Rockstar said GTA 6 costs $79.99 across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, confirming a $10 jump from the standard $70 we’ve seen this generation. The Ultimate Edition, meanwhile, is $20 more, priced $99.99.
GTA 6 physical copies do not include a disc, Rockstar has confirmed. They’re just a code in a box
Seize everything this massive world has to offer with the GTA 6: Ultimate Edition, an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action around every corner. Ultimate Edition bonuses are threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story, with new items uncovered behind each chapter.
I’m not a big fan of cheating during single player “experiences” but if they’re going to lock “premium weapons” behind a paywall, I’m absolutely cheating to get that shit.
I’ll wait for a trainer to come out. Love that I can do that and import GTA:O assets into the single player mode.
Gaming is so fucked.
I think gaming is in the best place it’s ever been, personally. There are more games in all genres (and hell, even new genres!) than ever before, across pretty much all price points. GTA and Rockstar do not define the gaming landscape.
You are right, the indie space is booming. I meant big gaming, the mainstream triple A crap. But some kind of shitty practices being accepted by people in AAA games, does bleed down to some smaller studios indulging.
Elden ring and baldurs gate 3 were peak, as long as I get something like that every few years im chilling
“Features a ‘Single Player Experience’ at launch”
wtf does that even mean. Was there a possibility it would be launched without the story or campaign? If so, that implies that online was their primary target and they just threw a story in there to prevent people from hating it.
Also why is it a “single player experience” and not, oh you know, the game itself. Sadly that phrasing uses enough weasel words that it makes me think that Online is the first-class citizen and the story is just a tacked on afterthought.
Needless to say I’m waiting for the game to come out and some further reviews before committing to anything.
From the FAQ on the PlayStation store page:
Q: Does Grand Theft Auto VI have any multiplayer modes or features?
A: Grand Theft Auto VI is a single-player experience.
Meaning that on its release date, there will be no multiplayer. We all know the mulitplayer is coming, whether it’s added later (like it was to GTA5 or RDR2) or if it’s a separate item in the store. Taking an educated guess, it’s probably just going to be added on, so that it can leverage the same game installation.
Speaking of game installation, dare I ask, do we know how many terabytes this thing will take up?
Thank you. It’s like nobody can read and understand sentences anymore. They are as clear as corporate speak allows
OK, seriously now: Why bother saying you’re going to “release a physical version” that’s nothing more than a code inside an empty plastic box? I really don’t get it.
Many retail games still allow you to have the full game without any service account or internet connection.
How does that work with a “Code-in-a-box”?
Some people like to still have the box for collection purposes. Personally, I agree. I think the only physical option at this point should be something like a collectible steelbook if all they’re going to have is a redemption code.
Yeah, Steelbooks and the like make sense, but wanting to buy a piece of plastic that’s just a waste of space… It’s the worse of physical and the digital format, the worse of both worlds.
(The anti Hannah Montana!)
But does it run on Hannah Montana Linux?
i like starfields steelbook. the code is on a real version of the in game credits. its heavy and fun to hold
its heavy and fun to hold
BigBananaDealer - 2026
Huge “I like shorts. They’re comfy and easy to wear.” energy.
im not quite sure what this message conveys
I’m just saying the phrase you singled out has the same feeling as this heavily memed phrase.
I’m not entirely sure, but the game disc can still be sold. Isn’t it? If it is just a code you enter and then don’t need the disc anymore, then you cannot sell it. Its basically a digital code only, like on Steam / PC. But if the game disc acts as a license, then it will download the rest of the game and you still need the disc to play. In that case you can sell the disc and no longer play the game. Similar to how game key cards work on Switch 2.
Another reason why big publishers want to have a physical release is, that they have a presence everywhere where “normal” games are also sold. Maybe your mom buys it for you, or a friend gives a gift.
But what’s the use of the box in “code-in-a-box”? It’s so fucking useless is insulting.
Would you rather it be sold as a piece of cardboard with a scratch off reveal code?
