Shining a powerful flashlight through the side of a retail game box can reveal the entire download code for Grand Theft Auto VI without opening the packaging.
Rockstar Games faces this retail issue less than a week before the game is released into the wild, as online reports bubble up from forums and social media.
Posts on ResetEra and X show that the download code may be visible from the outside if a buyer has a strong enough flashlight. The code appears on the inside cover of the game box rather than on a separate paper insert or underneath a scratch-off coating.
Only a few photos currently circulate of codes illuminated through the side of the game box, making it hard to say if this is truly a widespread issue.
Fans have discovered the entire GTA 6 redeem code on the physical copy can be seen without opening the box by shining a powerful flashlight through the side at an angle.
According to the ResetEra thread, this flaw might only affect international versions of the game since American packaging features a backing designed to obscure the code from external view.
Engadget asked Take-Two to comment on the reports and whether it is aware of any issues with GTA VI game boxes, and will update the article if it hears back.
Should this problem prove to be common, it presents a major hazard for anyone purchasing a retail copy of the title.
All a player needs is a code, a console, and an internet connection to download the software. If buyers can acquire those codes without purchasing or even opening the retail box, individuals might purchase copies of the game that are already redeemed.
This whole situation relies upon the unconventional way Take-Two and Rockstar Games choose to define a physical game release.
Traditional physical releases include a disc or cartridge that acts as a key needed to play, and those keys can be handed to someone else if they want a turn.
Rockstar’s physical GTA VI release acts as just another way to purchase the digital version of the game. Because of the nature of digital game licenses, it is not really something a buyer can own.
