As Sony inches ever closer to a future where it permanently halts the production of PlayStation discs and as GTA 6 prepares to ship without a true physical version at all, Rockstar Games and Grand Theft Auto co-founder, Dan Houser, has some thoughts about the physical versus digital games debate.

The former GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 lead developer - who also had a hand in several more Rockstar classics - was recently asked about the topic at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. His thoughts? Houser isn't personally enthusiastic about physical games shipping on discs, but he doesn't see why companies should stop making them altogether.

"I don't know that I care, but if people want that, I think companies should provide it," Houser tells IGN in an interview at SDCC. "But I don't know that I personally care."

He also acknowledges that people sure are critical of digital games, but from a developer's perspective, "the ability to update and fix problems in games has been really useful for the quality of games."

The future of physical games are on a lot of peoples' minds right now after PlayStation announced plans to axe PlayStation disc production starting in 2028. That means new games that come out past that point won't get true physical editions on PlayStation hardware - it also means your ability to lend, borrow, sell, and truly own the games you pay for is seriously constricted. An ironic demonstration of how our all-digital future could go very wrong happened this week, when The PlayStation Network almost went down and stopped waves of people from downloading or even playing their digital library.

Also speaking to IGN, former Rockstar veteran Lazlow Jones chimed in, too: "We all have that sort of feeling when you get that copy, and you put the disc in the console, but I also have to say I really like being at the airport and going, 'Oh, cool. I can download some quick games to my Steam Deck for this 12-hour flight.'"

Jones and Houser are now both working at Absurd Ventures, a company making multiple multimedia projects, including an upcoming AAA open-world game and a new comic book. Jones says that's "a different creative process but also just really fulfilling to have a physical thing you can say, 'Look. We made a thing.'"

"I love physical media," Houser adds.

PlayStation killing discs is bad for everyone, whether you care about physical games or not

The Rockstar Games Workers Union has had its first meeting with Rockstar management after seeking recognition, confirming that "it was a step in the right direction."

Last month, it was revealed that Rockstar developers in the UK were seeking official union recognition – something which would give the union the right to negotiate with employers at GTA 6 developer Rockstar on behalf of its members regarding things like employment conditions. Rockstar agreed to meet with the union reps, and now, the union has shared an update on Twitter.

"We had our first meeting with Rockstar management!" a new post from the Rockstar Games Workers Union states, confirming that, as it stands, Rockstar has requested negotiations before agreeing to the union's voluntary recognition.

As for how things went, the RSGWU says: "It was a step in the right direction. We were able to make the case that workers' voices need to be heard and that we can collaborate to achieve this." Crucially, it adds, "we managed to secure a roadmap for a speedy negotiation process."

Next, the union says, "we will now look to agree on the 'bargaining unit' – the list of workers that the union can represent."

Although the union is seeking voluntary recognition, that isn't its only option. "If negotiations over a voluntary recognition agreement hit a wall, we will pursue statutory recognition, which legally obliges an employer to recognise a union once it represents a significant proportion of the workforce," it explains. And, although it doesn't share numbers, it sounds like the RSGWU is pretty big. In fact, it's "already the biggest game studio union in Europe."

With that said, there are benefits of voluntary recognition – as the RSGWU writes, it'd mean "anything can be written into the agreement document."

In this case, the union wants "no crunch" – ensuring that overtime is "always paid" and aiming for "a stronger process" to avoid crunching in the first place – as well as pay transparency, flexible working options, "a commitment to no layoffs," and to make it so no one's job can be "replaced with AI."

Crunch is a big part of this for the devs. One anonymous dev who recently spoke about the goals of the union alleged that "crunch is prevalent enough that the company built into our contracts, as standard, an opt-out of the Working Time Regulations."

For now, it seems we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out. Last year, Rockstar Games was accused of union busting after over 30 employees – who were allegedly either current union members or planning to organize one – were fired. Rockstar claimed at the time that "we took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies. This was in no way related to people's right to join a union or engage in union activities."

"There is a magic to what Rockstar does," former GTA 5 dev says ahead of GTA 6, "I just wish they could do it at a lower human cost."

Yo dawg, I heard you like Grand Theft Auto, so I put multiple GTA games inside your GTA. That's probably what the modder behind the GTA multiverse was thinking, because he made it possible to quite literally jump between 3, Vice City, and San Andreas at will.

I'm not exaggerating, either. The creative mind in question is known as Dryxio, and he put up a video demonstrating his digital creation. Starting on Grove Street, the home of CJ in San Andreas, he's confronted by three portals: one going to a spot in the middle of 3, another to somewhere in Vice City, and another taking him to a different location in his current game.

He uses an assault rifle to show that what we're seeing is fully interactive. You can shoot through these portals at NPCs visible on the other end, as if it were a regular window. Stepping into one then places you in the shoes of the other protagonists, either Tommy Vercetti or Claude, and you can continue playing as normal through that particular installment.

It's truly a technical marvel, and in the YouTube comments he provides a bit of insight on how he did it. "All three games run inside the same process, sharing one Direct3D device," he writes.

"Each portal is a live GPU texture, the other game is actually running behind it, it's not a video or a captured window," he adds. "Walking through swaps which engine has control and the others keep running."

What he's saying is that all three games are literally running at the same time, and each instance of jumping through a portal transfers you over to that installment seamlessly. The modification isn't available publicly yet, but I'd advise following him for updates if you're keen to try it.

He's been modding Grand Theft Auto games for some time, with other videos on his channel for a San Andreas map editor and a filter for giving any clip the aesthetic of the 2004 classic PlayStation 2 release. This sets a pretty high bar for where he could go next. Can't believe we got all three PS2 GTA games running simultaneously before GTA 6.

GTA 6 probably won't include any cut content, says GTA 5 producer, even though Rockstar snuck "unannounced" game's missions into GTA 4

Rockstar probably isn't planning to slip any sneaky cut content from its previous games into GTA 6, says GTA 5 producer John Ricchio, though the developer has done it before.

Ricchio tells Kiwi Talkz about Rockstar's approach to cut content in a recent interview, "If the tech is fundamentally the same, or similar enough, you can sometimes plop it in as like, 'Hey, let's just see how this works.'" Ricchio specifically remembers Rockstar adding "some" missions from a cancelled, unannounced game into GTA 4, "which was kind of cool."

"So there's the notion like, 'Hey, this idea is cool. We should keep this idea going.' I think that 100% happens," Ricchio says. But "when it comes to actually, like, lifting scripting or a code into a new game, that depends a lot on how much the tech has changed."

Still, even when Rockstar devs could borrow intriguing concepts from previous games, they might choose not to. Ricchio explains, "In a lot of cases, there's almost never – you're usually not limited by ideas, right? Like there's always tons of ideas. The more creative folks you got, you got tons of ideas."

"I haven't seen a huge need to go back and pull from old stuff unless something was just really cool," Ricchio continues, "and people really want to bring the idea forward."

But what if I want to learn if Bully's cut Tie Headband Punk could turn his life around among GTA 6's Leonida beaches? "It's possible," says Ricchio about Rockstar adopting cut content, but "I don't think it's very common unless you're doing a fast-follow."

GTA 5 had "so much" cut content, including minigames that were almost "completely done," former Rockstar dev says: "They'll throw out entire levels."

A former Rockstar Games producer says the famed studio is careful to scrub cut content from its game files in an effort to avoid accidentally shipping anything it doesn't want the public to lay eyes on, and we can thank the GTA San Andreas Hot Coffee scandal for that.

For context, more than two decades ago, GTA San Andreas and Rockstar Games found themselves in the middle of a scorching scandal. The open-world game maker at one point developed a sexually explicit minigame for 2004's San Andreas, but eventually decided to scrap the idea before launch to avoid getting slapped with an 'Adults Only' rating that would keep the game out of most US retailers.

But instead of outright bleaching the minigame off the game's files, the GTA San Andreas devs simply made it inaccessible to players. That didn't stop the modding community from finding the hidden code come launch, enabling the so-called Hot Coffee minigame, and then kickstarting a wave of legal backlash against Rockstar. The controversy got so loud, the studio had to reissue a version of the game devoid of Hot Coffee.

