Rockstar Developer Says GTA 6 Region Lock Is "Garbage"

Former Rockstar Dev Calls Out GTA 6's "Garbage" Region Lock Published Jul 29, 2026, 1:13 PM EDT George is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer, and has been working in the industry since 2021 after graduating from the University of South Wales with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. He has also previously written for RPG Site, WhatCulture, and PlayStation Lifestyle. George is an expert on platformers, action games, and fighters, but tends to play as many releases as possible. This hands-on experience lets him dive into gaming communities and follow the latest trends. Some of the games George has extensively covered first-hand include Dead Rising, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Ninja Gaiden 4. Sign in to your TheGamer account Mike York, a former animator at Rockstar Games, has slammed Grand Theft Auto 6’s “garbage” region lock and suggested that it probably wasn’t the studio’s decision. Although GTA 6 is easily the most anticipated game of all time, it’d be fair to say that its development and release have had more than a few problems. From the massive leak that sent Rockstar on a warpath to the disappointing news that it’s never going to get a proper physical release, there’s a surprising amount of baggage behind such a momentous title. Sadly, it looks like the bad news isn’t slowing down any time soon. Earlier this week, it was revealed that GTA 6’s code-in-a-box release means that the only version of the game is going to be region-locked, making purchasing it a lot more restricted. It was yet another blow to GTA 6’s release, and one that even a former developer doesn’t appreciate. Former Rockstar Developer Slams GTA 6’s Region Lock Despite The Restrictions, He Doesn’t Think It Will Impact Sales As reported by Covers, former Rockstar animator MIke York, who worked on GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and GTA Online, recently shared his thoughts on GTA 6’s region lock. York called the announcement “messy” and “really disappointing” because of how difficult it makes game ownership if you ever move continents. That being said, York was quick to say that he doesn’t think it’s necessarily Rockstar’s fault, since it was likely a “governmental decision” to stop people playing GTA 6 overseas. Even if we can’t raise our pitchforks at Rockstar, York still calls region locking a “garbage policy” that will only get in the way of playing GTA 6. The irony of the situation isn’t lost on York, either, as he also highlights how things like region locking and expiration dates “show the importance of physical discs” and why they’re valuable. As disappointing and restrictive as the region lock is, though, York doesn’t think that it’ll end up making much of an impact on sales, since GTA is so massive that people will find a way and buy hardware specifically for it. I don’t doubt that York is right considering how strong GTA 6’s sales figures are even with the code in a box, but it is at least refreshing to see someone familiar with Rockstar call it out.