GTA 6 will launch at $79.99 and will be download only

Update, June 25: The pricing for standard and ultimate editions of GTA 6 in other territories has been announced:

• UK: £69.99/£89.99
• EU: €79.99/€99.99
• AUD: $129.95/$159.95
• CAD: $109.99/$139.99
• JP: ¥9,800/¥12,280

Original story, June 24: Rockstar has announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 will cost $79.99, and that the physical version of the game will be a download code in a box.

Preorders for GTA 6 will begin at midnight local time on June 25, with the game set to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19.

Players who preorder the game will be able to begin preloading GTA 6 on November 12, a full week ahead of launch. This will no doubt help to ease the strain on servers: the launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong last year crashed the digital storefronts of Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam, and the GTA 6 launch is likely to place even more strain on digital stores.

In addition to the standard version of GTA 6 at $79.99, Grand Theft Auto 6: Ultimate Edition will be available at $99.99. This version will include an "exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story," according to Rockstar.

Preorders made before November 20 will also include the Vintage Vice City Pack, as well as a free month of GTA+.

Analysts have long debated whether GTA 6 would take the opportunity to push beyond the $70 pricing mark. Microsoft previously mooted selling The Outer Worlds 2 for $80 before walking back the decision. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz last year, former PlayStation head Shawn Layden said that AAA game makers are under pressure to increase prices as a result of the ballooning cost of development.

"The cost of construction is just way too high," he said. "If you're going to spend over $200 million to build a game, your margins are super tight, unless you can expect to sell 25 million units. Unless you're Rockstar, [you] should not expect to sell 25 million units."

More recently, developers and publishers have been rushing to get out of the way of GTA 6's November launch, leading to a crush of release dates in September.

Following the GTA 6 pricing news, GamesIndustry.biz asked a panel of expert analysts whether they thought $80 would become the new industry standard, and whether more publishers will follow Rockstar's lead by skipping on-disc releases. Some analysts have also predicted GTA 6 will sell 50 million units in its first year.