Speaking to Kiwi Talkz, former Rockstar Games lead producer John Ricchio said the scandal made the studio much more careful about how it handles cut content. "One of the things after Hot Coffee, obviously having things on the disc is dangerous," he explains. "You don't want to necessarily have stuff on the disc that people can find."

Ricchio goes on to say that Rockstar now puts in "a huge effort" to "strip everything that is not included out of the game," and ensure that unintended content doesn't accidentally ship, even if it's hidden in the game's code.

On the topic of cut content, Ricchio shares that it's not very common for Rockstar Games to reuse scrapped ideas in future games. An exception is GTA 4, which actually includes some levels that originally began life in a different unannounced and eventually-canceled game. Transferring code or scripting tools just depends on how much the tech has changed from game to game. Maybe don't expect GTA 6 to include anything left on GTA 5's cutting room floor, then.

Former Xbox boss says GTA: San Andreas and its infamously NSFW Hot Coffee minigame "signified a maturing of the industry" and put games "on par with movies and music"

Rockstar Games' open-world adventures almost always try to one-up their predecessors, at least in terms of sheer size, and that's not a pattern one former GTA 5 developer anticipates will change when GTA 6 finally blasts onto the scene.

John Ricchio, a former producer on everything from GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption to Max Payne 3, was recently asked about whether he'd even want to be part of the studio ahead GTA 6's imminent launch.

"I think the fact that every single time they do a GTA, it's ludicrously bigger than before is like something that I think about," Ricchio says in a chat with YouTuber Kiwi Talkz. "Like, I can only imagine the size of GTA 6. Like it must be monstrous. Or if not monstrous, it's probably way more detailed."

That's an expectation he has based on Rockstar Games' track record so far. As he notes, GTA 5 was "significantly bigger than GTA 4," which itself was much bigger in many ways than the original Red Dead Redemption. "Even between GTA and RDR, they were continually growing the size of the world," he adds. And while the ballooning scope adds extra wrinkles for the development team, "it really does make you feel like you're in a place."

Circling back to the question, Ricchio then laughs and says, "I'm pretty happy that I'm not on GTA 6. Not that it wouldn't be cool to work with those people… but it is really difficult, and it's a hard period of your career when you're working that hard on something." Despite the hard work, seeing how excited people get over his work is "magic" and "so rewarding" for Ricchio.

GTA 6 is on track for "the strongest pre-order campaign ever recorded" and up to $5 billion in sales by "the end of launch week," analysts say

Rockstar Games' open worlds are humungous affairs full of things to buy, shoot, collect, rob, and do. Although with games as lush and extravagant as Red Dead Redemption and GTA 5, it might surprise you to learn that Rockstar Games is actually quite restrained, and the developer cuts a lot of content before passing the finish line.

That's according to former GTA 5 producer John Ricchio, who recently told Kiwi Talkz about how the Grand Theft Auto developer trims the fat on its mammoth games. "There was so much stuff in GTA, particularly GTA 5 – oh my god, there was so much stuff that was like done," he says in the interview. "Like, minigames that were completely done and ready to go, except for like animation, right?"

Minigames were allegedly binned because "the animation team were getting destroyed," and there was "so much animation work to do to bring everything to the same level" in a game as large as GTA 5 "that we had to cut stuff that was otherwise completely done." There simply wasn't enough time on the calendar to have everything meet the same level of quality.

Ricchio was often told by fellow developers that sweeping cuts are just "'a thing that happens, you know, because the game is so big – GTAs are always gigantic.'" Rockstar leaders wouldn't hesitate to bin larger parts of the game, either: "They'll throw out entire levels and they'll throw out entire things because they don't have enough resources to get everything to the same level."

Major cuts were sometimes "hard to deal with" for the dedicated developers who had been working on features or levels or minigames for a "really long time," especially when everyone on the team was happy with the cut work. "It wasn't like they went into DLC or anything… They just disappeared," Ricchio adds.

But he also acknowledges that such cuts are part of working under a "large production" like Rockstar Games, and it's sometimes for the best. "Every decision can't be made by everyone," he says, and when a developer's headcount stretches as wide as Rockstar's, there'll inevitably be decisions that not everyone will agree on.

According to another ex-developer, an entire single-player Agent Trevor DLC was abruptly scrapped after the dizzying success of GTA Online. Rockstar Universe also lists all of the games' supposed cut content, mostly based on glimpses of features from old trailers that never made it into the finished product.

GTA 5 is still selling millions a year, letting Rockstar do whatever it wants with GTA 6: analyst estimates 1.8 million just on PS5 in 2026.

GTA 6 is expected to draw the highest pre-order figures in video game history, a new analyst report finds, and could top $5 billion in global sales by the end of launch week.

Newzoo released a dedicated analysis of GTA 6 pre-orders tabulated so far. Estimating around $180 million in combined digital sales across the first week in the US and the top five European markets, the firm concludes that Rockstar's long-awaited open-world epic is on a course for "the strongest pre-order campaign ever recorded." (Reminder: there are no real physical copies of GTA 6.)

These six markets represent roughly 69% of lifetime console players for GTA 5, Newzoo adds. Gaming demographics have shifted a bit since GTA 5 was released approximately 37 years ago, but this is still a solid base for GTA 6 estimates. Estimating uncounted regions, week-one pre-order sales may have been as high as $260 million.

"Placed on the sales curve GTA 6 is likely to follow, that puts it on pace for $3.3 - $5.2 billion in cumulative global sales by the end of launch week," the report reads. This is quite a large range, but even the low end would be monolithic – factors higher than Rockstar's estimated development budget.

This range exists because Newzoo is using this $180 million start as the base for three different models: the "brand-new IP," the "sequel with performance uncertainty," and "the proven sequel - a known quantity." GTA 6, obviously, "will most closely resemble the proven sequel curve," which sees more linear growth and less of a "hockey stick" spike associated with new IP.

"Massively anticipated each release with a tried and tested formula," Newzoo says of such games. "The audience is aggregated, loyal and established. They don’t need to ‘wait and see’, so a higher share of the total revenue is booked early in the pre-order window."

Splitting the difference a bit, "GTA 6 is on pace for $4.5 billion in sales by launch week (roughly 51 million units at an assumed $88 average selling price)."

Newzoo also (correctly) skewers "social media reports" suggesting Rockstar had already raked in billions in revenue through GTA 6 pre-orders. Such figures were bafflingly repeated by a Rockstar union representative, who claimed the company can "easily afford" to meet union demands after "reportedly" earning $3 billion in pre-orders. Rockstar's pot of gold is beyond question, but you've got a better shot at a snowball fight in Hell than any unreleased premium game selling upwards of 30 million copies in a few weeks. Not even GTA 6 can eat the mountains and drink the seas.

Addressing claims GTA has "done a billion dollars in pre-orders," the report adds, "This is absurd. Given how pre-order curves look, nothing ever has and nothing ever will in the near future."

GTA 5 producer John Ricchio reckons GTA 6 is skipping PC at launch, not because Rockstar doesn't care about the platform, but because consoles had to be prioritized.

Hacker behind GTA 6 leak that cost Rockstar $5 million reportedly awaiting retrial after being released from secure hospital.

The hacker charged with breaching Rockstar Games to pull off 2022's infamous GTA 6 leak has reportedly been released from the secure hospital where he was being held as he prepares to face a criminal trial later this year.

Arion Kurtaj – a member of hacking group Lapsus$ who allegedly pulled off the enormous Rockstar Games hack in a hotel room using an Amazon Fire Stick, mobile phone, and hotel TV while on bail for a different hack – was deemed psychologically unfit to stand trial back in July 2023. In December 2023, over a year on from the incident which Rockstar Games stated had cost it $5 million to recover from, it was reported by the BBC that the then-18-year-old would spend life in a secure hospital unless he was deemed to no longer be a danger by doctors.

According to a Bluesky post from BBC News cyber correspondent Joe Tidy, Kurtaj's circumstances have now reportedly changed. Kurtaj is "out of the secure hospital he was sent to and now in a normal prison awaiting retrial," Tidy reports, adding that he "will face a conventional criminal trial in November."

