GTA 6 Officially Has An Expiration Date

Grand Theft Auto 6 has been subject to a number of minor controversies that have dissuaded certain players from even buying the game, despite the hype for it growing to exponentially large heights. There was the move to lock a considerable amount of content behind the more expensive $100 version, the several delays that pushed the game back a number of years, and the choice to ditch physical discs in favor of a code in a box. While these won't prevent GTA 6 from selling millions of copies, it's certainly proving to be an issue, especially the latter problem.

The lack of a GTA 6 physical edition was a big enough issue on its own before Sony's move to abandon the format altogether became a significant talking point within the industry. It's coupled with the meteoric price hikes of consoles themselves, as well as the mounting fear that the next generation of consoles will become too prohibitively expensive. However, GTA 6 being a code in the box is not the end of the problem, as it turns out that the game itself may very well expire mere months after being purchased, rendering it entirely useless.

It was recently discovered that in Japan, the GTA 6 code that buyers receive in the "physical" edition of the game will expire after 170 days, which is just shy of six months. This expiration period doesn't begin upon purchasing the game, but rather from the date the code is issued, which would be Grand Theft Auto 6's actual release date of November 19, 2026. In theory, this would mean that GTA 6 digital download codes in Japan would expire by May 8, 2027, and would, as aforementioned, become completely unusable.

This is, according to Rockstar, due to regional regulations (it is likely referring to the Japanese Fund Settlement Act) which prohibit the use of "prepaid payment instruments" six months after the issue date. While many are likely to use their download code long before the six months expire, it isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility for someone to purchase a digital download code early and then not use it within the allotted window. Regardless, the fact that GTA 6 will be unplayable for people who've spent upwards of $80 on it, is understandably concerning for fans.

There are, however, two potential issues with this statement. The first is that the Japanese Fund Settlement Act really only encompasses anything that one would put money on to then use to purchase other goods (so, prepaid gift cards, vouchers, etc.) It doesn't really appear to cover digital download codes, as those cannot be used to purchase additional goods after being issued. Furthermore, it is also entirely possible that the GTA 6 digital download code that could expire is related to DLC, rather than the full game, as pointed out by prominent news source Genki on X.

It isn't entirely clear why Rockstar is including this detail on its support page, or why it has made the time limit 170 and not the full six months, as the Japanese Fund Settlement Act stipulates. Regardless, it will officially revoke the digital download code from the "physical" products issued from the launch date after the 170-day period. Of course, this move may not cause yet another massive GTA 6 boycott, especially as it only affects PS5 users in Japan, but it is likely to outrage fans, especially considering the heated debates around the impermenance of digital products.