For months, pricing rumors for Rockstar Games‘ biggest release of the decade ran wild. Many speculated that the company could push the industry’s AAA pricing to go past triple-digits. Thankfully, Rockstar has finally revealed that the base GTA 6 price won’t cost more than $80, and preorders will open at midnight local time on June 25. Unfortunately, the announcement gave fans two big reasons to complain as well.
The good news is that GTA 6 Standard Edition will cost $79.99, while the Ultimate Edition comes in at $99.99. Preloading begins on November 12 for PS5 and Xbox Series X, and the launch date is locked for November 19, 2026. That means GTA 6 avoided the dreaded $100 base price rumor that many feared. Although it still joins the growing list of AAA releases embracing the now-common $80 standard popularized by Mario Kart World.
The bad news is, the pricing announcement wasn’t what generated the loudest reactions among fans online. Rockstar also confirmed that physical releases of GTA 6 will contain only a download code rather than an actual game disc. Adding fuel to the fire, the Ultimate Edition promises exclusive bonuses ‘across all aspects’ of Jason and Lucia’s story, which include:
- ’95 Grotti Cheetah car.
- Shitzu Squalo watercraft.
- Jason’s Safehouse Vehicles: Dinka Enduro motorcycle and Crest Kayak.
- ’67 Vapid Dominator Buggy and Paradise Garage in Watson Bay.
- Vapid Ganado Retro Build modkit.
- Hawk & Little Morgan revolvers.
- Personalized Jason’s Girardi ES9 pistol and Lucia’s Klose K17 pistol.
- Exclusive ‘Vice City Style’ outfits, tattoos, and more.
- Goodtime Gear clothes.
- PTT YOUNGIN$ Illegal Goods Store gang compound.
- Classic Car Collection ‘Special Commission’ side mission.
- Ultimate Edition-only shops:
- Rideout Customs modshop.
- One-eyed Willie’s modshop.
- Sara’s Unisex Salon.
- Stock 305 clothing store.
- Electric Fang tattoo shop.
Yes, you read that right. The fine print specifically states that the stores are ‘only open for business with the Ultimate Edition.’ And they all come complete with their own exclusive customization options. Unsurprisingly, fans who have been waiting for years for this blockbuster hit are furious.
“Locking shops like hair salons and tuning mod station’s and clothing store’s is already crazy. But also locking side activities and rewards behind it, is insane,“ replied @medikamentos to Rockstar’s post on X. “Rockstar has changed quite a lot since gta online success.”
“wtf is this @RockstarGames,” @Felks_XBT chimed in. “I would understand some extra cosmetics locked, but I only see full shops being locked and cut content only for ultimate edition holders?” @Dmax_117 added, “[…] 13 years of waiting & this is all physical editions are getting? “For the biggest game to ever launch & that’s all the effort you’re putting in for physical?”
Meanwhile, those who preordered or bought it before November 20 will get the comparatively modest Vintage Vice City Pack. This includes ’55 Vapid Stanier car, Ocean Beach garage, exclusive outfits and hairstyles, as well as Tommy Vercetti-inspired weapon patterns.
So yes; at $80, the base GTA 6 game price ended up cheaper than the internet’s wildest predictions. But if you want to fully enjoy what the game has to offer, you might really need to fork up 100 bucks for it.