Back in December 2023, a judge reportedly determined that Kurtaj was a risk to the public because of his skill and desire to commit cybercrimes, with a mental health assessment stating that he "continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible. He is highly motivated."

Shortly after the hack took place, Rockstar said it was "extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all in this way," but said, "we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects."

Even so, as well as apparently costing the company $5 million to deal with, Rockstar later told the court that the incident had taken up thousands of hours of staff members' time.

While you're here, be sure to catch up on everything we know about GTA 6 so far.

Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden says that while GTA 6 will be monumentally huge, devs need to do more to appeal to people who don't care about the biggest AAA games.

Speaking to Kotaku, Layden says that for a potential PS6, iterative hardware that promises a bit of a higher framerate or better ray tracing isn't going to cut it, and that console makers need the software to justify spending money on a new console. "I think we’re already kind of limiting our reach just because of the games we’re building now. I mean, variety and range seem to be narrowing," Layden says, singling out popular genres like "a zombie apocalypse game, or it’s a space marine game, or it’s guys with really long swords and not much armor and dragons."

"Of course, Grand Theft Auto is going to be like an asteroid piercing the atmosphere and hitting the gaming universe with great force and power." Layden says, adding, "But there are a lot of people in the world who really don’t care about Grand Theft Auto, the non-gaming community."

He explains, "We talk about how big we are, $220 billion, $250 billion industry, but our social impact is the reverse. Everybody has a favorite song. That’s probably the least revenue-generating entertainment category, music, compared to gaming and film and television. But yet it has the widest impact."

Layden says, "gaming, it’s huge on the revenue side of things, but it’s a very select group that are doing it. We’re getting more money from the same people all the time and not necessarily bringing in new people into the experience."

He adds, "If these people who aren’t in the gaming experience have already said 'we don’t care about Call of Duty, we don’t care about Grand Theft Auto, we don’t care about Gran Turismo,' doing more of those same games is obviously not going to appeal to those people either."

Layden continues, "We need to bring out more games for more people, which means actually you have to have more people making games and in different places and different experiences. I want to find out what games from Uruguay look like and what kind of game designers we have in Bulgaria."

Granted, Layden's tenure as head of PlayStation was when Sony's first-party output began to focus on the cinematic third-person action game style that permeates its output today (or rather, did before Jim Ryan and Herman Hulst's live service pivots). And with the closure of the likes of Japan Studio, I think it's pretty unlikely Sony's output will be much more diverse in the future.

GTA 6 faces potential $35 million fine if Rockstar doesn't comply with online safety laws that mean Australians would need ID to play.

They say crime doesn't pay, and in GTA Online, it's definitely becoming a harder line of work. The latest update for Rockstar's MMO sandbox reduces the reward for almost every available big-time burglary, and the new one that's included won't be making up the difference for your bottom line.

The Kortz Center is the latest heist, where you have to break into an extremely well-to-do venue where the richest of the rich in Los Santos hang out, to access one of the greatest art collections in the world. This involves navigating "state-of-the-art defenses including first-rate security teams, watchful CCTV cameras, and intersecting laser tripwires," according to the official description, and how you manage to do so is up to you.

But whether or not you want to is another story, since the potential payout is $2 million, not a huge amount, and made even more disappointing by the fact many of the other heists have had their rewards reduced. The Diamond Casino's biggest prize is now $2.3 million, instead of $3 million, and the next lowest for that location is now $1.8 million, down from $2.6 million.

The Pink Diamond at Cayo Perico is worth $910,000 instead of $1.3 million, and on and on. Over 20 heists have been modified as such, and players are less than pleased. "Absolutely no one out here is gonna do Doomsday Act 3 for a million dollars," says one frustrated commenter on Reddit.

"Wtf are they doing," says another Redditor. "This will not encourage people to do these heists more. It does the opposite."

You do need to question the logic, since the nerfs are so widespread. Perhaps they're part of preparations for changes coming in November when GTA 6 finally comes out. Or, as one commenter suggests, they're actually satire about living in the current economic climate.

"Prices go up, paychecks go down. I thought a game would let us escape the world a bit," a Reddit user suggests, under a post where someone else says "they nerfed literally everything." This seems like more of an incidental bit of black comedy, if I'm being honest, and the real answer is within the minds of the Rockstar devs in charge of GTA Online.

GTA 6 isn't coming to PC at launch, but not because Rockstar doesn't "care about PC," says GTA 5 producer: "If you're working on that, you're not working on something else"

GTA Online officially got its first new Heist mission in six long years today, with the Kortz Center Heist inviting teams of four (you can solo it too, but what fun is that?) to stake out a prestigious art museum and make it a little less prestigious, if you catch my drift. The mission sounds like a fun and lucrative time, but if you're planning on hosting your friends and don't have a ton of in-game cash saved up, you should know there are some rather spendy prerequisites for doing so, and there isn't enough stolen virtual art in the world to recoup your real-world investment.

We did the math to figure out the barrier of entry to GTA Online's new heist and found it to be exorbitantly expensive if you're starting out fresh and want to buy your way in using Shark Cards, assuming you aren't working with any existing GTA+ bonuses or discounts. The reason for that is you first need a mansion to even begin thinking about hosting the Kortz Center Heist. The cheapest one is The Tonga Estate at $11.5 million in GTA money. You also need to own an art studio, which will set you back another $4.7 million, making the total minimum required to host the mission $16.2 million.

Again, assuming you're starting completely fresh, that means you'll need to buy a $10,000,000 cash card for $99.99 in real money, a $4,250,000 card for $49.99, a $1,500,000 card for $19.99, and a $600,000 card for $9.99, which equals $179.96 in actual money from your real-life bank account. With the GTA 6 price being set at $80 for the base game, that means you could pre-order Rockstar's upcoming behemoth twice and still have money leftover for a latte before you start bumping up against the price to run GTA Online's new Heist.

Of course, the huge caveat here is that you can join a friend's Heist for free if they already have a mansion and art museum, which is most certainly what the vast majority of GTA Online players are going to do. Still, it's harrowing to consider what a brand new player with no rich friends would have to shell out for the game's newest mission, especially when that same amount of money could be used to secure what's sure to be a much grander mission in just a few months twice over.

I should hate GTA 6's pre-order bonuses and Ultimate Edition add-ons, but I'm glad Rockstar seems to be avoiding the big problem with game-breaking DLC

Rockstar veteran John Ricchio is perfectly content not being part of GTA 6's development team, having previously worked on open world behemoths like GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption and experiencing burnout at the studio.

Talking to Reece "Kiwi Talkz" Reilly on YouTube (below), Ricchio – who was with the studio from 2003 and 2014 – speaks at length about crunch culture and related burnout. Although he contends that the level of crunch he experienced at Rockstar never reached a level of, "'I don't care about the people'," he says, "it's just not something that [Rockstar leaders think] about as high a priority as other things."

Ricchio says Rockstar can afford to ask a lot from its developers because there will always be talent ready and willing to work exorbitant hours or, as he puts it, "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and make it happen," even if it's at the cost of their mental and physical wellbeing.

"If you're Rockstar you can always hire more people, if you're Naughty Dog you can always hire more people, Bethesda, you can always hire more people. That's the problem," he says. "And I don't begrudge those people for taking those jobs, but it does make it harder for the business to care because they can always replace people."

When asked point-blank if there's a "bittersweet" feeling to not being with Rockstar during GTA 6's development, Ricchio doesn't hesitate. "I think I'm pretty happy that I'm not on GTA 6, I'll just say that (laughs). Not that it wouldn't be cool to work with those people. It is really difficult and it's a hard period of your career when you're working that hard on something."

Ricchio admits that there's a "magic" to seeing such hard work pay off in glowing reviews and commercial success, and that he "wouldn't hate being part of that," but says he's at a point in his career where he isn't "quite as amenable to some of the ways that things are done, and I think that would probably lead to an exit for me.

"I've learned a lot about different ways that you can do things and different ways to build successful art projects and it doesn't require to do it on the backs of burning people out."

