- Take-Two CEO says "it may not be the end" of physical media yet, despite GTA 6 skipping discs.
- According to Strauss Zelnick, digital sales account for 98% of Take-Two's business, while physical retail makes up just 2%.
- However, he believes there will "always be some physical business," much like the "vinyl business in recorded music."
GTA 6’s physical edition comes with a digital download code instead of a traditional disc, a detail Rockstar confirmed when GTA 6 pre-orders opened on June 25, 2026. Despite skipping physical discs for its biggest release, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says physical games still have a future and that “it may not be the end” just yet.
Speaking to Christopher Dring of The Game Business on November 13, Zelnick discussed Take-Two’s split between digital and physical sales. He revealed that 98% of the company’s business comes from digital sales, while physical retail accounts for just 2% of its revenue. This explains why GTA 6’s physical edition ships without a traditional disc.
However, the Take-Two CEO still believes physical games and media in general will exist in the future, albeit in a much smaller space, comparing it to vinyl records. Here’s what he had to say about the future of physical media:
“It may not be the end, but listen, we’ve been talking, you and I, for a long time. I predicted that digital distribution would be well over 90% of the business more than 10 years ago. I don’t always get it right, but this one I got right. Will there always be some physical business? Yes, in the same way that there’s still a vinyl business in recorded music. But it’s going to be a very small part of the business.”
Rockstar’s upcoming title isn’t the only game reportedly moving away from traditional discs. Sony is also phasing out PS5 physical discs starting in 2028, meaning newer releases could eventually ship without them. However, Zelnick hasn’t completely ruled out a traditional disc release for GTA 6, although he glossed over it.
In the company’s Q2 FY2026 earnings call on November 9, Zelnick confirmed that a GTA 6 disc release is up to Rockstar, as with its rumored PC and Switch 2 port, but there’s nothing to announce right now. That said, do you think physical media has a future? Tell us in the comments section below.
