It’s no secret that Grand Theft Auto VI is poised to be the most hotly anticipated game of 2026. Publishers and developers are actively avoiding the November period because no one wants to go up against GTA VI. Rockstar has virtually become the only company in the world that can get away with simply releasing a video that shows off the game’s cover art and still have fans falling over themselves for what is essentially a nothingburger of a video. Preorders are also going live on June 25 for all regions, and Rockstar knows it can get away with some seriously ridiculous stunts.
First, let’s talk about what the preorders and different editions of GTA VI actually entail.
GTA VI Standard Edition ($79.99 USD)
You’ll get the base game and a free month of GTA+ for preordering the Standard Edition, as well as the Vice Cty pack, which includes the following:
- ’55 Vapid Stanier and Shore Court Garage: Cruise Shore Drive in the legendary ’55 Vapid Stanier, a Vice City classic meant to be admired, and store it in a new personal garage just a stone’s throw from the glistening sands of Ocean Beach. Like all personal garages in Leonida, you’ll have a weapon locker to customize your loadout for any occasion plus a secure place to deposit stolen goods for the local Fence, who will accept most stolen goods at a reasonably discounted rate.
- Outfits and Hairstyles: Dress for excess with two Vice City luxury looks for both Jason and Lucia:
- Jason: An effortlessly chic linen suit in vintage pastel, complemented by the cut and coif of the decade of decadence.
- Lucia: The world is yours in a red sequin mini dress and curls.
- Exclusive Weapon Pattern: Channel the original Vice City kingpin, Tommy Vercetti, and his iconic palm tree button-up with a tropical pattern available to adorn most guns.
GTA VI Ultimate Edition ($99.99 USD)
- ’67 Vapid Dominator Buggy and Paradise Garage: A Mud Club monster offering impressive off-road handling for the backwoods of Mount Kalaga and beyond, conveniently stored at a garage in Watson Bay, featuring a weapon locker to customize your loadout for any occasion plus a stash box to deposit stolen goods to be fenced.
- ’95 Grotti Cheetah: Grotti’s signature mid ’90s sports car and ode to Shore Drive, the ’95 Grotti Cheetah, complete with a minimalist, retro-futuristic livery and available to punctuate later-stage action.
- Vehicles and Vapid Ganado Retro Build at Jason’s Safehouse: Switch gears and soak up the sun in either an Army fatigue-tinged Dinka Enduro motorcycle and Crest Kayak, or inject some muscle and classic stylings into Jason’s well-worn Vapid Ganado pickup with exclusive mods including a cab spoiler, rear aerials, and special livery.
- Vehicle Mod Shops: Two preeminent vehicle customization destinations are exclusively open for business with the Ultimate Edition and feature a wide selection of artistic and performance-based vehicle mods. At Rideout Customs in Vice City, transform vanilla vehicles into magnificent works of art with detailed interiors, exquisite rims, and donk stylings. Meanwhile at One-Eyed Willie’s in Lake Leonida, transform off-road vehicles with exclusive mods and even attain custom hand-painted masterpieces.
- Classic Car Collection: Track down a variety of abandoned classic and work-in-progress project cars and revitalize them to their former glory in this special commission from eccentric collector and local fixer, Wyman. Restore these and make them your own, including four vehicles that are only available in the Ultimate Edition.
- Shitzu Squalo: Perfect for casting in Gambit Bay and reeling in catches of all sorts, this gradient pink and blue Squalo docked at Washington Beach is made open-ocean-ready with an explosives-laden weapons crate.
- Hawk & Little Morgan Revolver: Sourced exclusively from the Vercetti Estate and found at Ammu-Nation stores as Jason and Lucia’s story progresses, his and hers versions of the powerful Hawk & Little Morgan Revolver are available with classic Vice City stylings for both Jason and Lucia, including palm-tree-etched grips, engraved detailing, high-performance scope, and personalized finishes.
- Personalized Weapon Variants: Personalized sidearms with detailed engravings for both Jason’s Girardi ES9 pistol and Lucia’s Klose K17 pistol.
- PTT Youngin$ Compound and Scores: One of Leonida’s loudest and most socially active gangs, the PTT Youngin$ grow premium hydroponics in places you’d least expect. Find a way to raid the PTT Youngin$ Illegal Goods Store in Southside Vice City and escape safely to score some special items and distinct contraband.
