Rockstar Games has finally put a number on Grand Theft Auto VI, and it is not cheap. The standard edition will retail at $79.99 in the US, while the Ultimate Edition bumps the price up to $99.99. Pre-orders opened on June 25 at midnight local time, with the game available to reserve on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X.
The price had been a subject of intense speculation for months, with some analysts predicting it would crack the $100 mark. It did not, but $80 as a starting point still makes GTA VI one of the most expensive standard releases in console gaming history. For context, Nintendo has tried similar pricing and faced significant backlash for it.
What you actually get
The standard pre-order comes with a Vintage Vice City bonus, and anyone who places a digital order before the November 19 launch date can pre-load the game from November 12. Pre-orders also include a free month of GTA+ subscription.
The Ultimate Edition packs in a considerably longer list of extras, including exclusive sports cars with retro-futuristic styling, engraved weapons with high-performance scopes, personalized weapon variants, Vice City-inspired outfits and tattoos, a dedicated safe house vehicle, exclusive mods, salon perks for makeup and styling, custom streetwear apparel, and a special garage.
Rockstar has confirmed that GTA VI will launch as a single-player experience on consoles, with Jason and Lucia’s story at the centre of it.
The physical edition controversy
Here is where things get interesting. The physical edition of the game hits shelves on November 12, one week before the digital launch, but buyers will find a download code inside the box rather than a disc. There is no disc at all.
The decision has already generated significant pushback online, with fans questioning why a studio of Rockstar’s scale and resources is shipping a boxed product without physical media. The counterargument from some corners is that removing a disc reduces the risk of early leaks and eliminates the second-hand resale market. Neither of those benefits, of course, is for the consumer.
For collectors, the disc-free physical edition is a particularly sore point. GTA is one of the most culturally significant gaming franchises in history, and a boxed copy with nothing inside but a piece of paper undercuts the collector value that has always made physical editions meaningful.
GTA VI launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles on November 19, 2025.
