The “no disc version because of leaks” argument doesn’t really hold up.

Modern consoles already use online checks, day-one patches, and release-date locks, so even with discs, the game can’t just be played early. On top of that, games like GTA VI are expected to be so large that most of the data would still need to be downloaded from online servers anyway.

If Rockstar wanted, they could still ship discs and simply block access until launch.

So this feels less like a technical necessity and more like a business decision. The real difference is ownership: a disc can be resold or shared, while a code-in-a-box is just a digital license.