Ricchio adds that if you're a developer who finds professional fulfillment in unprecedented sales and universal acclaim, "you can't do much better" than working at Rockstar. "They always perform well," he says. "As crazy as the leadership is at Rockstar, they know how to make cool stuff. They just do.

"I used to interview people and I would say that, 'This place is run by crazy people, but you get to work on the best games in the world. So make sure you're OK with that, because that's the exchange that you get.'"

Referring to Red Dead Redemption as an example, Ricchio says scores of analysts approached Rockstar to proclaim, "Westerns were dead," and that "this is foolish," "they shouldn't be spending money on it." Of course, Red Dead Redemption is now widely considered one of the best games of its generation. "I think we won like 167 Game of the Year awards," says Ricchio.

"There is a magic to what Rockstar does, I just wish they would do it at a lower human cost."

Ultimately, Ricchio predicts "GTA 6 is gonna be great" and that anyone who even remotely considers themselves a fan of the series shouldn't hesitate to buy it, even at $80. "I think save up your money and play it, you will get way more than that money's worth in value, as far as time, like you will put hours and hours and hours into it."

GTA 6 isn't coming to PC at launch, but not because Rockstar doesn't "care about PC," says GTA 5 producer: "If you're working on that, you're not working on something else."

As we get closer to GTA 6's launch with no PC port in sight, it'd be understandable if you were wondering why Rockstar Games is choosing to ignore such a massive chunk of fans at release, especially when it seems very likely to bring the game to the platform eventually. Well, according to one Rockstar veteran, the studio isn't opposed to releasing games on PC – it just might not be worth the time or effort when it could be focusing on something else first.

Speaking in a new interview with Reece 'Kiwi Talkz' Reilly on YouTube (below), former Rockstar Games producer John Ricchio – who worked at the company between 2003 and 2014, and is credited on GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption, and Max Payne 3 – discusses the GTA developer's approach to PC ports. He notes that, although it's "less fashionable" in the games industry now than it once was, it causes many "problems" to start development on PC and then move to consoles afterward. "You're much better off starting with the constraints," he adds, because "shrinking is a lot harder than extending."

While this certainly influences Rockstar's approach to PC ports, Ricchio explains that it's also often about prioritizing the devs' efforts. When it came to Red Dead Redemption, for example, Ricchio says "we actually got a PC build running very early" to see how long it'd take – something that might come as a surprise given that the game's eventual PC port arrived a whopping 14 years after its initial console release. But, as the ex-production dev says, "It's not even that we don't care about PC. It was just like, is it worth spending time getting a PC port going versus working on GTA 5?"

According to Ricchio, it's "always those conversations" that drive the PC plan at Rockstar – the studio isn't "anti any platform." Regardless of the platform, it's about whether it's "worth spending the time and effort to get something running."

In the past, there have been "a lot of cases" of "legitimate hardware limitations" – something Ricchio admits is less of an issue now that consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X are "definitely closer" in power. But, the point remains – "if you're working on that, you're not working on something else usually. Are you spending money on that? You're not spending money on something else."

Ultimately, then, Ricchio says, there either "has to be enough of a business reason to do some of those ports," or the port has to be "super easy to do," which it "rarely" is because "there's always something that you gotta do."

So, I guess if we're not getting GTA 6 on PC at launch, maybe it's because the devs could be busy working on Red Dead Redemption 3, or – wild as it is to even imagine at this point – GTA 7? Regardless, hopefully PC fans won't have to wait too long for the game to make its way to Steam – it took GTA 5 over a year and a half.

GTA 6 faces potential $35 million fine if Rockstar doesn't comply with online safety laws that mean Australians would need ID to play.

An overlooked but incredibly promising open-world game that needs all the attention it can get, called GTA 6, has been spared humiliation.

Molleindustria – the developer of some really interesting, politically charged indie games fronted by Paolo Pedercini – had planned to embarrass GTA 6 come launch. For an entire year, the indie outfit said it was going to release its own narrative-driven, open-world game (Future? No Thanks!) alongside GTA 6.

But as we count down the weeks to GTA 6's November release date, Molleindustria has shown mercy. Future? No Thanks! is now coming out on July 22. I can practically hear the sighs of relief coming from Take-Two and Rockstar's offices.

"Last year, we promised to release our upcoming game, Future? No Thanks! on the same day as Grand Theft Auto 6 in order to humiliate Rockstar in the open-world genre and deliver the killing blow to the Western game industry," the developer writes on social media.

"However, after repeatedly aligning our timeline with Rockstar's and delaying our release date alongside theirs, we realized we were at serious risk of making the game too polished, too bloated, and ultimately inauthentic," it continues. "Moreover, our superintelligent Marxist models forecast an unprecedented recession in the fourth quarter of 2026, with negative implications for gamers' disposable income and short-term demand for ecosocialist narratives. We had no choice but to move the release date up to July 22."

In all seriousness, Future? No Thanks! isn't gunning for the same crowds as GTA 6, but it still looks like one of the more interesting new games on the horizon. Set in 2045, the world is seemingly thriving. Climate change is being tackled, democracy is being upheld, and technology isn't being used to slowly erode our way of life – our grumpy old man protag still isn't happy, however.

The game's Steam page describes the bad-mouthed gramps as someone who "no longer fits in" and wants to check everything off his bucket list before his "self-scheduled euthanasia." Hence, the name and the goal of the game. "Indulge in outdated pleasures, explore a post-post-industrial Midwest, clash with a society that's moved on without you, and maybe, just maybe, leave with fewer regrets." It's on my wishlist, that's for sure.

GTA 6 shipping without discs "feels unfair to studios still backing physical," Lords of the Fallen 2 boss says, and Sony's certainly not helping.

Rockstar has fully lifted the lid on GTA Online's first big new heist update in six years, The Kortz Center Heist, releasing next week on Tuesday, July 14 for all platforms.

The next big evolution of GTA Online had previously been teased for a July release, but now we know the full details thanks to a new announcement posted to the game's official website. As questions swirl about how long it'll take for the next iteration of GTA Online to join GTA 6, The Kortz Center Heist is likely to be the final big update to GTA 5 Online and is the first official heist update since 2020's Cayo Perico. The Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid update from a couple of years back definitely felt pretty heisty, but it's technically classified as a Raid and Contact mission, making The Kortz Center the first new actual heist in six long years.

The Kortz Center Heist will be playable solo or with a four-player team, which is obviously the preferred choice here. The heist sees you and your friends link up with the mysterious Mr. Faber and his main fixer, Raf De Angelis, to stake out a prestigious art museum and steal its most valuable assets. Of course, even experienced criminals will want to do some preparation before robbing a high-end museum, and that's where the big homebase addition comes in: the art studio. To kick off the new heist, you'll get to open up an art studio property inside your mansion where you can invite and host your friends to show off all of your stolen works of art.

Once you've scoped out the museum, it'll be time to gear up and plan your big break-in, and once you're actually inside the building, Rockstar says you'll want to snap candid pictures of the exhibits to get a better idea of how to get in and out without alerting security and getting yourself capped. That'll involve "covering your tracks," "ensuring no witnesses," and "wiping CCTV footage" to ensure a maximum take.

Sound fun? Rockstar says there's plenty of room for "variability" to re-do the heist solo or with friends in the form of three new paintings to steal every week. And as always, the Kortz Center Heist will keep collectors busy with new vehicles and upgrades. Meanwhile, GTA+ subscribers will be able to get their hands on the new Grotti Veleno GT for free starting July 14, a full week before regular shmoes will get to buy it.

GTA 6 faces a potential $35 million fine if Rockstar doesn't comply with online safety laws that mean Australians would need ID to play

As GTA 6 grows nearer and nearer, eager folks can't help but be excited to dive into Rockstar Games' long-awaited new Grand Theft Auto entry – but some fans may have to face regional restrictions before proceeding through the game's golden gates.

Australian fans, that is, to be more specific – and it's all thanks to the country's online safety laws, which require age verification from people before they can access content rated for adults.

As per News.com.au, much to nobody's surprise here, GTA 6 (and its predecessors, for that matter) will likely launch with a rating of M for Mature (ages 17+) from the ESRB and 18+ from PEGI – and, under Australia's own Classification Board, Restricted (ages 18+ only).

