GTA 6 Ultimate Edition pre-orders prove Rockstar Games could have charged even more
The price is right for Rockstar
đ° 89% of GTA 6 pre-orders are for the $100 Ultimate Edition, far exceeding the typical industry premium share of 10-20%
đ Both Xbox (90%) and PlayStation (88.5%) players have shown similarly high demand for the more expensive version
đ Experts attribute the popularity to the significant amount of exclusive in-game content included, making the $20 price increase over the standard version highly attractive
đ While analysts suggest Rockstar could have charged even more, they expect the sales split to normalize closer to 50/50 as more casual players purchase the game closer to launch
It turns out that the GTA 6 Ultimate Editionâs $100 price tag hasnât deterred gamers from pre-ordering the more expensive option, as new figures show itâs far more popular than the standard $80 edition.
Digital intelligence firm Sensor Tower reports that a whopping 89% of GTA 6 pre-orders are for the Ultimate Edition, which includes several exclusive in-game perks like new outfits, locations, weapons, and vehicles.
Interestingly, both platforms reflect the same demand for the Ultimate Edition, with 90% of Xbox players stumping up $100 and 88.5% on PlayStation.
Itâs an astonishing split in favour of the most expensive version of GTA 6, and shows that the Ultimate Edition isnât just appealing to hardcore fans.
âI have never seen a 90% premium share before,â Karl Kontus, SVP and GM of video game insights at Sensor Tower told GamesIndustry.biz. âA 50% premium share during preorders is a great number. Typical premium shares for games tend to be at around 10-20%.â
Kontus believes demand for the Ultimate Edition will stay âsignificantly above the industry standardâ in the run up to launch, but that it should decline over time as more casual players buy the game.
âThe vast majority of the marketing campaign hasnât kicked off yet, and most of the preorders will come in the last week or so pre-launch,â he says. âI expect the split for these to be much closer to 50/50. That being said, GTA 6 is very hard to forecast, given it lives in a league of its own. There is no benchmark for how this game will perform from here.â
But why is the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition so popular? Kontus says the small disparity in price between the standard version â which is already $10 more than usual â plus the amount of content thatâs included has made a difference.
âSometimes the premium SKUs are just filler content to justify a higher price, but the GTA 6 premium SKU comes with a meaningful amount of vehicles, weapons, and even a custom mod shop that you wouldnât get otherwise,â says Kontus. âFor a lot of people, this is the one âmust buyâ game this year, and they will want to make the most of it. Iâm actually kind of surprised they didnât do a $150 SKU â feels like money left on the table (but also fewer players being angry as a result).â
As Kontus points out, many analysts will conclude that Rockstar Games and its publisher Take-Two could have charged more for GTA 6, with some analysts positing that the standard edition would still have sold at $100.
Clearly, the price is right for GTA 6, as Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed that pre-orders are âunprecedented and astonishingâ. Sensor Tower predicts that the game has already reached over four million pre-orders, even though weâre still waiting to see some actual gameplay.
That will change on August 27, when GTA 6 trailer 3 is aired exclusively on Netflix. It promises to give us an extended look at the game. Those without a Netflix subscription will have to wait a few hours before it comes to YouTube.
Up next: Ocarina of Time remake release date could pit it against GTA 6 as limited-edition hardware leaks
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcutâs Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadarâs Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.