Though many may baulk at the idea of paying $100 (£90) for a game, a lot of the people who pre-ordered Grand Theft Auto 6 bought the more expensive Ultimate edition rather than the $80 (£70) Standard edition. That’s according to Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Rockstar parent company Take-Two.
Zelnick told CNBC that pre-orders overall are “much better than expected”, and that the split skews more towards the Ultimate edition. He believes that might simply be because players who pre-order are more likely to be the type who values what’s included in the more expensive edition.
“That might be a reflection of the fact that most avid consumers are the ones who are pre-ordering now,” Zelnick said.
The Ultimate edition comes with a number of in-game items and even shops that are not available in the Standard edition, so much so that these caused controversy when they were initially revealed.
The Ultimate edition features exclusive vehicles, stylised weapon variants, outfits, tattoos and hairstyles. The bulk of the package, however, is in the inclusion of five exclusive shops, ranging from vehicle mod shops to clothing stores, and tattoo parlors to beauty salons.
Take-Two recently increased its earnings forecast for fiscal year 2027 in response to the excitement and anticipation of GTA 6’s 19th November release. As part of the same earnings report, Zelnick responded to questions about Sony’s controversial decision to end PlayStation disc manufacturing, saying that Take-Two’s business is almost entirely digital and won’t be affected.
GTA 6’s next big moment arrives later this month with an “extended look” trailer that airs as a timed exclusive on Netflix, six hours before going on YouTube. In an interview following the news, Zelnick said this was “an example of Rockstar trying new things” and that “if you’re not a Netflix subscriber, you definitely should be one”.