That's the same rating that GTA 5 carries in the country, for reference, and GTA Online is not accessible without ID verification.

Should Rockstar, for whatever reason, not comply if GTA 6 (very likely) releases with an identical age rating, we're talking about a fine that can go upwards of $49.5 million (in USD, that's about $35 million), as per the BBC.

Obviously, though, there's no reason for the developer not to comply with the law.

As I stated earlier, some of Rockstar's other games already require this age verification via ID – so, especially when the online counterpart for GTA 6 lands, it'll probably be the same ol' story with the studio's new game.

This does make me a bit worried that it could happen elsewhere, like the United Kingdom. It's seen similar online safety laws pass in recent years, with the Discord age verification system immediately springing to mind.

There are also the Steam restrictions and the like, so I could see something similar happening with "adult" games like GTA 6 in the future – although I suppose only time will tell… but it's a more pressing matter now than ever, with GTA 6 pre-orders flying left and right.

GTA 6 shipping without discs "feels unfair to studios still backing physical," Lords of the Fallen 2 boss says, and Sony's certainly not helping

It's almost impressive that in 2021, 17 years after Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas came out, new remasters of that, GTA 3, and Vice City proved to be perhaps the worst way to enjoy the landmark releases. Seriously, you'd be better off sourcing original hardware than playing Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition. Despite the complaints, most people who booted the collection up had a good time, according to one of the lead developers.

The company behind The Definitive Edition was Grove Street Games (though you wouldn't know that now because the company's logo was removed from the menus in 2024), and the studio's CEO, Thomas Williamson agrees with the criticisms, but notes there were plenty of fans nonetheless. "I agreed with most of the people's reactions. But unfortunately, I feel like we did not agree with how the game was released and the response to it from a development side," he tells wccftech. "And I think that would have changed the narrative significantly."

He then says that data on their side suggested fans weren't discouraged from roving around as Tommy Vercetti or CJ. "However, at the end of the day, looking at the behind-the-scenes metrics on those games, there were a lot of people who were playing them and really enjoying them," Williamson adds.

I'm a little cynical here. I can easily believe there were disagreements about releasing the games in such a state. Nobody is more aware of how buggy something is than a developer who's working on it all day, with a launch date looming over them and growing ever closer. Such is the reality for many people in the industry.

Williamson himself has gone on record about contentions with Rockstar over how fixes were handled, and Grove Street being taken off the title screens. "It's a dick move to remove primary developers from credits in an update, especially when an update includes hundreds of fixes that were provided by those developers that stayed out of players' hands for years," he said on Twitter in 2024.

That Grove Street Games was getting feedback that indicated most people simply weren't that pushed is a bit of a stretch. It took years for these releases to become generally playable and more stable, following patch after patch.

I have no doubt that a certain, perhaps more casual audience was just happy with the hit of nostalgia. But "a lot of people"? I'm not convinced.

Whatever the case, Williamson's made his peace with the whole thing, and believes if we want better, it'll need to come from Rockstar. "I don't think there'll ever be a perfect redux of those that's not done by Rockstar proper," he says. "If their Rockstar North team took it on and did some crazy thing, that would be awesome."

Maybe after GTA 6, then. So, in 2030-something. I'll dig out my PS2.

Sony killing physical PlayStation games has folks so angry that its announcement has even more views than Rockstar's GTA 6 trailer posts on Twitter

Sony is taking a metaphorical sledgehammer to physical media in early 2028 when it ends production of discs for all new PlayStation games, in a decision that's gone down just as well as you'd expect. The news has been so unpopular, in fact, that folks have now viewed the announcement tweet more than Rockstar's two Twitter posts sharing GTA 6's mythical trailers.

Yup, things are serious out here. Sony had a double barrel of bad news last week – in the very same tweet sharing the impending doom of PlayStation discs, it announced the planned death of the PlayStation Store on PS3 and Vita, the latter of which was already unpopular enough five years ago that the company walked back on the plan, only to bring it back this month. This doozy of a post has, at the time of writing, racked up 166.6 million views on Twitter, and has been flooded with replies ranging from "final nail in the coffin of the company I once loved" to "genuinely, what the fuck are you doing?"

To put things into perspective, Rockstar's Twitter post sharing GTA 6 Trailer 1 back in 2023 has amassed 125.5 million views on the platform, while the Trailer 2 post in 2025 hit 160.6 million, meaning noticeably more people have now seen PlayStation's post – albeit, likely with a shake of the head rather than the unadulterated excitement that comes with literally any GTA 6 news.

The other engagement metrics can tell you that much. PlayStation has 64,000 likes on its post, which might sound like a lot until you compare it to the million on Rockstar's Trailer 1 tweet and 895,000 on Trailer 2. On the flip side, PlayStation has been inundated with 100,000 strongly worded replies, compared to 33,000 and 36,000 on Rockstar's two posts, respectively. Not even GTA 6 hype can outweigh the barrage of negativity Sony is facing.

There's a level of irony to this given that, only two weeks ago, Rockstar Games confirmed that 'physical' copies of GTA 6 launching this November – both on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S – won't come with an actual disc, but rather a code in a box. Obviously, Rockstar is far from the first company to do this, but the lack of a real, on-disc release always tends to go down poorly, and GTA 6 is no exception. As you'd expect with so many people keen to play the game, the backlash was also extremely loud.

It's a troubling time for gaming, as the move away from physical games is something that affects us all. Even if you're not a collector who feels a sense of satisfaction each time you add a new boxed game to your growing shelves, a digital-only future for gaming – which seems more and more likely with decisions like these – could mean the end of the second-hand market and game-sharing, and it raises concerns about ownership and game preservation, to boot.

As disgruntled cries from disc defenders overwhelm PlayStation's first social media post since that fateful announcement, however, it seems likely that Sony might have underestimated just how passionate folks would be about this.

Hideo Kojima is "really sad" about PlayStation ending physical disc production, warns against "frightening" streaming-only future: "You don't actually possess the data yourself."

The fact that physical copies of GTA 6 won't actually exist, because there won't be discs in the box, means Rockstar has reached the zenith of selling plastic tat. You're just paying for a regular case and a print out of the cover art! The publisher's genuinely having the last laugh here, because there's a sticker in one of the available images associated with the upcoming blockbuster embracing the bare naked truth at the heart of unregulated capitalism.

As posted on Twitter by GTA 6 Countdown, an official picture of Grand Theft Auto 6, in the art-style of the cover, contains the sentence, "Buy more useless shit." It's included in a bar code sticker that's stuck on the counter of a clothes shop, with a young woman standing in front of it.

You're not likely to spot it right away, but since actual materials related to the game are few and far between, people have been poring over every tiny detail to understand more about Rockstar's next epic. Thus, someone eventually caught this little titbit.

It's probably worth noting it comes from the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition as well. That version costs $100 and includes some digital goodies, but nothing that impacts gameplay any, and certainly no real life collectibles. I am suddenly filled with nostalgia for the days of Big Daddy statues and the like, standard in any limited edition release of a game.

That was then, and this is now, and Rockstar would like to encourage you to invest in its non-tangible goods as heavily as possible. Of course, financial decisions are yours to make, and if the Ultimate Edition will bring value to your life, go right ahead. But if you just want the base game, the standard version will do just fine.

I do hope we're getting the third trailer soon. People were analyzing Jason's muscles the other day. Players are getting a little stir crazy, and I don't blame them. It's a new month, and only four months until GTA 6 arrives. Come on Rockstar, give us something to really look at.

GTA 6 shipping without discs "feels unfair to studios still backing physical," Lords of the Fallen 2 boss says, and Sony's certainly not helping

Between the controversy that Rockstar Games has sparked with GTA 6 only featuring digital download codes in "physical" copies and Sony's decision to end physical disc production for PlayStation consoles in 2028, both developers and gamers have had… thoughts.

That's putting it lightly. On the one hand, we've got game preservation experts arguing that this will all lead to more piracy. On the other hand, there are countless devs sharing their thoughts on the move away from physical media, like former Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra, who says "we can't live in a world of fear if our games will work in the future or not."

