Why pre-ordering GTA 6 next week is a bad move

The wait is almost over. Rockstar confirmed it GTA 6 pre-orders begin June 25th. PS5 and Xbox Series owners can wishlist the game on the PlayStation and Microsoft Store to receive alerts when the pre-order period begins. This announcement came with the reveal of the cover art, but Rockstar did not specify if multiple editions would be available or if they would come with bonuses.

Should you pre-order GTA 6 immediately? For most people, the answer is probably “no”. GTA 6 will be the biggest game of the 2020s, and millions upon millions of people will want to access the game immediately; however, you don't have to commit to being part of that crowd on June 25.

Along with presenting some reasons why it might be better to wait, I will also discuss some exceptions.

The Looming $100 Standard Edition Speculation

How much will GTA 6 cost?

boobie ike holds a pile of money in gta 6

If Rockstar and Take-Two commit to a price on June 25th, then this section will become obsolete.

right now, GTA 6The price remains shrouded in mystery, but that may change on June 25. When the pre-orders go live, we should have an idea of how much the standard base version will cost, with the price speculated to be between $70 and $80. The thing is, a pre-order price isn't set in stone by any stretch of the imagination, and physical and digital stores have increased it before. Amazon's Star Fox is a current example…

Rockstar and Take-Two have historically pushed the boundaries of industry pricing, with NBA 2K21 is the first standard edition console game to launch for $69.99. In 2023, Rockstar ported Red Dead Redemption to Nintendo Switch and set the price at $49.99, and new versions of GTA 5 came consistently with charges. Earlier this year, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that the publisher is trying to “charge much, much, much less of the value delivery,” “a statement that could be considered corporate ethos that translates to “the amount of entertainment we provide will make any price a bargain.”

June 25 is the launch of GTA 6 pre-orders, but digital storefronts may not reveal the game's final regional pricing or level upgrades until the very last second. Dropping money blindly on day one without concrete confirmation of whether or not the base game will push past the $70 threshold is a huge consumer gamble, especially for those who pre-order the digital version.

Family

Grand Theft Auto 6's Collector's Edition items are already apparent

While leaks have supposedly detailed certain editions of Grand Theft Auto 6, the contents of its Collector's Editions feel pretty predictable.

The exception: If money is no object and physical collectors

GTA 6 will surely fly off the shelves so quickly that it might be really hard to find a copy. If you're an absolute die-hard collector who wants a physical disc or limited-edition physical Collector's Edition on day one, you'll probably have to ignore the price tag and simply commit to a pre-order. Physical dealers may have strict, limited allocations for physical stocks on June 25, and scalpers are likely to target them because that's the world we live in.

If you want to make sure you have a physical GTA 6 in your hands on November 19th, lock it in immediately on June 25th, regardless of the base price.

Are you going digital? Then you don't need to pre-order GTA 6 NOW

You win nothing

Generally speaking, there's no point in pre-ordering digital games unless you really want the bonuses, which Rockstar hasn't revealed yet for GTA 6. PlayStation Network or Xbox Marketplace will not run out of keys; on November 19, buy simply GTA 6 on your PS5 or Xbox Series X, and it's yours.

If Rockstar announces bonuses that you want, then you should pre-order GTA 6 a few days before its release. At that point, previews and maybe even reviews should be out, so we'll have a better idea of the game's state and quality. Usually these bonuses are available until the last second, and players do not gain anything by pre-ordering 6 months in advance.

The exception: None

There are no arguments against this. There is no benefit to pre-ordering a digital copy on June 25th.

Build your perfect top ten one reveal at a time.

The Unwitting Beta Tester

GTA 6's starting mode

As November 19 creeps closer, the likelihood of GTA 6 honoring its stated debut date increases. Although it has already been pushed back once, we have to assume that Rockstar will be desperate to make sure GTA 6 makes its holiday debut. Hopefully the game will actually be finished.

These days, a triple-A game launching in a less than desirable state is almost standard practice, and Rockstar is no stranger to rough debuts. Although it worked fine on consoles, RDR2The PC version had a notoriously poor launch. GTA onlines servers struggled during the mode's launch window, and GTA Trilogy: The Definitive Edition was the definition of a mess.

GTA 6 may well be the most ambitious open world game of all time, and a project of this scale seems to have a few problems. Pre-ordering means committing to playing (arguably) the worst version of a game, and it might be worth the wait to make sure everything works as intended.

I will say, RDR2 and GTA 5 were extremely polished at their console launches, so GTA 6 can follow.

The exception: Cultural FOMO

Honestly, I will definitely pick it up GTA 6 on release day, simply to be a part of the discussion surrounding the game. GTA 6 will likely go down as the gaming event of the decade, regardless of whether it launches in a flawless or flawed state.

I know “fear of missing out” is never a good reason to make an exception, but GTA 6 does not operate on the same rules as any other game.

GTA 6 on PC

To wait or not to wait

On November 19, GTA 6 coming out on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, after in GTA 5 and RDR2s footprint of launching on consoles before PC. Consequently, the June 25th pre-orders will not involve a PC version.

RDR2 came to PC more than a year after its console debut, and the wait was even longer for GTA 5.

This release strategy forces PC gamers with a console to make a choice: now, later, or both. If we were being cynical, this move could be seen as an attempt to encourage double-dipping, as players who buy the PS5 version can also buy the “enhanced” PC port.

This really comes down to personal preference. If you mainly play on your monster rig, waiting would be the better option, at least for now. Hopefully Rockstar will reveal the PC version's release date before November 19th, allowing everyone to make a more informed decision as to whether or not they're willing to wait to buy GTA 6.

The exception: If you split your time between PC and console

For the most part, Rockstar designs their games with consoles in mind, especially PlayStation systems. Although we need hands-on experience to say for sure, history suggests so GTA 6 should work fine on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. If your goal is to play GTA 6 now rather than later the decision has been made for you.