Rockstar printed the GTA VI download code on the inside of the cover art, and players say a strong flashlight can read it through some sealed cases. US and UK boxes with a camouflage strip looked protected in testing. Some other PEGI-region copies may not be.
Grand Theft Auto VI is five days out, and the "physical" edition already has players worried about a flashlight trick. Posts on ResetEra, Reddit and X say that on some retail copies, you can shine a bright flashlight through the side of a sealed case and read the download code printed inside. No opening the box. No breaking the seal.
That matters because GTA VI’s boxed release isn’t a disc. It’s a code-in-box, and as GamesRadar+ explains, Rockstar didn’t put that code on a paper slip or under a scratch-off coating. It’s printed right on the inside of the back cover art. If someone can read the code, they may be able to redeem it, and the person who actually pays for that box could walk out with a cardboard sleeve and nothing to play. VideoCardz notes that successfully reading a code does not necessarily mean it can be redeemed, and so far nobody has shown a confirmed theft.
The viral version of the story came from @GTAVI_Countdown on November 13: "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."
Which copies look vulnerable
Here’s the good news for a lot of buyers. GamesRadar+ tried the trick on its own US PS5 copy and a UK PS5 copy, and neither worked. Those boxes have a strip of camouflage pattern printed behind the code, and Dustin Bailey wrote that it "renders it unreadable from the opposite side no matter how bright a light you shine at it." The UK is a PEGI region, so this is not a simple US-versus-Europe split.
Not every box got that camo strip. GamesRadar+ went through unboxing videos and could not find a US copy without it, but some other PEGI-rated copies only have a plain black strip behind the code, and that’s the version people are worried about. VideoCardz says Polish and German retail copies appear to be among those potentially affected, and that the trick also depends on the angle of the light, how clear the case is and where the code sits, so reading every character is not a given even on an affected box. GameSpot also says the trick does not seem to work on North American copies, where the code is intentionally obscured.
So why would Rockstar protect the code on some boxes and not others? That’s the question nobody has answered yet. GameSpot and Engadget both asked Rockstar and Take-Two for comment, and as of early Saturday there’s no public response.
How big is the risk, really?
Let’s keep this in proportion. Only a handful of photos are circulating. GamesRadar+ could not find anyone reporting a code actually stolen this way. Most stores keep big releases behind glass, which means a thief would realistically have to buy the game, get lucky with a black-strip box, read the code, then talk the store into a refund.
Is that a lot of effort? Yes. Is it effort somebody might put in for the biggest game in years? Also yes. And the person who would get hurt isn’t the thief or the store. It’s the buyer who opens a sealed box and finds out the code was already used.
This is the bigger issue with code-in-box, and it’s why the "physical" label rubs people the wrong way. A disc is a key you own and can hand to someone else. A code is just a voucher for the digital version, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. When the code is the entire product, protecting it should have been the one thing every box in every region got right. A camo strip clearly works on the US and UK copies GamesRadar+ tested. Shipping some regions without it is a miss, plain and simple.
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What to do if you’re buying a boxed copy
If your box has the camouflage strip, the testing so far says you’re in good shape. If you’re picking up a PEGI-region copy with a plain black strip, buy it from a store that keeps games locked up, check that the shrink wrap looks factory sealed, and redeem the code as soon as you can instead of letting the box sit on a shelf. If you’re nervous about any of it, a digital pre-order gets you the same game, and you can start the preload now.
As GameSpot notes, code-in-box copies and digital pre-orders all unlock on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 on November 19, including if you play on Xbox Cloud Gaming or an Xbox One. You can still redeem the code and preload before then, and you’ll want the mandatory 1.002 update installed so you’re not stuck downloading at midnight. A used code won’t wait until launch day to fail. You’ll find out when you try to redeem it, and you’ll want to contact Rockstar support and your retailer right away if it does.
We’ll update this story if Rockstar or Take-Two responds or changes the packaging.
Sources found below.
Image: Rockstar Games
