Grand Theft Auto 6 pre orders are not running out anytime soon. Digital copies are unlimited at $79.99, yet scalpers are selling listings on eBay for $120 to $138, and some buyers are paying it.
You'd think that a digital product like Grand Theft Auto VI wouldn't have problems with scalpers trying to take advantage and make a quick buck. After all, as we've already said, it's mostly a digital-only release, and the physical box comes with a code with no disc inside. However, as soon as pre-orders opened on June 25, scalpers flocked to eBay within hours, listing copies well above the $79.99 retail price. What's more frustrating is that some fans actually ended up paying above the sticker price.
Confirmed sold listings show standard pre-orders going for $120 and up, even though digital pre-orders are practically unlimited. There's no shortage. Not now, not anytime soon. People are overpaying for nothing.
Normally, scalping works because a product is scarce. You cannot get it at retail, so you pay a reseller more. The strange thing here is that the next Grand Theft Auto isn't limited at all. Anyone can pre-order digitally right now at $79.99 with no stock limit, even the Ultimate Edition.
Tired of GTA rumor recycling in your search results?
Make GTA BOOM your preferred source so Google prioritizes verified GTA coverage in Search, Top Stories, and AI Overviews.
So, the scalping is happening despite there being no reason for it to work.
GTA 6 eBay Listings
| Listing Type | Price Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Standard, active listings | $120 to $160 | Many with no bids yet |
Standard, extreme listings | $199 to $225 | Including shipping; unlikely to sell |
Standard, confirmed sold | $87 to $138+ | Real completed sales above the $79.99 MSRP |
Ultimate, confirmed sold | Just above $99.99 | A few sold slightly over retail |
Anyone can pre-order digitally right now at $79.99 with no stock limit. So the scalping is happening despite there being no reason for it to work.
Why would anyone do this? A few reasons, none of them good. Some buyers do not realize digital pre-orders are unlimited and think they need to grab a physical copy fast. Some saw Amazon briefly show "sold out" on physical pre-orders and panicked; others are just caught up in launch hype and not thinking clearly about the fact that the digital version is identical and always available.
There is almost no good reason to buy a GTA 6 pre-order from a scalper. Rockstar isn't running out of the digital version anytime soon, and paying a premium for the boxed version gets you a cardboard sleeve around the same download everyone else has. You are not getting early access, a better version, or anything exclusive. You are paying extra for packaging and impatience.
We have covered PlayStation 5 pre-orders running heavily ahead of Xbox and retailer warnings about console shortages. Those are about hardware, the consoles themselves, which genuinely could get tight this holiday. The game pre-orders are different. Do not let the real console supply concern trick you into thinking you'll run out of copies of the game to buy, too.
Sure, you might find it difficult or more expensive to buy the Xbox Series S/X or PlayStation 5 later, but that will never happen to the game.
The good news is this kind of scalping usually fades fast. As more people realize pre-orders are freely available, and you help spread the word by telling everyone what we just told you, the sold listings will dry up fast, leaving scalpers to sit on their unsold listings, a well-deserved fate for people trying to make so much ado about nothing and making money off of it.