For months, players wondered whether GTA 6 would be the game that pushed a standard edition to $100. Rockstar has stopped short of that, but the final price still moves the series into more expensive territory.
Grand Theft Auto VI costs $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition. Pre-orders are opening for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S ahead of the game’s November 19, 2026 launch, giving players their first proper look at what Rockstar is charging and what comes with the pricier version.
GTA 6 is not launching with a $100 standard edition, which should cool some of the price debate around the game. The $79.99 tag is still higher than the $70 price players have spent this generation getting used to, and Rockstar is now the biggest publisher testing that next step.
This is the first new mainline Grand Theft Auto in more than a decade. GTA 5 stayed active across three console generations, and GTA Online became a huge part of Rockstar’s business. That history gives Rockstar more room to charge above the usual price than most studios would have.
Other publishers will be watching how players respond. If GTA 6 sells at $79.99 without much damage from the backlash, it could make that price easier to use for other big releases.
The Ultimate Edition adds premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, tattoos, special shops, and other extras connected to Jason and Lucia’s story. For Grand Theft Auto, those bonuses are not small background items. Cars, clothes, weapons, garages, and customization spots are part of how players spend time in Rockstar’s cities between missions.
Exclusive outfits and vehicles are simple bonuses. Special shops and story-linked extras will get more attention because they sound closer to the world itself. Players will want the Ultimate Edition to feel richer, not like parts of Leonida were held back from the standard version.
Every early buyer gets the Vintage Vice City Pack. It includes a classic ’55 Vapid Stanier sedan with a garage, outfits and hairstyles for Jason and Lucia, and a weapon pattern inspired by the older Vice City style.
The bonus fits the game because Vice City already has a strong identity among fans. Rockstar is not selling a random preorder item. It is leaning on the memory of neon streets, radio stations, heat, crime, and chaos with a modern version of that setting.
Digital pre-orders also include one month of GTA+. That offer ties the launch to Rockstar’s subscription service, but it is unlikely to be the reason most players buy the game. The main draw is still the return to Vice City and the first new Grand Theft Auto story in years.
The physical version comes with a download code instead of a disc. That makes the boxed copy closer to a case for a digital game than a traditional physical release.
Players who already buy games digitally may not care. Collectors, used-game buyers, and anyone who likes owning a playable disc will see it differently. A code can be redeemed, but it cannot be lent, traded, resold, or preserved in the same way.
With a release as large as GTA 6, this decision will be watched closely. If boxed copies without discs become normal for a game this big, more publishers may feel safer moving in the same direction.
The price, editions, and preorder bonus are now set. Rockstar has shown plenty of mood, setting, and character, but players still need a proper look at how GTA 6 plays.
Leonida has the right visual identity already, and Jason and Lucia give the story a sharper setup than another loose run through criminal chaos. The next showing needs to focus on movement, missions, world reactions, driving, combat, and the systems that make this game feel different from GTA 5.
At $79.99, GTA 6 cannot rely only on scale, lighting, and a bigger map. Rockstar now has to show why this return to Vice City is worth the higher price.
