As gamers prepare to pre-order GTA 6, some have started to wonder just what sort of price Rockstar Games' latest sandbox epic will carry with it.
Grand Theft Auto 6 - a game that has been more than a decade in the making - was finally shared the world in early December. With the reveal trailer, developer Rockstar promised "the biggest, most immersive" entry into the blockbuster franchise to date (via a Take-Two press release).
Not much is currently known about release specifics surrounding the title other than its expected 2025 release timeframe for PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Xbox Series X/S, with no information on a PC SKU as of yet.
How Much Will GTA 6 Cost At Launch?
Rockstar has yet to make pricing public for GTA 6, but there have been some signs pointing to it being the most expensive title in the series so far.
When Grand Theft Auto 5 was released on PS3 (and eventually PS4) back in 2013, it launched at the typical $59.99 USD price point.
However, since then, games have gotten more expensive to create, and development cycles have gotten longer.
Due to the ever-rising cost of game development, some publishers started to explore the price scale a bit, releasing next-gen games at an elevated $69.99 USD.
Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive has been one major name in gaming to partake, releasing recent A-list titles like NBA 2K24 and Marvel's Midnight Suns at $70 USD instead of $60 USD.
Given estimates have GTA 6's total marketing and development budget somewhere around $2 billion (via Visual Capitalist), Take-Two and Rockstar are almost certain to release the game at that elevated price.
There has been speculation of a rumored price exceeding that $70 projected price, with some wondering if the video game giant would sell GTA 6 for $100 or more.
While Take-Two could make an unprecedented move like this and gamers would still likely flock in droves to the new game, it probably will not happen. $70 has become the industry standard no matter the size of the game, and Take-Two assumedly will not deviate from that.
Can You Pre-Order GTA 6 Yet?
At the time of writing, gamers cannot yet pre-order GTA 6 on their system of choice.
Traditionally, Rockstar games have gone up for pre-order only a few months before their release dates.
2018's Red Dead Redemption 2 (the last new game released by the studio) was able to be pre-purchased starting June 18 of its release year, only 130 days before it hit PS4 and Xbox One consoles.
If GTA 6 follows a similar sort of pre-order timing - and rumors of a Q1 2025 release prove to be true - fans itching to get their pre-orders in will likely be able to do so sometime in September or October 2024.
What Comes With a GTA 6 Pre-Order?
For those wondering if pre-ordering will offer any sort of added benefits, Rockstar has not yet made that clear.
The studio previously offered gamers digital goodies to incentivize putting their money down early.
For GTA 5, those who pre-ordered got instant access to the Atomic Blimp vehicle and a 75% off coupon for any other Rockstar game on their preferred platform.
And with Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-orders came access to a unique horse mount along with the Outlaw Survival Kit in-game.
Surely, there will be some sort of digital throw-in for fans willing to pre-order GTA 6, likely being some in-game currency, a unique weapon, or an exclusive vehicle those who wait to pick the game up will have to work for.
Another recent trend Rockstar Games could get in on with Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders is the idea of early access.
Some recent heavy-hitters like Call of Duty: MW3 and Bethesda's Starfield gave those willing to pre-order a specific collector's edition early access to the game. Meanwhile, everyone else who did not pre-order had to sit and wait until launch day to get their hands on the title.
Take-Two and Rockstar could opt to employ a similar strategy on GTA 6, letting fans who pre-order get a headstart on the game 72 or 96 hours before everyone else.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to release for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2025.