I just told you a few reasons from both sides. Another reason I can think of is, game cannot leak before official download day. The biggest reason probably is, because its cheaper to produce.
It’s extraordinarily cheaper to produce, and it kills the second hand game market. Both of which have been thorns in the side of AAA gaming companies for decades. Nobody else had the balls to force online only games (partially due to EU laws). A few tried (I forget the specifics), but they got smacked down and reconsidered. Everyone’s watching to see if this works, and if it does, brick and mortar game stores will go the way of the DVD rental.
To sell in physical stores so parents and other people can buy them as gifts.
OK, but why an nearly empty box!? Why not, idk, a card with the code or something? Why a goddamn box with a little piece of paper in it? At least Nintendo’s key-cards are something (shitty, but something nonetheless)
It needs to look as much of as a game as the others, that’s why they make a box for a code.
Which is a stupid reason but sales people are like this so.
To play devil’s advocate: physical disc releases are a security nightmare.
Pirate groups pay big money to get access to disc images before release so they can have a crack ready on day 1, and leakers would love to get early access so they can drip feed information for social media cred. The bounty for an early iso of GTA VI would be astronomical.
I do however agree that releasing a ‘physical edition’ that’s just a code in a box is a waste of everyone’s time and money, not to mention materials destined for landfill.
My problem isn’t so much that the box is empty (though that’s part of it), but rather: Why sell an empty box in the first place? Why not focus on digital and stop wasting everyone’s time?
Because people still want to buy the box? And this makes it so you can’t resell it. So they are focusing on the part of digital they care about, no resell. While still getting sales that are bought as gifts or people that have a physical collection and want the case.
Resell what, the empty box??
That’s way, the people with slow Internet will have a nice box to look at while their download fail.
Now that’s a reasonable response lol
So people can give it as a physical gift. That’s really it.
Gift cards exist. Why not gift cards shaped videogames? Why a nearly empty box?
I jnow this game will sell like crazy and make billions. But cmon it would be so funny if it made a concord.
GTA 6 physical copies do not include a physical copy, Rockstar has confirmed. They’re just a code in a box
So in other words, that is a fraudulent claim but at this point, who’s counting? I came from a time and place where, if.a company would make such a bullshit claim, they couldn’t get away with “but nobody would ever believe that a physical copy would actually include a physical copy!”, they would be fined heavily.
I propose we make such bullshit claims a criminal act for which the complete C suite can be jailed. Let’s see how fast companies start behaving!
I do wonder though, if the physical game contains a code, the non physical game contains… Nothing? Air? Vacuum? A black hole that swallows you hole? (Yes, that is a bad pun)
Oh well, might play it when it’s on sale in five years. Also wtf is a “single player experience”? Is this going to focus almost completely on GTA Online?
I see no reason to believe that the “single player experience” is anything other the campaign you’d expect out of a new Grand Theft Auto.
It’s normal to be suspicious in the enshitification era.
Hopefully it’s a normal campaign. And maybe it’s a single player mode based on the true game which is the mmo. An afterthought. Like how ESO can be played without interacting with other players, but it’s not fun. A single player “experience”
Also wtf is a “single player experience”? Is this going to focus almost completely on GTA Online?
Pretty sure it means the exact opposite. GTA Online is NOT a single player experience in any way shape or form. They’re saying that it isn’t going to have that at launch.
experience means it’s not true singleplayer campaign…
it’s marketing lies… stop eating the nonsense
No, “experience” is just corporate shareholder wording for this type of thing. You’re looking at this statement from a gamer’s perspective, but this is a company announcing the price of a product. Statements worded like this are talking to shareholders, regardless of where the statement is being made. Rockstar doesn’t give a shit about what gamers think about the price, this is Rockstar giving shareholders a unit price they can base estimated revenue from.
If they were referring to multipalyer in any way, tehy would mention it directly. Either as multiplayer, or more likely in reference to an upgrade for GTA Online. But again… that will be a later update so they can squeeze more sales from an already released product, and to remind people that didn’t buy it originally that GTA VI released and is getting updates.
