Recent reports on social media claim that the physical Japanese editions of Grand Theft Auto VI feature a hard expiration for claiming your game GTA 6 code-leaving players unable to unlock the main title within a mere 170 days of release. Thankfully, a dive into Japanese laws and an examination of official Rockstar Games materials reveals the rumor to be entirely false.
What sparked the Expiration Rumor.
The whole issue began when a prominent Japanese gaming journalist Genki_JPN shared a note from Japanese boxed editions of GTA 6 to social media that featured a disclaimer on download codes.
Many misinterpreted this as the boxed-copy players in Japan would have a little over five and a half months to grab and download the game before their code was rendered invalid.
Genki later removed his post and shared a correction explaining that the 170 day time limit on redemption actually applied only to a secondary, downloadable-only bonus add-on that came with theboxed-copy–not to a legitimized license for the main game content that can be added to your accounts indefinitely!
The Legal Justification for the 170 Day Deadline… So what’s the reason for the 170 day download deadline? It comes down to this.
The Payment Services Act Japan: If digital certificates, gift codes, in-game currency or pre-paid cards purchased from a provider reach the 180-day (six-month) threshold and are thus eligible for mandatory governmental registration, then you’ve officially complicated things for yourself from a legal standpoint in Japan.
Game producers need to stick clear of that requirement at all costs, by restricting sales of any sort of digital, cash-equivalent “gift” tickets – like our aforementioned bonus content – for less than six months (i.e., generally, for about 170 days)!
The Wrap–up for Players: Bottom line, if you decide to fork over the cash for a physicalboxed-copy of the new Rockstar crime simulator when it releases in your respective region, rest assured, you have nothing to be concerned about.
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Your main-game code won’t be going to an untimely digital demise any time soon; just be sure to redeem your bonus pre-order items within that initial window so you don’t lose access to the additional goodies included!