It all ties into the Stop Killing Games chatter as well – but there's also a financial aspect to consider.

Marek Tyminski, CEO behind Lords of the Fallen publisher CI Games, explores this thought in a new online thread over on Twitter, explaining why he feels Rockstar's choice to ship GTA 6 without an actual disc (and Sony's decision to axe discs altogether) is "unfair" to other developers.

"GTA 6 shipping with no disc feels unfair to studios still backing physical – and it's accelerating the shift," begins the studio lead.

"Sony ending physical support from 2028 could slash disc releases as early as 2027 or even sooner. Physical delivers far less revenue per unit to developers, longer lead times, and unnecessary costs in a demanding industry where many already lose money. We're still planning to release Lords of the Fallen 2 on disc, but business-wise, it's getting harder to justify when physical is way under 20% of sales, and considering recent events."

Although it's reassuring to hear that the Lords of the Fallen sequel will include a physical release with a disc, it's understandable that this comes at a cost.

Tyminski breaks it down a bit, too, detailing how it cuts into companies' earnings. "At $69.99, retail margin takes 25-35%, distributors another 10-20%, and physical production ~$10," he says. "That leaves studios with just over $26 per unit – compared to ~$49 on digital at highest margin."

He adds: "It only gets worse as prices drop. Large publishers sit on the better side of the equation, but even they make significantly more per digital sale. From a pure ROI standpoint, the choice is obvious."

It's concerning, to say the least, and it'll have an effect on retailers as well, as the CI Games head points out, worrying that "their incentive will be way different when they won't be able to offer software."

It's a difficult future to imagine, but I suppose shops like GameStop have already sort of been moving in that direction, selling tabletop card games, merchandise, etc.

Plus, even though folks in Tyminski's comments argue that opting to release physical discs is good for "PR," it's not that simple. As he states himself, "It looks like it won't be a meaningful option from 2028." Sadly, I'm inclined to agree there.

Between studios like Rockstar already opting to cut discs and bigger companies such as Sony planning to make them entirely obsolete, the future of physical media isn't looking so great. It's not just games, either – Blockbuster's been dead for quite some time now.

Rockstar Games reportedly has no plans to print GTA 6 discs at launch or in the months after

Rockstar developers seeking union recognition claim the company's crunch problem is so entrenched that it's actually been codified in contracts as a way to skirt labor regulations.

Multiple devs spoke to Game Developer about the goals of the Rockstar Game Workers Union – voluntary recognition chief among them. Fighting crunch is also at the top of the list.

"Crunch is prevalent enough that the company built into our contracts, as standard, an opt out of the Working Time Regulations," one developer says, referring to a UK labor regulation which states, among other things and with some exceptions, that people "cannot work more than 48 hours a week on average" and can opt out of an imposed 48-hour week.

However, this employment right can be waived voluntarily, and Rockstar's been accused of countering it with its own opt-out agreement which paves the way for crunch. By accepting the terms – to, you know, get a job – employees can open themselves up to heavy overtime.

"The union successfully ran a campaign to inform people they could opt back in to the regulations at any time, which resulted in Rockstar management simplifying the process and removing the obligation to meet with HR," this developer adds. "Part of the problem with crunch is that there is not an agreed definition, and now it seems the company thinks that offering specific and limited compensation as an incentive for overtime means it no longer qualifies as crunch."

As GTA 6 approaches its long-delayed launch, crunch at Rockstar is reportedly uneven, with some teams avoiding it while employees in other disciplines "seem to never get out of it."

These developers also allege that Rockstar has enabled and tolerated a culture of unequal pay, with the median gender pay gap reportedly widening at the studio amid canceled pushes to balance it. This pay culture reportedly sees significant portions of employee wages regularly withheld in the form of inconsistent bonuses, with up to 20% of expected pay sometimes vanishing for unclear reasons, including "completely subjective or retroactive criticisms."

This week, Rockstar confirmed it will "arrange to meet" union reps.

Rockstar union rep claims GTA 6 bosses can "easily afford" demands after reportedly generating $3 billion in pre-orders as devs call for "fairer crunch" and "pay transparency."

Between the controversy that Rockstar Games has sparked with its upcoming GTA 6 release (one that sees digital download codes in "physical" copies rather than discs) and Sony ending physical disc production for new PlayStation games in 2028, it's been one heck of a week.

It's not looking good for collectors or general fans of physical media, that's for certain. On the one hand, we've got developers like Rockstar moving away from discs. On the other, there are even bigger companies like Sony announcing that it'll cut the production of new game discs for its consoles altogether in just a couple of years. Then, there's Nintendo with its introduction of game-key cards on the Switch 2 – so, yeah.

This, coupled with all of the Stop Killing Games chatter surrounding the end of live-service titles, has made for much discussion regarding consumer rights – so much so, in fact, that preservation experts like Video Game History Foundation director Frank Cifaldi have chimed in on the matter.

Most recently, he has responded to a person on social media asserting that "piracy is the only extant form of media preservation that exists in games right now."

Cifaldi doesn't exactly disagree there, writing, "As the director of a historical video game preservation institution, and someone who has dedicated his entire adult life to this cause, this is accurate. We have attempted to work with the industry's trade organization to find a legal path forward, but they refuse to offer a meaningful alternative."

As the director of a historical video game preservation institution, and someone who has dedicated his entire adult life to this cause, this is accurate. We have attempted to work with the industry's trade organization to find a legal path forward, but they refuse to offer a meaningful alternative.

— @frankcifaldi.bsky.social (@frankcifaldi.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-02T15:26:34.299Z

That certainly makes sense – heck, new games like GTA 6 are only the tip of the iceberg of the problem at hand.

This also lines up with what Cifaldi said yesterday, as Sony announced its plan for physical discs on PlayStation consoles – that downloading GTA 6 with the "hope it'll run in 50 years is not a preservation solution."

He dubbed the entire situation "unfortunate news for those who still prefer buying games on physical media," which, you know, isn't exactly a minor portion of video game consumers. There are quite a few collectors out there, too.

Here's hoping the industry itself takes note of people's reactions – although I doubt it'll be enough to convince companies like Sony to back down on their decision to step away from physical media. Times are changing, after all… I suppose.

Nintendo probably won't ditch physical games just because PlayStation is, analyst predicts: "Nintendo is going to be Nintendo, for better and/or worse."

GTA 6 pre-orders have been out in the wild for three weeks now and show no signs of slowing. We're all still reeling from that 'code in a box' dilemma, but retailers still have a sturdy supply of stock and more are now advertising November 12 delivery to boot. As a reminder, GTA 6 officially releases on November 19 but you'll be able to preload your pre-order from a week ahead. That means it's imperative you find a retailer offering shipping ahead of the full release date.

I've checked all the major stores carrying GTA 6 pre-orders to keep you covered here. Amazon, JB Hi-Fi and EB Games are among the major Aussie retailers currently sticking to that November 12 release date.

Both the Standard and Ultimate editions are now available, but those looking to upgrade their console at the same time may need to wait, with only one retailer offering a PS5 Pro bundle at present.

GTA 6 is pricey, but the RRP is slightly lower than many had anticipated. The Standard Edition has hit at AU$129.95 and the Ultimate Edition can be grabbed for AU$159.95 (though the latter is only available via PS Store or Xbox). All pre-orders come with the nostalgic Vintage Vice City Pack, but you're getting even more swag with the full release.

