GTA 5 Player Discovers Unused Atomic Blimp Code Inside Pre-Owned PS3 Copy — 12 Years After Release

As the wait for GTA 6 continues to be protracted, the nostalgic players are coming back to GTA 5 and a recent finding of one player has generated a lot of enthusiasm within the community.

A gamer playing Grand Theft Auto 5 on PlayStation 3 has seemingly unearthed an original Atomic Blimp promotional code still sealed in a pre-owned physical copy of the game more than ten years after its 2013 launch.

The user, identified as Redditor shayanrl, shared the find on the r/GTA subreddit under the post titled: “Bought a preowned copy of GTA V on the PS3 today. Look what I found!” The photo attached showed the original glossy promo card with its scratch-off panel still intact — a rarity for long-time GTA collectors.

“Brings me back to 2014 honestly,” the user wrote, triggering a wave of nostalgic reactions online.

A Rare Collector’s Item From GTA’s Early Days

The Atomic Blimp was one of the first controllable airships in the franchise, initially offered as a pre-order bonus for both physical and digital copies of GTA 5. Players lucky enough to redeem the code could summon the enormous blimp anywhere in Los Santos, giving them a slow but cinematic way of exploring the massive open-world map.

While not the fastest vehicle in the game, the blimp quickly earned a cult following among fans for sightseeing, stunt attempts, and its unique place in early GTA Online history.

Fans React With Humor, Memories, and Curiosity

The Reddit thread soon filled with comments from other long-time players recalling launch-day excitement, lost promo codes, and the quirky experience of flying the blimp.

One user joked:

“The blimp preorder was so weird. It doesn’t do anything and it moves so slow.”

Others humorously suggested trying to play the entire game using only the blimp — a challenge many said might take just as long as waiting for GTA 6.

So, Did He Redeem It?

Surprisingly, the code remains unused.

Instead of testing whether it still works on ageing PS3 servers, the player chose to keep it preserved “like a museum artifact.” Past reports indicate that some original promo codes expire or become invalid, while others still activate successfully depending on the server status.

Meanwhile, Fans Continue Waiting for GTA 6

The find comes as the GTA community anticipates the next big chapter in the franchise. Rockstar Games has pushed the launch of GTA 6 to November 2026, with the game returning to Vice City in the fictional region of Leonida County, inspired by Florida. The story will feature dual protagonists, Jason and Lucia, marking the series' first female lead in two decades.

Until then, many players are diving back into GTA 5 — and surprises like this prove the decade-old game isn’t done delivering excitement just yet.