There’s a lot more negativity surrounding that wording than I expected. For me, it’s like the best part of the announcement probably. I gives me hope that the game will be solid, and that an online component wasn’t the main focus (which some people were concerned about, given the financial success of GTA Online).
I don’t know why they chose that exact wording, but it’s really weird and sounds like the single-player campaign is just some by-product of GTA Online. Maybe it’s not, maybe it’s going to be great, I’ll wait anyway, I’m not paying 80€ for this.
Interesting because I read it the exact opposite. It reads to me like reassurance that single player was their primary focus.
Contrary to what the industry is hoping, this will not allow other games to sell at $80. Customers are already having a hard time justifying $70.
30+ = trash
60% off or more and the game still costs $30 = trash
Electronic Arts. … Activision Blizzard. … Rockstar Games. … Epic Games. …
all trash companies that make stores with game mechanics…
I don’t remember the last time I paid more than $15-20. I have too much a backlog and too many more important things to spend money on than an inflated day-one AAA. Even GTA6 is a maybe for me, and that’s a solid-looking addition to a series I’ve been playing for almost 30 years.
I only just finally caved and got Cyberpunk recently, and that’s because it was on sale for ~$18USD.
Waiting for a price drop is the only way unless you have magic money burning a hole in your pocket and you’re dying for a game that never goes on sale (Factorio I’m looking at you)
I’m currently on my first play through of RDR2 after waiting for it to come down in price.
Two of my favorite games of all time got remakes and are frequently on sale on Steam. MGS3 and FFTactics. Even on sale neither one is justifiable at $50 and $35. Death Stranding 2 at $70. Nahh. Pragmata at $60. Nope. Hell even Tempest Rising at $35 is too much for me right now. This hobby has been pushed to the extreme margins. There’s a large center girth of games I’d love to play but calling it justifiable is hard for anything over $20 right now.
I’ll wait till its available for $49.99 or less
I wonder if they’re going to charge a separate SKU for multiplayer…
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if it’s separate SKU + monthly subscription?
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if it’s separate SKU + monthly subscription?
it’s honestly what I expect from R* at this point. maximize the take from the rubes dumb enough to pay it.
Not that I agree with Nintendo charging $80 for Mario Kart, but at least Nintendo had decency to give people an actual physical copy, not lock content behind an additional $20 upgrade and not fire the people who made the game for unionising.
Does Mario Kart actually come on the cartridge or is it one of those game key cards?
It comes on the cartridge. Afaik so far all first party games have been actual physical releases, except Pokopia (which I think is only published by Nintendo and not developed by them).
Jesus fuck. Why don’t we make MMOs anymore? This hybrid “single player” game with online match making is the dumbest shit.
I mean… We do. Guild wars just announced their new MMO. One of my favorite MMOs just had a full release. Then of course, games like guild wars 2 and ffxiv are releasing expansions, and guild wars revived guild wars 1 with the promise of new content. Its certainly not the most popular genre and theres niches within it, but theyre being made and being played (by me)
I’m going to do the same thing I did with GTAV: wait ten years and get it for free on Epic or whatever.
I wonder if you still have to tap X to run like it’s 2002. At least default that shit to the Tears of the Kingdom style where you just hold the button.
Rockstar fired 31 employees for forming a union. If you care about workers rights, now is the time to put your money where your mouth is.
Sadly, I predict a repeat of this classic:
$114CAD for the standard edition and $142CAD for the ultimate edition, before taxes of course.
Go fuck yourselves, Rockstar. Not that I ever intended to actually buy this because, y’know, scummy greedy company, but this really seals the deal.
I was wondering about CAD, thanks.
The ultimate edition doesn’t include anything important, but the whole premise that they can charge $20 for something that is already in the game and is artificially hidden from you doesn’t spark joy in my heart. I was going to wait for independent reviews anyway, but with this nonsense I’ll probably wait for a solid discount too. Besides, I don’t expect good performance on my non-pro PS5.
