GameStop is offering a 20% bonus trade credit on used games traded toward any new game pre-order, suspiciously timed just right before Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders open.
Quick, check if unicorns are flying, because the usually stingy video game retailer, GameStop, just dropped a rather generous offer for those interested in trading-in their used games. Curiously enough, the announcement comes just as Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders are about to drop.
Coincidence? Definitely not.
GameStop announced on X that it is switching to easy-peel price stickers on its game cases. It is a small, mostly tongue-in-cheek announcement that, in celebration of, will see the oft-memed gaming company offer a 20 percent bonus trade credit on games traded toward the pre-order of any new game.
Like, you know, the next Grand Theft Auto.
GameStop Trade Credit Breakdown
| Your Normal Trade Credit | With 20% Bonus | Effective Savings on Pre-Order |
|---|---|---|
$25 | $30 | $5 off |
$50 | $60 | $10 off |
$100 | $120 | $20 off |
$150 | $180 | $30 off |
The more you trade, the bigger the bonus. Trade $50 worth of games and you get $60 in credit toward GTA 6, which is $10 off a pre-order that is expected to run $70 to $80 for the standard edition.
The amount isn't life-changing, but it's real, and it stacks with whatever you were going to trade anyway.
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So if you were trading in more than $300 worth of games, you could theoretically get GTA 6 for free based on the pricing estimates. Imagine that.
With that said, anyone who keeps sealed copies has dealt with price stickers that leave residue or tear the shrink wrap when removed. Easy-peel stickers solve that. It is a minor quality-of-life fix, but collectors have complained about it for years, so credit where it is due.
As for GameStop, timing a trade-in promotion to the biggest pre-order event in gaming history is smart business. The 20 percent bonus gets people into stores and locks in what will likely be an absurd amount of GTA 6 pre-orders before competitors capture them. You benefit, but so does GameStop, and the credit is store credit, not cash, which keeps your money inside their ecosystem.
This isn't exclusive to GTA 6, by the way. You could just as easily pre-order one of the many games avoiding GTA 6 that's coming out in September or the two games brave enough to stare down the open-world titan.
A practical tip if you are going to do this: trade in before the GTA 6 rush. As the November launch date approaches, the used market floods with people trading games to fund their own pre-orders, and trade values tend to drop when supply spikes. Trading now, while this bonus is live, likely gets you more than waiting.
As we have covered in our budgeting guide, trade-ins from games you are not playing are one of the easiest ways to offset the cost.
Finally, promotions like this come with terms. Eligible games, expiration dates, in-store-only requirements, and exclusions all vary. The example math assumes your trades qualify and the bonus applies cleanly. Check your local GameStop for the actual terms before you build a plan around it, because the fine print is where these deals get complicated.