Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders open, but don’t expect a physical copy
It is, quite simply, the most anticipated piece of entertainment since the Star Wars prequels and now, at last, you can reserve a copy. At midnight last night, Rockstar opened preorders on Grand Theft Auto VI, the latest title in the epic open-world gangster adventure series, five months before its 19 November release date on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.
Prices have also been confirmed, with the standard edition costing $80 in the US, £70 in the UK, and €80 in Europe. An Ultimate Edition (£90/€100/$100) will include exclusive in-game cars, clothes and weapons – the developer has confirmed that there will also be in-game stores that are only open to Ultimate owners. Anyone who pre-orders the game will get a Vintage Vice City pack filled with 80s apparel and other nostalgic items, which look to be straight out of Don Johnson’s Miami Vice wardrobe.
Notably, there will be no physical disc available for the game – at least at launch. Anyone who buys a copy in a shop will find a download code in the box. It’s likely that this is partly to prevent players getting hold of boxed copies before the release date and streaming content online. Video game news site VGC also suggests that the lack of manufacturing costs will allow parent company Take-Two Interactive to maximise revenue on development costs that some have estimated to be as high as $1.5bn.
Another element missing from the game at launch will be a modern update of GTA Online, the hugely successful multiplayer online version of Grand Theft Auto which premiered a month after Grand Theft Auto V in October 2013. Rockstar recently confirmed that at launch GTA VI would be a single-player experience.
Despite these omissions, GTA VI is expected to be a blockbuster launch, dwarfing the box office takings of the year’s biggest movies. Analysts are predicting sales of 40m units in its first year, in comparison to Grand Theft Auto V’s 32.5m. That game has now sold over 230m worldwide.
The game returns the series to the fictional US state of Leonida, based on Florida, and features a new version of fan-favourite location, Vice City, a hive of colourful drug dealers and corrupt politicians. Billed as a romantic crime drama, lead characters Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos are career criminals looking to escape their dangerous lives and go legit. It’s doubtful that will go as planned.
The route to release has not been entirely smooth for the game. Multiple launch delays and several apparent gameplay leaks have beset production and marketing plans. Rockstar is also facing legal action for firing 30 employees who claim they were targeted for attempting to unionise.
But with other major game publishers clearing the weeks around the title’s release, and with pre-orders alone predicted by industry analyst Tom Henderson to earn $1bn within an hour, the hype is very much on an upward trajectory.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Rockstar Games has opened pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI, releasing 19 November 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The standard edition costs $80 USD (£70 GBP, €80 EUR), with an Ultimate Edition at $100 USD (£90 GBP, €100 EUR) offering exclusive in-game vehicles, clothing and weapons unavailable to standard purchasers. All pre-orders include a Vintage Vice City cosmetic pack. The game will be digital-only at launch; physical retail copies will contain download codes rather than discs. GTA Online, the multiplayer component, will not be available on day one. The game is set in the fictional state of Leonida and features protagonists Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. Industry analysts have projected first-year sales of 40 million units.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
It is, quite simply, the most anticipated piece of entertainment since the Star Wars prequels and now, at last, you can reserve a copy. At midnight last night, Rockstar opened preorders on Grand Theft Auto VI, the latest title in the epic open-world gangster adventure series, five months before its 19 November release date on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.
Prices have also been confirmed, with the standard edition costing $80 in the US, £70 in the UK, and €80 in Europe. An Ultimate Edition (£90/€100/$100) will include exclusive in-game cars, clothes and weapons – the developer has confirmed that there will also be in-game stores that are only open to Ultimate owners. Anyone who pre-orders the game will get a Vintage Vice City pack filled with 80s apparel and other nostalgic items, which look to be straight out of Don Johnson’s Miami Vice wardrobe.
Notably, there will be no physical disc available for the game – at least at launch. Anyone who buys a copy in a shop will find a download code in the box. It’s likely that this is partly to prevent players getting hold of boxed copies before the release date and streaming content online. Video game news site VGC also suggests that the lack of manufacturing costs will allow parent company Take-Two Interactive to maximise revenue on development costs that some have estimated to be as high as $1.5bn.
Another element missing from the game at launch will be a modern update of GTA Online, the hugely successful multiplayer online version of Grand Theft Auto which premiered a month after Grand Theft Auto V in October 2013. Rockstar recently confirmed that at launch GTA VI would be a single-player experience.
Despite these omissions, GTA VI is expected to be a blockbuster launch, dwarfing the box office takings of the year’s biggest movies. Analysts are predicting sales of 40m units in its first year, in comparison to Grand Theft Auto V’s 32.5m. That game has now sold over 230m worldwide.
The game returns the series to the fictional US state of Leonida, based on Florida, and features a new version of fan-favourite location, Vice City, a hive of colourful drug dealers and corrupt politicians. Billed as a romantic crime drama, lead characters Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos are career criminals looking to escape their dangerous lives and go legit. It’s doubtful that will go as planned.
The route to release has not been entirely smooth for the game. Multiple launch delays and several apparent gameplay leaks have beset production and marketing plans. Rockstar is also facing legal action for firing 30 employees who claim they were targeted for attempting to unionise.
But with other major game publishers clearing the weeks around the title’s release, and with pre-orders alone predicted by industry analyst Tom Henderson to earn $1bn within an hour, the hype is very much on an upward trajectory.
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders opened at midnight and the game launches 19 November 2025 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S Standard edition costs $80 USD, £70 GBP, and €80 EUR; Ultimate Edition costs $100 USD, £90 GBP, and €100 EUR No physical disc will be available at launch; retail copies contain download codes only All pre-orders include a Vintage Vice City cosmetic pack GTA Online will not be available at launch The digital-only approach at launch partly prevents players obtaining boxed copies before release and streaming content early The lack of manufacturing costs will allow Take-Two Interactive to maximise revenue on estimated $1.5 billion development costs Industry analysts project 40 million first-year sales and $1 billion in pre-order revenue within the first hour GTA VI is expected to dwarf the box office of major films released this year
Read the full story at The Guardian ↗
- Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders opened at midnight; the game launches 19 November 2025 on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X
- Standard edition costs $80 USD / £70 GBP / €80 EUR; Ultimate Edition adds exclusive in-game items for $100 / £90 / €100
- No physical disc will be available at launch—retail copies contain download codes only
- The game will launch as single-player only; GTA Online multiplayer will arrive later
- Industry analysts project 40 million first-year sales and $1 billion in pre-order revenue within the first hour