A figure making the rounds says it costs $1,853 to fully enjoy Grand Theft Auto VI. However, it's not realistic in the sense that the figure does not represent an official Rockstar Games package, bundle, or anything you are asked to buy. Rather, it's a number you reach by stacking every separate GTA 6 product on top of a PlayStation 5 Pro with a few extras sprinkled in.
The game itself is only $79.99 for the Standard Edition or $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition. This is the only amount you need to spend to play GTA 6. Everything else in that $1,853 total, the merch box, the vinyl, the special controllers, the console, is optional. Nobody needs any of it to play.
The big number comes from adding up things Rockstar and Sony sell separately. The $399.99 Vice City Collection merch box is the most expensive of the bunch, which is headlined by a pair of Oakley sunglasses that make up the bulk of the cost and it doesn't even include the game. Once you add a $899.99 PS5 Pro, a couple of $84.99 DualSense controllers, some album vinyl, a Netflix subscription, shipping and tax, the total clears $1,800 easily.
Again though. None of it is bundled. No one's forcing you to spend that much on Grand Theft Auto. Rockstar is just betting that some people will and they're probably right.
What the official GTA 6 products actually cost
Item | Price |
|---|---|
Standard Edition | $79.99 |
Ultimate Edition | $99.99 |
Vice City Collection merch box | $399.99 |
DualSense controller (each) | $84.99 |
Album, CD to limited vinyl | $19.98 to $124.98 |
PS5 Pro | $899.99 |
The official prices for GTA 6 and its extras, all sold separately.
With that said, the cheapest way to play GTA 6 on the best hardware, a PS5 Pro to play the game on, runs you about $1,000. Add the merch box and you are near $1,400. Going all-in on the official items, both controllers, the limited vinyl and the collection, puts you around $1,695 before tax and shipping. You'll only reach the $1,853 figure once you fold in a Netflix subscription and other extras that are not really official GTA 6 products at all.
GTA 6 giveaway
Win a full copy of GTA 6 Ultimate Edition.We're giving away full copies of GTA 6 Ultimate Edition in several draws through launch. Enter with your email, then join in once on the site. One entry per person.
Prize
A full copy of GTA 6 Ultimate Edition
Email first, then one site action during the draw window.
Rockstar is definitely leaning into the hype by selling a lot of premium stuff around this launch, from the $400 merch box to $85 controllers to liquid-filled vinyl. There's no official GTA 6 Collector's Edition in the same way that there was for Grand Theft Auto V but there are extras that you can buy outside of the game, which are optional and not necessary, as we've made abundantly clear. You're free to spend more on GTA 6 if you want, just know what you're getting into, like how the shipping on that heavy collection is not free either.
Of course, it is fair to feel like the ecosystem around GTA 6 is expensive. But at the end of the day, the game is still $80, the same as any other big release. Standard Edition buyers still get the base game; Ultimate Edition adds the optional items and missions discussed above.
Again, all you need on November 19 is a console you probably own and an $80 game. The rest is Rockstar betting that a lot of people will want the whole GTA 6 lifestyle, merchandise and all.