GTA 6 pre-order watch

• ✅ Amazon | Live now
• ✅ JB Hi-Fi | Live now
• ✅ The Gamesmen | Live now
• ✅ EB Games | Live now
• ✅ Big W | Live now
• ✅ PlayStation | Live now
• ✅ Xbox | Live now

Where to pre-order GTA 6 in Australia

Pre-order GTA 6 Ultimate Edition

GTA 6 pre-order bundles and discounts

GTA 6 pre-order bonuses explained

GTA 6 pre-orders come in two flavors; the simple Standard Edition and the Ultimate Edition. Both come with the Vintage Vice City Pack including:

• 1955 Vapid Stanier
• Jason - linen suit
• Lucia - red sequin dress
• Weapon skin

However, the Ultimate Edition packs a whole host of extra cosmetics, stores, and vehicles to enjoy:

• Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers
• Personalized weapon variants
• 95 Grotti Cheetah
• 67 Vapid Dominator Buggy
• Ganado Retro Build
• Classic Car Collection
• Shitzu Squalo
• Vice City Style Pack
• Jason's Safehouse Vehicles
• Rideout Customs Mod Shop
• Sara's Unisex Salon
• Stock 305 Clothing Store
• Estudio Electric Fang Tattoo
• One-Eyed Willie's Mod Shop
• Goodtime Gear
• PTT Youngin's Compound

If you pre-order either GTA 6 edition via PS Store or Xbox direct, you'll also receive a free month of GTA+. That nets you access to a bunch of monthlies in GTA Online, but also unlocks a catalog of rotating Rockstar titles.

Do you need to pre-order GTA 6?

Pre-orders on games are tricky. Their only real benefit is the exclusive in-game items that often come alongside that early commitment - the days of having to reserve your copy are (hopefully) behind us.

If you want to play as soon as the clock hits midnight, though, you will need to pre-order. Pre-load opens up on November 12, which means you'll be able to get everything sorted for the big day.

As GTA 6 quickly approaches, it's hard not to see Rockstar Games just about everywhere on the web – but its new Grand Theft Auto game isn't the only reason it's in the limelight.

Rockstar developers in the United Kingdom are seeking official union recognition from the studio's leads currently, hoping to join ZA/UM as part of one of the region's first formally acknowledged unions in the video game industry, and the company has now put out a statement in response.

Admittedly, the entire situation is a lot, coming after Rockstar was accused of union-busting in 2025 when the company fired 31 workers. These devs were all either current union members or folks planning to organize one.

Within the current request to unionize, devs hope for executives to acknowledge "our key objectives of pay transparency, fairer crunch practices, and better flexible working arrangements," dubbing it "a landmark moment for the Rockstar Game Workers Union, and hopefully for the industry as a whole" – and now, the company's heads have responded. As per a statement sent to IGN, they're apparently willing to meet with the union representatives.

"We strive to make the best games possible by giving our talented teams world-class work environments and ongoing career opportunities," Rockstar writes, first seeming to outline its company values.

"We have fostered a culture which is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness, and where we support and reward the team across all levels of the business through competitive compensation and benefits policies."

The studio then states, "We are proud that as a result, our employee retention is well above the industry standard" – a notable assertion considering the situation at hand. Rockstar's concluding words here are what really stand out, though: "We have received a request from a union seeking to discuss voluntary recognition. We value an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and will arrange to meet."

That's certainly good to hear.

Here's hoping that the outcome is just as good. As it stands now, Rockstar's legal dispute with the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain is also ongoing.

Fired GTA 6 developer accusing Rockstar Games of union busting says playing the blockbuster will "probably just bring back too much."

The internet gets a little funny about highly-anticipated games we know almost nothing about. I once covered an fan modding a made-up "elden ring" into Skyrim before Elden Ring came out, since people were going stir crazy for the next trailer. Fans are having similar reactions to GTA 6, and now they're analyzing protagonist Jason's muscles.

Jason's a pretty fit man, it seems based on Rockstar's two existing GTA 6 trailers. That should be inconsequential, but since it's been months and months of fans waiting for trailer three, minutiae is starting to look more interesting. People started making gameplay presumptions based on how Jason looks in two choice moments.

"Do these two screenshots essentially confirm that fitness/bodybuilding is in the game?" says an account on Twitter sharing a pair of images showing off Jason's back. "Jason looks noticeably more muscular in one image than the other, particularly in his back, shoulders, and arms."

This observation resulted in a windfall of other fans' analysis over what a stronger Jason might mean for the sprawling open-world game. Could there be gyms you need to actively go to? Body modification's been a facet of the series for ages now – but could Grand Theft Auto 6 require you to actually keep a routine and watch your macros? I wouldn't hate that, because I love when games include minor, immersive details that really build the overall atmosphere.

Another user points out in a reply that one of the images of fit Jason could actually be the character after a strenuous mission, thus all tense and rigid, where the other is him much more chilled.

But to me, Occam's razor dictates these screenshots of Jason are probably disparate, unrelated moments that don't mean much of anything. We only have until November to find out for sure, but if Rockstar could drop that next GTA 6 trailer to help confirm sooner, that'd be grand.

It's not just Sony, even Rockstar says GTA 6 "plays best on PS5," with Xbox omitted entirely from one new ad.

Rockstar developers in the UK are seeking official union recognition from the GTA 6 studio's bosses, who were accused of union busting in 2025 after firing 31 workers involved in union activity. If Rockstar devs are successful in their bid, they'll join Zero Parades creator ZA/UM in history as one of the first formally acknowledged games industry unions in the UK.

Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Union president Alex Marshall is confident Rockstar can afford such a milestone. The organizer says in a June 30 press release, "GTA 6 has reportedly already generated more than $3 billion in preorder sales. Rockstar bosses can easily afford to sit around the table with the people whose hard work created these games, and give them a meaningful voice in their workplace."

Rockstar itself has not revealed GTA 6 pre-order revenue, and that $3 billion estimate seems to stem, at least in part, from University of Virginia assistant professor of business Anthony Palomba saying recently that Rockstar parent company "Take-Two shares rose almost 3% in early trading when preorders opened, and some analysts modeled as much as $1 billion in revenue in the first hour alone." Take-Two hasn't commented on this analysis, though the publisher is clearly expecting GTA 6 to be its golden calf – it predicts, in a recent financial report, that the game will contribute to "$8 to $8.2 billion" in sales for fiscal year 2027.

What Rockstar devs are asking for in return, says Rockstar North production co-ordinator Shanti Easton-Steel, is for executives to acknowledge "our key objectives of pay transparency, fairer crunch practices and better flexible working arrangements."

"This is a landmark moment for the Rockstar Game Workers Union, and hopefully for the industry as a whole," Easton-Steel says. "It's thanks to the hard work of so many of our members – both those currently with us and those who were fired last October – that we are now in a strong enough position to pursue formal recognition."

Rockstar and the IWGB's legal dispute over those 31 fired union members is ongoing, with the final trial set to run from September 10 to October 15, according to the workers' union.

Fired GTA 6 developer accusing Rockstar Games of union busting says playing the blockbuster will "probably just bring back too much."

With various different GTA 6 versions available, it can be confusing trying to decide which one to go for and working out what the differences are between them, especially with the line between digital and physical purchase getting increasingly blurred. While Rockstar avoided the rumored (and feared) $100 price tag for the base game, you'll still be paying that for the Ultimate Edition if you want to get the full GTA 6 experience.

To help guide you through this tough choice, I've broken down the various versions of GTA 6 and what the differences are between them, so you can decide which one suits you best.

If you want to take an early visit to Vice City, then check out how much of the GTA 6 map has been pieced together so far, and discover more information about the GTA 6 locations you can visit.

GTA 6 Standard Edition

Digital, RRP $79.99 / £69.99

The digital GTA 6 Standard Edition provides the base version of the game, without any extra bells and whistles. However, with all digital versions if you pre-order GTA 6 in advance via the PlayStation or Microsoft Store then you'll receive the Vintage Vice City Pack and a free one month GTA+ subscription.

With all digital editions you'll be able to start pre-loading the game a week before launch, which is going to be handy as the GTA 6 GB size is expected to be considerably large. If you decide you want more later, then you can also purchase a digital Ultimate Edition Upgrade, which is likely to cost $20 / £20 to get you the benefits listed below.

