Once, video games came with lots of physical goodies, such as guides, maps and manuals. Those days are mostly gone, but gamers have, up to now, usually been able to rely on one thing they could literally get their hands on - a disc. But when pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 went live on Wednesday, developer Rockstar said customers who opted for the physical edition would get a box that just contained a code for a digital download instead. It's not the first time a physical edition has launched this way. But if the makers of one of the biggest franchises in entertainment history has decided to follow suit, does that mean the disc is dead?

We're finally getting, poised to be one of the largest gaming releases in history. It's the end of an era for marveling at all the stuff we got before . The game is officially, truly, really, finally something people can pay actual money for. And it's bound to be a biggie. That would be a feat, but not one without precedent for the series.

The company behind the UK's newest video game console is not concerned with the latest state-of-the-art graphics or hardware. Instead, David Lee, chief executive of US technology firm Nex, says its cube-shaped machine, the Nex Playground, is designed to get children moving. The relatively little-known device surprised the games industry when research firm Circana revealed it was the third best-selling console in the US over Black Friday 2025, outselling the Xbox Series S and X. While motion-controlled gaming is nothing new - Nintendo's Wii launched in 2006 - concerns around children's passive screen time remain a hot topic for many parents and politicians. Ahead of the UK launch I spoke to parents who already own the console in the US, and tried the machine myself to find out how it works - and if it can really get families feeling fitter.

GTA 6 - all you need to know about Rockstar's blockbuster game The latest instalment in Rockstar's blockbuster game franchise, Grand Theft Auto, is set to be the biggest games launch of the year. Details are still scant, although we do now know that GTA 6 will be available to pre-order on 25 June, the developer has announced . Analysts believe Rockstar's action adventure could become the most expensive game ever made, with estimates putting development costs at more than $1bn (£866m). We're still awaiting some crucial information about the game - but here's what we do and don't know about GTA 6 so far. When is GTA 6 coming out?

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick claims consoles are Rockstar's "core consumer" for Grand Theft Auto 6, justifying the delayed PC release strategy. PCWorld highlights that leaked data contradicts this narrative, showing PC accounts for 46% of GTA 5 sales between 2021-2026. The console-first approach appears to be a business tactic to encourage double purchases rather than addressing technical limitations. Did you know you can just say things that aren't true and there's nothing anyone can do about it? Check this out: "My dog has six legs." Bam, look at all the consequences I'm not facing for fibbing to you. In 2026, you can do this to an audience of millions--even in a courtroom or congressional hearing after swearing an oath--and nothing happens. On a completely different and unrelated note: Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick gave an interview to Bloomberg discussing the company's upcoming, in which he claimed that PC isn't the company's "core consumer." "Rockstar always starts on console because I think with regard to a release like that, you're judged by serving the core," Zelnick told Bloomberg .

The video games industry is unpredictable. If you'd told us this time last year that a previously unknown French studio would claim game of the year, Battlefield 6 would knock Call of Duty off the top of the annual charts and that Saudi Arabia would buy gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA) we'd have been... sceptical. So you'd have to be very sure of yourself - or very foolish - to try and predict what's going to happen in the year ahead. Luckily, we're not in the crystal ball business here at BBC Newsbeat, but there are a few things we can be confident video game fans should keep an eye on in 2026. GTA 6: Will it actually arrive in 2026?

Why does GTA 6 keep getting delayed? When Grand Theft Auto 6 was delayed on Thursday, the famous quote from the series perfectly captured the feelings of many video game fans. It's the second time maker Rockstar Games has told players they'll have to wait even longer for what is likely to be one of the biggest entertainment releases ever. The notoriously perfectionist developer has a history of holding on to its blockbusters until it's happy with them, so the news wasn't a complete surprise. But it has got millions asking what's taking so long, and why. Rockstar Games officially confirmed it was working on GTA 6 in February 2022 and an initial trailer, released almost 18 months later, said it would come out in 2025.

I am 85 hours into Death Stranding 2, an apocalyptic nightmare about Earth becoming infected with death monsters, and I've realised that I'm playing it as a cosy game. For hours at a time, I trundle along the photorealistic landscapes in my pick-up truck, delivering parcels to isolated communities and building new roads. The only reason I complete the main story missions is to open new areas of the map so that I can meet new people and build more roads. I find it blissfully enjoyable. Of course, I am far from alone in playing video games this way.

Happy Monster Hunter Wilds week to all who celebrate: Capcom's thrilling action game has sold 8m units in three days, which means that quite a lot of you are likely to be playing it. I'm a huge fan of this series and am delighted by the latest entry, but after filing the review last week, I've barely had a minute to play it since it came out. Regular readers will know that this is a familiar problem for me: I have two kids, so my gaming time is tight, and the living room TV is very often in use. I anticipated this, so in the run-up to Monster Hunter Wilds' release, I spent 200 on a PlayStation Portal – essentially a screen sandwiched between two halves of a PlayStation 5 controller. I can't decide whether it's one of the most unwieldy things that Sony has ever come out with, or one of the most elegant.

I had to give up on Pacific Drive, the weird-fiction-inspired driving survival game I recommended the other week. Not because it's bad – it's great – but because it needed 20-plus hours from me that I just do not have right now. It's a game about probing further and further into a long-abandoned exclusion zone in a beat-up old car, and the anomalies you encounter. These range from pillars suddenly thrusting themselves from the earth to alarming hurricanes that shove you around the road, and all are excitingly inventive and creepy. But it was the tourists that finished me off.