A Pandora’s Box situation
This isn’t news for anyone anymore, as anything GTA 6-related is front-page worthy, but in case you missed it for whatever reason, pre-orders are up now, with the base going at $80 and the ultimate edition at $100. Now, for the latter, it has raised several concerns, not because of the price, as other games have reached the hundred-dollar mark for their most expensive editions, but for the content it is coming with. GTA 6 is paywalling five stores, story content, vehicles, and more behind this price tag. And while that is shocking, what is truly concerning is that once players pull the trigger on that edition, other companies might follow suit and paywall even more.
GTA 6’s Ultimate Edition Could Harm The Industry
Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI begin at midnight local time on June 25.
Learn more about the Ultimate Edition and pre-order bonuses at https://t.co/XPwC8URCQ4. pic.twitter.com/DKe11NcRwb
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) June 24, 2026
As we said above, the price of the ultimate edition isn’t likely to cause a heart attack in anyone. We’ve seen some games go beyond that price for their most expensive editions. However, what makes the ultimate edition of GTA 6 raise so many alarms is what is coming with it.
While many were expecting a few vehicles and cosmetics to be part of the ultimate edition, as we’ve certainly seen it before, what we were not expecting was that some stores in the game would only open if you dared go for the $100 price tag.
As you can see on the official website, at least five stores are tied to the ultimate edition, including a tattoo parlor, clothing store, and some mod shops. It also seems that there are some missions tied to that, but there is little information on that, so we can’t confirm just how big or small that content is, and well, to be fair, extra missions as part of the ultimate editions already happened in GTA 5 and RDR2, so that’s passable in a way. Yet, stores being, as the site says, “only open for business with the ultimate edition” sets a terrible precedent.
But why is this so scary then? Well, as you know, whenever something big happens in the industry, it sets off a domino effect, with others following suit. Take Nintendo Switch 2, for instance. It started the whole $80-game trend, and well, guess what the price of the base GTA 6 is? That’s right. The list goes on and on. Day-one patches to fix broken games at launch, always-online single-player titles, skins for first-person shooters going for $40 dollars, gacha mechanics in almost every modern game, and so on.
And while we could blame companies for doing this, the ones who are truly to blame are consumers, as many know, the best way to speak to companies at times is with one’s wallet, which is what we’ve done since we saw the opportunity to buy a cosmetic with extra cash.
Players Could Still Turn Things Around
Naturally, since the release of GTA 6 has been one of the most anticipated events in the gaming world, we know several gamers will end up purchasing the ultimate edition. If so, what is stopping other companies from following the same practices? In a way, we’re telling the industry we’re okay with this. Another game could also lock a merchant behind a deluxe edition or go even further and ask you to pay more to experience the main story. We hope that doesn’t happen, but one never knows.
Yet, there is a light at the end of this hundred-dollar tunnel. So far, the GTA 6 pre-orders have already caused a lot of backlash. People are furious that the publisher is giving you only a paper copy with a download code in the physical edition. Some retailers are already refusing to sell the game, as there’s no disc inside. Many other gamers have said on social media that they will just wait until the game goes on sale, as there is nothing particularly enticing about its pre-order bonuses or the ultimate edition. So, we could see things changing before the game’s release.
We can only hope that players worldwide complain enough about these practices, as they really seem shady, to say the least. Plus, while it may sound like an exaggeration, GTA 6 will certainly change the industry, for better or worse. Still, we should all hope for the former and not the latter, as all of these editions, bonuses, and FOMO tactics are just harming everyone.
