GTA VI Price Check

Gamers expecting a major price jump for Grand Theft Auto VI got a more measured surprise when preorders opened Thursday.

Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive set the standard edition at about $80 in the United States, roughly $10 higher than the usual base price for many premium titles. The Ultimate edition costs $100 and comes with bonus content such as extra weapons and vehicles.

The price eased fears that the long-awaited title could launch at $100 for the base version, following reports that six years of development may have cost up to $2 billion. In Europe, the game is priced at 80 euros, while the UK price is £70. Japan’s PlayStation store lists it at 9,800 yen, with New Zealand and Australia showing similar pricing levels.

The bigger issue for some fans is the lack of a traditional disc. Physical editions sold in stores will include a download code inside the box, which likely means no game data on a disc. Some players said this could weaken or erase the second-hand market for the title. Two independent North American retailers, Video Games Plus and Loot Box Gaming, said they would not sell the game unless a disc version becomes available.

GTA VI is scheduled for release on November 19, unless delayed again. Players who preorder can download the game from November 12, but will only be able to launch it on the official release date.

The game brings players back to Vice City, Rockstar’s fictional version of Miami, inside the Florida-inspired state of Leonida. Its lead characters, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, are described as a Bonnie and Clyde-style pair caught in a criminal conspiracy.

Rockstar calls the title its “deepest and most immersive GTA experience yet.” It will be available only on latest-generation PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, promising higher detail and faster loading than its 2013 predecessor, GTA V.

The stakes are massive. GTA V sold 230 million copies, second only to Minecraft, and analysts expect GTA VI to become one of the biggest entertainment launches in history. Piper Sandler analysts expect around 45 million units to be sold by release.