GTA 6 PS5 Digital Codes in Japan Expire Just 170 Days After Launch
There’s been a lot said about the state of gaming and how Sony is pushing for an all-digital future. While that won’t happen for at least a few more years, gamers have been very active on social media, saying it’s not good for consumers, and it seems we might have our first taste of that before the year is out.
The culprit? None other than everyone’s most anticipated game of the generation: Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6).
While GTA 6 doesn’t have a disc version available at launch (and it seems it will never have one at all), there will be a physical version that includes a game code to download the game.
However, info has surfaced today that’s a bit worrying.
GTA 6’s PS5 Physical Version in Japan Has an Expiry
In an update on the Grand Theft Auto VI editions and versions page, Take-Two Interactive has explained how the digital download codes work.
How do digital download codes for Grand Theft Auto VI work?
The digital download code for Grand Theft Auto VI works differently depending on the platform and country of purchase. It is recommended that you buy and play from a retailer that is in the country of your platform account to avoid potential activation problems.
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:
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Brazil: Brazil
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LATAM: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay
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North America: Canada, United States
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Korea: South Korea
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Japan: Japan
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Product codes in Japan will expire 170 days after the issuance date, which is the launch date (November 19, 2026) due to regional regulations.
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United Kingdom: United Kingdom
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Saudi Arabia & UAE: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
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Rest of Asia: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand
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Rest of EMEA and Asia: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine
In case you didn’t notice, the Japan listing mentions “Product codes in Japan will expire 170 days after the issuance date, which is the launch date (November 19, 2026) due to regional regulations.” This means that players who pick up the physical version on store shelves will need to make sure to redeem the code six months after launch, unless they buy a newly released batch of GTA 6.
The Xbox version won’t be region-locked, so this won’t be an issue for Xbox gamers in Japan (yes, all five of you out there).
If this is indeed the case, which we assume it is given it is listed by Rockstar themselves, then this paints a very grim picture for both retailers and gamers alike. I assume no one wants to buy a physical version of GTA 6 only to find that their code has expired.
For reference, players do not need to redeem a game code when buying on PSN, and the only way to get a GTA 6 game code is via the physical version.
We’ve reached out to Rockstar for clarification on this, and if we hear back, we’ll have an update on the site.
In related news, we’ve discussed Sony’s move to an all-digital future and how the company is banking on players being too invested in the PlayStation ecosystem and brand to leave the platform.
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