- Vice City Styles for Jason and Lucia: Whether poolside or side by side, Jason and Lucia can look the part with exclusive outfits, tattoos, and more.
- Goodtime Gear: A capsule collection of apparel and accessories inspired by the Goodtime State’s hit TV show character, Macca the Gator.
- Stock 305 Clothing Store: Exclusively open for business with the Ultimate Edition, Stock 305 is Stockyard’s premiere destination for elevated streetwear. Style various unique and exclusive looks for Jason and Lucia that complement the murals, tags, and artwork that put the neighborhood on the map.
- Sara’s Unisex Salon: Get signature salon hair styles for both Jason and Lucia, including facial hair for Jason and makeup and nails for Lucia.
- Electric Fang Tattoo: Stockyard’s most iconic ink bar, with over 50 exclusive, signature tattoos for both Jason and Lucia — all designed by the artist collective FAILE.
Now here’s where things get tricky, and kinda icky. Locking cosmetics behind the Ultimate Edition is understandable by today’s standards. I’m sure we’re all used to modern video games offering up extra mounts, vehicles, and outfits behind a more expensive version of the game, but I have to admit that it feels particularly egregious in a GTA game, where style and personalization have long dominated the vibe of this series.
A big part of the fun is being able to browse all of the shops available in the city, pick out a fit and haircut that you like best, and then barrel through the rest of the story with your favorite look. Right now I’m imagining stumbling on an interesting looking store, not realize that it’s the Stock 305 that’s exclusive to the Ultimate Edition, and trying to walk in only to be told that I need to shell out an extra 20 bucks just to be able to go in and buy stuff.
Even more frustrating is the fact that the Ultimate Edition also features an exclusive Gang Compound mission. Longtime GTA fans will remember that gang missions used to be a big part of the earlier games in the series, where you could liberate areas from certain gangs, and your actions would meaningfully impact your overall gameplay experience. With one of these missions being locked behind the Ultimate Edition, I guess I can’t help but feel like I’m being pushed towards paying $100 in order to get the complete experience.
Gameplay content being locked behind preorders and Ultimate Editions isn’t a new thing, to be sure. Mass Effect 3 infamously did this with the From Ashes launch DLC back in 2012, which included a whole bunch of missions about the Protheans and also introduced Javik as a companion. It’s all “optional”, sure, but from my experience, Javik and the whole Prothean storyline felt pretty damn crucial to Mass Effect 3‘s plot and world-building. I don’t know if GTA VI‘s Gang Compound missions will be quite as impactful as From Ashes, but it’s a frustrating development, to be sure.
And let’s not even talk about the pricing on these games. The trend of pricing video games at $80 sort of started with Mario Kart World when the Nintendo Switch 2 first launched, though it’s worth noting that most companies are still pricing their new releases at $70. Rockstar, however, is going straight for $80 with the Standard Edition and $100 for the Ultimate Edition.
There are a lot of factors to unpack here, such as the fact that inflation is a thing, costs of living have only increased over the past two decades, and don’t get me wrong — I am very well aware that video game development takes a very long time to make, and they are also very expensive. It’s almost a miracle that games aren’t more expensive than they are right now, but on the flip side, it’s difficult not to feel like I’m increasingly getting priced out of enjoying my own hobby.
Granted, I do get a fair few opportunities from publishers where I’m often able to play their games early and for free while reviewing them, so I recognize I’m in a position of privilege here. It certainly doesn’t stop me from recognizing how ugly the reality is becoming, though, even if I’m not entirely sure there’s even a viable solution to this problem.
Then, of course, there’s also the fact that physical editions of the game won’t even come with a disc. Instead, you’re getting a code that lets you pre-load the game before launch. Which means you can’t expect any sort of secondhand market when it comes to this game. Gosh, when you put all these things together, modern gaming sure does sound like a nightmare, huh?
At the end of the day, I want to play GTA VI. I think, on some level, that makes me part of the problem, because Rockstar absolutely knows that people will pay whatever price they set in order to play the new GTA game.
GTA VI is set to be released for consoles on Nov. 19.
