GTA VI Preorders Go Live as the Most Anticipated Game in Years Nears Launch

The Countdown to Vice City Begins

Preorders for Grand Theft Auto VI officially opened today, June 25, 2026, at midnight local time. It's the moment millions of gamers have been waiting years for — a chance to finally lock in their copy of one of the most anticipated video game releases in modern history. Grand Theft Auto VI is considered one of the most anticipated video game releases in history, and preordering guarantees access to available preorder bonuses while ensuring players are ready to jump into the game on launch day.

Launching November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S for $79.99, Grand Theft Auto VI features a single-player experience set in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the series yet. The Grand Theft Auto VI: Ultimate Edition amplifies the experience with an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of the story, and will be available for $99.99.

Two Protagonists, One Dangerous World

Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them — but when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida, forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive. The return to Vice City — the series' fictional stand-in for Miami — marks the franchise's first new setting in over a decade.

All Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders and purchases before November 20, 2026, will include the Vintage Vice City Pack, a collection of items that flash back to when the neon burned brightest, alongside a free month of GTA+ for digital pre-orders. Players who pre-order digital versions will be able to begin pre-loading on November 12, 2026, to ensure they are able to play at launch, and the physical version of the game will also be available starting November 12 to support pre-loading. Notably, some fans have expressed disappointment over reports that physical copies of GTA 6 may include a download code rather than a traditional game disc.

A Franchise — and an Industry — Built for Blockbusters

The stakes surrounding this launch extend well beyond a single game. Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013, became the second-best-selling video game of all time, trailing only Minecraft's 350 million units sold. The franchise's pull is almost unmatched in entertainment, and GTA VI carries enormous expectations on its shoulders. There are currently zero plans to launch Grand Theft Auto VI on either Xbox Game Pass or PS Plus — GTA V has appeared on both services over the years, but only after being available to buy for a considerable period, meaning players who want to experience GTA 6 at launch will have to buy it outright.

The broader gaming industry provides crucial context for just how significant this release is. Gaming now generates more revenue than the movie and recorded music industries combined — surpassing $200 billion globally last year, with much of the recent growth driven by mobile and PC titles. A tentpole console release like GTA VI still commands enormous cultural weight, and as for concerns about the series' signature violence, the American Psychological Association has stated that the evidence is insufficient to conclude that violence in video games translates to real-world behavior.

What Comes Next

The game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S — and at the time of writing, Rockstar Games has not announced a PC release date. That means a massive segment of the gaming population will be waiting longer, a familiar pattern for Rockstar, which typically brings its titles to PC well after the console debut. Rockstar Games has only announced Grand Theft Auto VI for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and a PC version has not been confirmed, meaning PC players cannot currently preorder the game.

With nearly five months between now and the November 19 launch date, Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive will have plenty of time to build anticipation further. If the franchise's history is any guide, the hype will only intensify — and when GTA VI finally arrives, it will likely redefine what a video game launch looks like all over again.