With GTA 6 constantly getting delayed, many have started to go back to the tried-and-tested GTA 5 for catching up with their Grand Theft Auto needs. In doing so, a Grand Theft Auto 5 enthusiast stumbled upon an untouched Atomic Blimp promotion code that was sitting inside a pre-owned PS3 copy of the game – over a decade after its launch in 2013! The discovery created quite a spark of nostalgia across the internet.
Reddit user shayanrl shared his discovery on the r/GTA subreddit, posting under the title “bought a preowned copy of gta v on the ps3 today. look what i found!”, attaching a photo of the pristine promo card alongside. The metallic scratch-off panel remained intact, preserving the code that would have granted immediate access to the iconic Atomic Blimp in GTA Online. “brings me back to 2014 honestly,” wrote shayanrl in the caption.
GTA 5 fan finds rare Blimp code in pre-owned PS3 copy
The Atomic Blimp, which was the franchise’s first controllable airship, was a highly valued pre-order incentive for early physical and digital copies of GTA 5. Redeeming it allowed players to summon the slow-moving airship anywhere in Los Santos, offering a quirky yet panoramic way to traverse the vast open world. It was also another way of celebrating the game’s groundbreaking scale and the freedom.
Though not the fastest ride, it became a fan favorite for sightseeing and stunts.
Fans flooded in with memories in the comments section, sharing long launch-day lines, lost codes from childhood moves, and debates on the blimp’s ‘weird’ sluggishness. One commenter, LaylaLegion, said, “That blimp preorder was so weird. It doesn’t do anything and it moves so slow,” while others joked about playing GTA 5 using only the blimp as a vehicle, which could potentially allow them to finish the game just in time for GTA 6’s launch.
What did the lucky GTA 5 player do?
Shayanrl didn’t attempt redemption of the code and instead left the code as a museum piece, with a PS5 in the background, thus prioritising memories over mechanics. The community wondered whether it would still work on aging PS3 servers after all these years. Past threads suggest mixed results, with some old codes failing due to expiration or prior use.
As the GTA fanbase continues to scavenge Grand Theft Auto 5 for any secret features and discoveries, the gaming community eagerly awaits the release of GTA 6, which has now been rescheduled to November 2026. The successor to GTA 5 is taking players back to Vice City, nestled in Leonida County (which is inspired by real-life Florida), and features a love-struck couple of Jason and Lucia as the two protagonists.
