GTA 6 Arrives in November, and the Hardware Bill Is Steep

Rockstar's GTA 6 hits on November 19, and anyone planning to play it will need a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S first. Those consoles cost more than they did at launch, so the total bill could come as a surprise.

The cheapest new console is the Xbox Series S at $500, roughly $200 above its 2020 launch price. Microsoft's Xbox Series X costs $750 without a disc drive or $800 with one. On the PlayStation side, the digital PS5 starts at $600 and the PS5 Pro with a disc drive runs $900. The Pro is the strongest option for graphics and performance, though the core gameplay is the same on every platform. Sony and Microsoft both sell certified refurbished units, with the PS5 starting at $500 and the Series S at $400. Secondhand listings on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist can be cheaper still, but check the seller carefully.

The game itself is $80 in the standard edition and $100 in the Ultimate Edition, which adds cosmetics and in-game shops. Preorders include the Vintage Vice City Pack and a free month of GTA+. GTA 6 is digital-only, so the $80 copies sold at stores contain just a code. The Ultimate Edition appears limited to digital storefronts. For comparison, GTA 5 launched at $60 in 2013, which works out to about $85 in today's money.

Plan for a big download. The game is reported at 201GB, and preloading opens November 12, a week before launch. The code-in-a-box copies also go on sale in stores that day, though they do not unlock the game early.

PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass are probably unnecessary at launch, since GTA 6 is single-player only and Rockstar has not confirmed whether that will hold. A new online mode, likely GTA Online, is expected later and would probably require a membership.

Rockstar and Take-Two have not explained the digital-only decision, but analysts point to money. A disc can be resold or rented many times, and the publisher earns nothing from those transactions. Mat Piscatella of Circana expects strong sales regardless of format.

Players on Nintendo Switch 2 are out of luck for now, since no version has been announced for that system. A PC release is expected in early 2027.