The wait is over. Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders opened officially at midnight on June 25, and with them came the number players had been bracing for. After weeks of leaks pointing toward a steeper tag, the reality turned out gentler than expected: Rockstar Games and Take-Two have set the standard edition at $79.99. The $100 figure that had been circulating, fuelled in part by a brief retailer listing that ran far higher, never materialised for the base game.

$79.99 Standard, $99.99 Ultimate

The standard edition costs $79.99, while the Ultimate Edition lands at $99.99. There is no Special or Collector’s Edition in between – the lineup stops at these two tiers.

What makes the price notable is the backdrop. The figure sits above the $69.99 that became the benchmark for marquee titles earlier this generation, when Sony and others moved first-party releases up from the long-standing $59.99. At $79.99, GTA 6 nudges past most of its peers without reaching the $100 mark the rumour mill had insisted on – a number that, had it been real, would almost certainly have triggered serious backlash given the franchise’s mass-market reach.

What the Ultimate Edition and Pre-Orders Include

The Ultimate Edition targets players who want more than the base game. It bundles exclusive premium vehicles, weapons, clothing and activities woven into the story of Jason and Lucia. Anyone pre-ordering either edition also picks up a one-month GTA+ subscription along with the Vintage Vice City Pack – a cosmetic set of items, outfits and hairstyles styled after the aesthetic of old Vice City.

The Physical Version Stirs Frustration

Away from pricing, it’s the packaging that has people talking. There will be a physical version alongside the digital one, but the box holds no disc – only a download code. The reasoning is practical: the game is expected to be unusually large, and the code enables pre-loading, which goes live as early as November 12. Collectors aren’t impressed, however, and several smaller North American retailers have gone as far as announcing a boycott of the title in protest.

Pre-Order Now, Launch in November

Grand Theft Auto VI can be pre-ordered from midnight local time on June 25 through the PlayStation Store, the Microsoft Store, the Rockstar Games Store and a wide range of retailers, including Amazon and Walmart. Buyers of the digital versions can begin pre-loading on November 12. The release itself follows on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar has not confirmed a PC version so far.

A Conciliatory Opening Move

By stopping at $79.99 rather than the triple-digit figure the leaks had floated, Rockstar has likely taken some of the tension out of the pre-order season. Set against the wilder rumours, the real number looks almost restrained – and eases the pressure on wallets, even if nothing can slow the hype machine itself.