GTA 6 Fans Clash Over $100 Price Tag and Content Locked Behind Ultimate Edition
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to drop this November on Xbox and PlayStation 5, and it’s not coming cheap. The standard edition will run you $80, but if you want the full experience, including access to exclusive in-game shops and vehicles, you’ll need to shell out $100 for the Ultimate Edition. This has sparked a debate among fans about whether GTA 6 is essentially a $100 game.
On June 24, new details about GTA 6 were unveiled, including its much-anticipated price. As expected, alongside the standard version, there’s a premium Ultimate Edition. However, this $100 version offers more than just a few extra outfits. It grants access to multiple exclusive in-game shops that players who opt for the $80 version won’t be able to enter. Additionally, it includes unique cars, weapons, car modifications, and more. This has led some fans to worry that unless they spend that extra $20, they’ll be missing out on a significant part of the game.
One Reddit user expressed concern, saying, “Imagine if you have a pop-up asking you to upgrade once you get close to these stores. That would feel like a mobile game.”
While some fans praised Rockstar for creatively locking cosmetic options, like haircuts and clothing, behind the Ultimate Edition, others were less impressed. One user remarked, “Never thought I’d see people praising a company for uniquely locking single-player content behind a paywall.”
Others countered that having a few shops and cosmetics behind a $20 paywall isn’t likely to diminish the overall experience, especially given the vastness of the game.
“You’re not getting an incomplete experience just because four shops with cosmetics and a few cars and guns are paywalled,” another Reddit user pointed out. “People acting like it’s a big deal are just going to pressure others to spend more for the Ultimate Edition when they would have been fine with the standard.”
Historically, Rockstar has offered different, pricier versions of their games that included locked content. For instance, GTA V had a blimp exclusive to pre-orders and special editions, while the original Red Dead Redemption had various content tied to different retailers. Red Dead Redemption II featured an exclusive bank heist and gang hideout in its Ultimate Edition, which many players didn’t even realize existed, leading to some missing out on that content entirely.
“Wow, I wasn’t aware of this,” one user admitted. “This actually changes my perspective on the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition because I still put over 550 hours into RDR2 and had no idea I was missing out on anything.”
Rockstar isn’t the first to lock content behind a paywall. Who could forget Rage and its paywalled sewers, or The Saboteur, which charged extra for topless women if you bought the game used? It’s a bit ridiculous!
Even though Rockstar isn’t the pioneer of this practice in single-player games, it doesn’t change the fact that part of GTA 6 will be inaccessible unless players opt for the Ultimate Edition. That feels frustrating, even if the locked content isn’t essential.
Given that the upgrade is only $20, many players might choose to make that leap to avoid feeling left out. It certainly gives off a vibe of corporate greed, with the company looking to squeeze more cash from a fanbase that’s poised to make this one of the biggest entertainment launches ever. At least they’re not holding the game hostage with an early access fee—so there’s that.
Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on PS5 and Xbox on November 19, priced at $80 for the standard edition and $100 for the Ultimate Edition.
