwork, the gaming community rightfully fired back at PlayStation, arguing that physical games should always be an option, especially when digital licences can be pulled or deactivated at any time.

It’s the price of GTA VI that’s worrying us, though, and it should worry you too. Rockstar Games is setting a dangerous precedent that’s going to make the next-generation even more bleak than it’s already looking.

GTA 6’s $80 Price Tag Has Opened The Floodgates And Is Great News For PS6, Less So Gamers

Standard copies of GTA VI are confirmed to cost $80, or you can pay $100 for the ultimate edition, which locks a whole bunch of in-game content behind a $20 paywall.

READ NEXT: GTA 6 Locks Exclusive Missions And Story Content Behind Most Expensive Edition

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Before Rockstar Games confirmed the price, there were concerns that the standard edition would be the one to cost $100, and if Rockstar did it first, other publishers would follow for their AAA games.

An $80 price tag is definitely easier to swallow, but it’s still less than ideal. That’s still the maximum market value, and you’re not even getting a disc.

PlayStation shelving its physical production makes matters much worse, and with Xbox likely following suit in a couple of years, there’ll be no escaping these premium prices.

Gone will be the days of the second-hand market or borrowing a game from your friend. If The Last of Us Part 3 comes out and is a little too rich for your blood, you won’t be able to walk into a game shop and get it for $10 cheaper. You also won’t be able to hop online and see if you can track down a used copy, because in cases are still being manufactured, the code inside will have likely been redeemed already.

Soon, there’ll be no escaping $80 price tags, or whatever alternative sum publishers want to charge for their new games.

You’ll have to wait for them to go on sale, and if it’s a brand-new release, you shouldn't expect a discount until several months after launch.

GTA VI’s price reveal and PlayStation's digital-only proclamation have been a severe back-to-back blow for the industry.

The whole thing is a mess, and we’re counting down the days until Xbox announces it’ll be doing the same.

Nintendo, on the other hand, has done what Nintendo does best: stay out of the drama and keep doing its own thing. Classic Nintendo.