GTA 6 will cost $80 - and physical edition will not contain a disc

Grand Theft Auto 6, the latest instalment of Rockstar Games' biggest ever franchise, will cost $79.99, with a more premium edition costing $99.99.

It is not yet known how much the game will cost in the UK - the BBC has asked Rockstar for a list of regional prices.

Rockstar said physical copies of the game will contain a code for a digital download for the game inside a box, rather than a disc.

Freelance video games journalist Vic Hood said the price tag for the standard edition was "fairly reasonable" but said the lack of disc may "irk some physical collectors".

However, she added the decision made sense from Rockstar's point of view, "as it reduces the amount of rebuying and reselling and helps prevent leaks".

One of the most hotly-anticipated games of the year, GTA 6 will open for pre-orders at midnight local time on 25 June.

The game itself - which some analysts say could be the most expensive ever made - will be released on 19 November on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

Following the reveal, some fans questioned the point of purchasing a physical copy, if it did not contain a disc.

Others queried whether they would be able to re-sell the game after, as can be done with normal physical editions with a disc, or whether the code would be shareable.

Fans seemed less concerned by the price - a $10 increase for the standard edition compared to the typical $70 price tag for similarly-sized blockbuster games.

"$10 won't be such a big hit to consumers pockets, but I still hope $80 won't become the norm," posted one.

When it launched in 2013, GTA 5 cost $59.99 for the standard edition.

Joost van Dreunen, a professor of games business at NYU Stern said the pricing was a "clever strategy" by Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two.

"Take-Two is catering to the largest possible audience while offering die-hards an upgraded tier," he said.

Rockstar added that players who pre-order digital versions of the game will be able to begin pre-loading it on their consoles on November 12 to ensure they are able to play at launch.

The physical version of GTA 6 will also be available starting 12 November to support pre-loading.

The more expensive "Ultimate Edition" will include features such as more vehicles, weapons and outfits for the characters.

It has been a long and bumpy road to this point for Rockstar.

Fans have been hankering for a follow-up to GTA 5 after it was released back in 2013, and became one of the best-selling games of all time.

Rockstar confirmed it was working on GTA 6 in February 2022, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

But after it was hacked and assets from the work-in-progress title were leaked online, the company delayed its slated release window.

Its launch date was pushed back again in late 2025 to November 2026.

At the same time, the company has also faced internal pressures - with some staff at Rockstar North, its Edinburgh HQ, claiming it tried to stop staff unionising by sacking them.

GTA 5 has sold nearly 230 million copies, generating billions of dollars in revenue for Rockstar.

The sixth game in the franchise will feature its first ever playable female protagonist in a 3D setting - Lucia - alongside her partner in life and crime, Jason, as a second playable character.

The question of how much the game will cost has been hotly debated amongst fans and analysts in the build-up to the game's pre-order release.

Hood said the price may set a new standard for AAA or big-budget games.

"The price of game production has been increasing and if GTA 6 can lead the charge for a price increase that is palatable for players, it's likely other studios will follow suit," she said.

Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.