With pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI set to go live on June 25th, we can finally end all the speculation surrounding the game’s price.
Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto VI‘s base edition will cost $79.99 for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. The game will also feature an Ultimate edition, featuring “an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story.” It will cost $99.99.
The price is consistent for both the digital version of the game and its physical copy, which does not include an actual disc. Instead, it will come with a download code inside the box and will be available starting November 12th, 2026, so fans can pre-load the game before it goes live on November 19th, 2026.
It was also confirmed by Rockstar Games that Grand Theft Auto VI will feature a single-player experience at launch, suggesting that a new version of GTA: Online is unlikely to be available later this year. It’s expected that GTA: Online will continue to operate as a stand-alone experience.
Those who pre-order the game will gain access to the Vintage Vice City pack, featuring a 1955 Vapid Stainier Vehicle, era-appropriate looks and hair for Jason and Lucina, and a weapon pattern inspired by Tommy Vercetti’s palm tree button-up.
‘GTA VI’ Ultimate Edition is rubbing people the wrong way
It’s standard fare for a game’s “Ultimate Edition” to include extra content, but many feel that Grand Theft Auto VI is taking things a bit too far.
First, the game already has a premium price tag of $80, and now you’re asking people to pay $20 more for content they feel should already exist in the game.
The extra content within the Grand Theft Auto VI Ultimate Edition includes select vehicles, exclusive weapons and variants, missions, and shops that are only open for business in the Ultimate Edition. This, presumably, means that you can come across shops like One-Eyed Willie’s Mod Shop, Electric Fang Tattoo, and more within the base edition of the game, but not be able to access them.
As you can imagine, people are none too pleased to find that they’ll come across “bonus content” taken out of the base game and paywalled behind an “Ultimate Edition.” Add in the fact that, again, any physical copies do not come with a, well, physical disc, and you have some very upset gamers.
It’s something similar to what Nintendo has done on the Switch 2 with the Game-Key Card. While these are physical cartridges for a Switch 2 game, they’re really digital licenses that let you download the game rather than physically own a copy. These are some of the least popular Nintendo Switch 2 games, given that a physical purchase means you’re really just buying a download license rather than, you know, a physical copy of the game. It opens up a slippery slope in the industry to see Rockstar also embracing this.
Don’t be surprised if the next version of ‘GTA: Online’ will cost extra, too
At the bottom of Grand Theft Auto VI‘s PlayStation store page is a Q&A section.
When it comes to multiplayer modes or features, it’s emphasized that “Grand Theft Auto VI is a single-player experience.”
Given the fact that we’re already paying an extra $20 to access stores already existing in the game, I fully expect a similar paywall to be in place whenever GTA: Online receives an update for GTA VI.
Despite a rocky launch in 2013, which saw many players (myself included) unable to access the game, Grand Theft Auto Online has achieved huge critical and financial success over the past decade-plus. Given that, it’s all but expected that at some point, we’ll see the world of GTA: Online move from San Andreas and venture to Vice City and the surrounding area. There’s too much money on the table not to, which is why it will probably cost money whenever it launches.
Follow Outrun Gaming on MSN for more content you love.
RELATED →
