Home›News›Fake GTA 6 ‘Disc Editions’ Are Being Sold in China — and They’re Not Real

Fake GTA 6 ‘Disc Editions’ Are Being Sold in China — and They’re Not Real

By Govind Dheda October 18, 2026 8 min read

✅ CONFIRMED

Chinese vendors have started advertising unofficial GTA 6 “disc editions” for PlayStation 5, complete with glossy boxes, Blu-ray-style discs and content cards — and buyers are warned upfront that the discs don’t actually work. The “commemorative set” listings, reported independently by ixbt.games and Notebookcheck this week, are cashing in on fan fury that Rockstar’s real physical edition of Grand Theft Auto VI ships without a disc.

Quick answer: Fake GTA 6 disc editions are being sold by Chinese vendors as “Commemorative Set Model” collector items, with Standard and Ultimate options and cosmetic PS5 discs in unofficial boxes. The discs are non-functional collectibles — Rockstar’s only official physical release is a code-in-a-box with no disc, and there are no plans for a real disc version.

Key takeaways

Chinese vendors are advertising unofficial GTA 6 PS5 “disc editions” as “Commemorative Set Model” items, with Standard and Ultimate configurations.
The discs are cosmetic and non-playable; listings even include a content card Notebookcheck describes as likely unredeemable.
Two independent outlets — ixbt.games (October 18) and Notebookcheck (October 17) — confirmed the listings with photos.
The ads target regions with Chinese-language GTA 6 pre-orders, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore; GTA 5 was never officially distributed in mainland China.
Rockstar’s real physical edition is a code-in-a-box with no disc, and The Hollywood Reporter reported in June there are no plans to print GTA 6 discs “at launch, and not months after.”

What exactly is in these fake GTA 6 disc editions?

The listings show an unofficial Ultimate Edition-style box with front and back artwork, cosmetic PS5 discs carrying different labels for the Standard and Ultimate options, and a content card that carries a likely unredeemable code. It’s a convincing-looking shelf prop, not a product.

Who is selling the fake GTA 6 discs — and who are they aimed at?

According to Notebookcheck, the ads claim the artwork was designed by “Lionheart” — which could refer to the branding agency of the same name based in Shanghai and London. It is questionable whether that company would have any agreement with Take-Two Interactive or Rockstar Games to produce the collectible set, and the outlets covering it treat it as an unauthorized item either way.

Chinese vendors are marketing the sets through promotional banners that went viral in the gaming community, per ixbt.games. Notebookcheck notes that no PS5 or Xbox release of GTA 6 has been confirmed for mainland China, and Grand Theft Auto 5 was never officially distributed there.

So who is the target? Notebookcheck suggests the ads may target Hong Kong, where the game is up for pre-order, with Chinese-language versions also on sale in Taiwan and Singapore.

Why are fake GTA 6 discs appearing right now?

Because the no-disc backlash is real, and counterfeiters follow demand. Rockstar confirmed in its pre-order announcement that the physical edition holds only a download code — “A disc will not be included in the box” — and fans who wanted a real disc have not accepted the decision quietly.

ixbt.games reports mixed reactions to the fake sets: some players are happy to get a “GTA VI disc” for their collection in some form, while others see the fakes as proof of how broken the situation is. User GMMXX50 summed up the second camp: “Physical media are needed to preserve games, not just for a box in hand.” Our full breakdown of the official pricing is in GTA 6 price & editions compared: Standard, Ultimate and Collector’s Box, and we tracked the boxed code-in-box edition selling out at Amazon and Target last week.

Will Rockstar ever release GTA 6 on a real disc?

Almost certainly not. In June 2026, The Hollywood Reporter — via a source with knowledge of the plans — reported that “there are no plans for Grand Theft Auto VI discs to be printed — not at launch, and not months after,” after a misread Rockstar Support email briefly raised hopes of a December disc.

Rockstar’s own support page confirms the boxed edition holds a download code, and vice-atlas grades the December-disc rumor “Very Low confidence.” Reporting has pointed to leak prevention and pre-load logistics as the logic, while Take-Two has said over 90% of its business is digital. See also our rumor on the physical edition’s collector’s map for what actually is in the box.

Is it safe to buy one of these commemorative sets?

Only if you treat it as shelf decoration with your eyes open — and even then, the risks are real. The sellers themselves say the discs are non-functional, but scam sites can easily imitate the listings, and GTA BOOM’s scam guide warns that if a site is advertising a physical GTA 6 disc, it is a scam.

The deeper problem: buying unofficial merch funds counterfeiters, and the same channels selling “commemorative” sets can pivot to fake download codes. If you want the official physical release, buy only from Rockstar or authorized retailers — see our GTA 6 pre-order guide: editions, prices and bonuses for where and how, and our pre-load guide for what that code actually unlocks on November 12.

Official box vs fake “disc edition”

	Official physical edition	Fake “commemorative” disc edition
Price	$79.99 Standard (digital), $99.99 Ultimate	Unofficial — pricing from unvetted sellers
Game content	Digital download code, no disc	Non-playable “disc,” likely unredeemable code
Source	Rockstar + authorized retailers	Unauthorized Chinese vendors
Pre-load	From November 12	Impossible — nothing to redeem
Vintage Vice City Pack	Included (pre-orders before Nov 20)	Not included

What this means

Counterfeiters only print fakes for products people desperately want — these listings are a market signal about how badly a slice of the fanbase still wants a real GTA 6 disc. If a plastic circle with no game on it can go viral, a genuine limited-edition disc would likely sell out instantly.

But the consumer lesson is harsher: as long as Rockstar says no discs, every “disc edition” on the market is fake by definition. Expect these to multiply over the next 32 days — and if you’re buying GTA 6 at all, keep it to the official channels.

Frequently asked questions

Are there any real GTA 6 PS5 discs?

No. Rockstar’s physical edition is a code-in-a-box with no disc, and The Hollywood Reporter reported in June 2026 that there are no plans to print GTA 6 discs at launch or months after. Any “GTA 6 disc” on sale is either non-playable merch or a scam.

Can I buy the Chinese commemorative GTA 6 disc set?

You could, but you’d be buying an unofficial, non-playable collectible from unvetted sellers. The sellers warn the discs are cosmetic — and scam sites can easily imitate the listings, so buyer protections are effectively zero.

Why doesn’t GTA 6 have a disc version?

Rockstar has not given an official reason. Reporting has pointed to preventing pre-launch leaks and letting boxed buyers pre-load from November 12, while Take-Two notes that over 90% of its business is now digital.

Wasn’t a GTA 6 disc supposed to come in December 2026?

That rumor came from a misread Rockstar Support email. THR’s sources said the email was referring to the code-in-a-box edition, not a disc — and that there are no plans for discs at launch or in the following months.

How do I spot a GTA 6 scam?

Any site advertising a playable physical GTA 6 disc is lying — there are none. Buy only from Rockstar or authorized retailers, never redeem codes from third-party sellers, and treat “commemorative” discs as decoration at best.

Sources

Every claim above was verified against the two independent reports on the fake listings (ixbt.games and Notebookcheck, each with photos of the ads), Rockstar’s confirmed code-in-a-box physical edition, and THR’s June 2026 no-disc reporting via Notebookcheck and vice-atlas. Rockstar Games has not issued a statement on the counterfeit sets as of October 18, 2026.