Grand Theft Auto 6 opened for pre-orders at midnight local time, but players who buy a physical copy will find no disc inside – just a code for a digital download. Rockstar Games confirmed the move, pricing the standard version at £69.99 in the UK ($79.99 in the US) and an Ultimate Edition at £89.99 ($100).
The decision has drawn mixed reactions from fans. Freelance video games journalist Vic Hood called the standard price tag "fairly reasonable" but said the lack of a disc may "irk some physical collectors". Hood noted the move made sense from Rockstar's perspective, "as it reduces the amount of rebuying and reselling and helps prevent leaks".
“GTA 6 costs £69.99; physical versions contain a digital code, not a disc.”
On social media, some fans questioned the point of buying a physical copy that contains no disc, while others asked whether the game could be resold after purchase – as is possible with normal disc-based editions – or whether the code would be shareable. The price itself drew less criticism: one fan posted that "$10 won't be such a big hit to consumers pockets, but I still hope $80 won't become the norm". When GTA 5 launched in 2013, its standard edition cost $59.99.
Joost van Dreunen, a professor of games business at NYU Stern, described Rockstar's pricing as a "clever strategy". He said: "Take-Two is catering to the largest possible audience while offering die-hards an upgraded tier." The Ultimate Edition includes extra vehicles, weapons and outfits for characters.
The game itself – which some analysts believe could be the most expensive ever made – will be released on 19 November for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. Players who pre-order digital versions can begin pre-loading on 12 November to be ready at launch. Physical copies will also be available from that date to support pre-loading.
The road to GTA 6 has been long. Rockstar confirmed it was working on the game in February 2022, after the Covid-19 pandemic, but the project suffered a setback when it was hacked and assets from the work-in-progress were leaked. Fans have waited more than a decade for a follow-up to GTA 5, which became one of the best-selling games of all time.