GTA 6 Ultimate Edition

Digital, RRP $99.99 / £89.99

Purchasing the digital GTA 6 Ultimate Edition will get you the base game, the Vintage Vice City Pack and a one month GTA+ subscription if you pre-order, along with a selection of items and activities to improve your experience. These include exclusive GTA 6 cars and GTA 6 weapons that you won't be able to access anywhere else:

• Vehicles
  • '95 Grotti Cheetah sports car
  • Army fatigue Dinka Enduro motorcycle
  • Crest kayak
  • Retro mods for Jason's Vapid Ganado pickup
  • Pink and blue gradient Shitzu Squalo boat
  • '67 Vapid Dominator Buggy off-road
• Weapons
  • His and hers styling for Hawk & Little Morgan revolvers
  • Jason's personalized Girardi ES9 pistol
  • Lucia's personalized Klose K17 pistol
• Outfits
  • Vice City Style outfits, tattoos, and more
  • Goodtime Gear apparel and accessories inspired by TV show character Macca the Gator
• Businesses
  • Rideout Customs for vehicle transformations
  • Sara's Unisex Salon for makeovers including Jason's facial hair and Lucia's nails
  • Stock 305 for streetwear outfits
  • Electric Fang Tattoo for signature tattoos
  • One-Eyed Willie's for off-road vehicle modifications
  • PTT Youngin$ Illegal Goods Store for compound raids
  • Wyman's Classic Car Collection for project car restoration

GTA 6 Physical Edition

Physical, RRP $79.99 / £69.99

The main thing to bear in mind if you're considering the GTA 6 Physical Edition is that it will only include a code to be redeemed for a digital copy of the game, so you won't be receiving a disc in the box, though retailers say they will be sending physical orders out a week before launch so you'll have time to redeem the code and complete the GTA 6 pre-load.

If you pre-order the physical version then you'll still receive the Vintage Vice City Pack, but not the free month of GTA+ subscription. As this is essentially just a download code for the digital Standard Edition, you'll still be able to purchase the Ultimate Edition Upgrade from the PlayStation or Microsoft Store to get all of the extra content.

GTA 6 Vintage Vice City Pack

Digital, free with pre-orders

Whichever of the GTA 6 versions you choose, as long as you place a pre-order before release you'll also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack for free, with a selection of cosmetics harking back to the neon-soaked Tommy Vercetti era:

• Vehicles
  • '55 Vapid Stanier
• Weapons
  • Tommy Vercetti-inspired tropical pattern styling for most guns
• Outfits
  • Jason's vintage pastel linen suit
  • Lucia's red sequin mini dress
  • Exclusive hairstyles

All of the above relates to the GTA 6 versions coming to PS5 or Xbox Series X, and while we're expecting GTA 6 on PC to arrive at some point in the future it's improbable that will happen for at least a year, with a different offering likely to be available to PC players at that point.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Rockstar has joined in on saying GTA 6 will be best on PS5, with no mention of Xbox at all in a new ad for the game.

Last week amid all the GTA 6 news coming out from Rockstar Games, Sony announced to the world that "GTA 6 plays best on PS5." And while there was never going to be a world where a console manufacturer says its version isn't the best, PlayStation didn't do an amazing job of backing up the claim. Instead of speaking about GTA 6's performance, it simply detailed that the game will support DualSense features – and no, with no specifics about the game, just the generic DualSense features we've had since 2020.

While it's probably safe to say it will be best on PlayStation in the absence of an Xbox Series X Pro or PC version at launch, it's clearly just another form of marketing to push those who are going to pick up a console when GTA 6 comes out.

Now though, in a Twitter post advertising pre-orders for the upcoming open-world game, Rockstar includes the "plays best on PS5" logo as part of its advertising graphic for the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition, urging players to pre-order the game digitally, since there won't be a proper physical release, as copies will be a code in a box.

Not only does this "plays best on PS5" tagline also now appear on the game's official site if you follow the link in that ad, but many fans have noticed that there was no mention of Xbox anywhere in the ad, either. The tweet ends with "Pre-Order Now on PlayStation 5," and the graphics included don't mention Microsoft's console.

While it's likely part of a marketing deal with Sony, some are shocked that "Rockstar Games didn't even acknowledge the existence of Xbox Series in this ad."

Obviously, the Xbox Series X and PS5 are close enough in specs that you'll likely have a good experience with the game either way. That is, unless you're willing to shell out $900 for the PS5 Pro, in which case, that's probably going to be the best way to play… until GTA 6 on PC comes out.

And ultimately, who cares? A bit of a performance bump probably isn't worth shelling out for an entire new console, especially with the near-constant price increases as of late.

Despite Sony saying GTA 6 "plays best on PS5," Xbox reports "record orders" of Rockstar's new game.

With the GTA 6 price set at an $80 baseline and jumping to $100 for the expanded Ultimate Edition, some especially patient and dedicated Xbox players have resorted to dark arts in order to save money on Rockstar's long-awaited open-world epic: Microsoft Reward points.

As PC Gamer spotted, one GTA 6 hopeful cashed in years of waiting by pre-ordering the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition through the power of Microsoft points, earned through the company's bizarre rewards program.

Reddit user CarolinaKing704 "pre-ordered 5 months early" after stockpiling Microsoft points, saying, "I've been waiting for [this] moment for almost 3 years." Ironically, GTA 6's repeated delays helped fans hoping to pay off the game purely through such points, as it gave them more time to save up. The GTA 6 Ultimate Edition will run you a whopping 100,000 points.

A screenshotted purchase shared by another Reddit user sees Microsoft user HugoWheynow say, "Thank you Rockstar for all the delays, which allowed me to have all these extra months to save my Microsoft Points."

This rewards program has been around for a while, and folks have used it to buy games before. In replies to CarolinaKing704, other users say they've got their own point fortunes to spend, but caution folks to make sure they only use points for payment, rather than splitting costs between payment methods, to avoid a potential repeat charge come launch day. As CarolinaKing704 says in a reply: "They charge you immediately if you use your Microsoft funds to pre-order."

Microsoft Rewards is pretty strange as loyalty programs go. On top of gaining points from purchases, like buying and playing games on Xbox, you can also earn points just by using Bing, Microsoft's widely unloved search engine. There's a whole array of mobile game-like tasks that you can complete for points, many of them imploring users to "search on Bing," "download the Bing app," or get a friend to use Bing because "true friends use Bing together," don't you know.

When you first create your account, you're also prompted to pin the rewards program to your taskbar for a whopping 50 points. Microsoft really wants people to use its in-house tools and programs, and it's willing to invent and dole out an imaginary currency to make it happen. Microsoft also wants you to use that currency quickly, so keep a close watch on expiration dates or inactive periods, especially for gift cards purchased with points.

Various "levels" of Microsoft Rewards feature different caps and payouts, with the max, "Level 2 + Xbox Game Pass Ultimate," granting 20 points per dollar spent on qualifying purchases in the Microsoft Store, and up to 250 points per day just through Bing searches (five points per search, with 150 points coming from PC and 100 from mobile use).

True min-maxers may use discounted or complementary Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions as a means to access the highest tier of reward points, and some people have even set up scripts to run Bing searches for them (which may, some users admit, get you flagged for exploits). Of course, this program does require using Bing if you want to really push it, but just playing games and occasionally keeping tabs on your account can add up in the long run.

Despite Sony saying GTA 6 "plays best on PS5," Xbox says it's "had record orders" of Rockstar's new game: "People should wait for real data".

GTA 6 pre-orders have been out in the wild for more than a month now and show no signs of slowing. We're all still reeling from that 'code in a box' dilemma, but retailers still have a sturdy supply of stock and more are now advertising November 12 delivery to boot. As a reminder, GTA 6 officially releases on November 19 but you'll be able to preload your pre-order from a week ahead. That means it's imperative you find a retailer offering shipping ahead of the full release date.

PS5 and Xbox versions are still holding firm, then, but there are ways to save on your GTA 6 pre-order. PS Store digital credit is going (slightly) cheaper in both the US and UK right now, and those across the pond can even save on some GTA 6 PS5 bundles with EE as well. I'd avoid heading to other countries' storefronts for a cheaper price, though. GTA 6 pre-order codes will only work in the region they were purchased in on PlayStation (Xbox is actually in the clear).

While many were expecting GTA 6 pre-orders to clock in at over $100, the Standard Edition has hit at $79.99 / £69.99 and the Ultimate Edition can be grabbed for $99.99 / £89.99 (though the latter is only available via PS Store or Xbox). All pre-orders come with the nostalgic Vintage Vice City Pack, but you're getting even more swag with the full release.

I've checked all the major stores carrying GTA 6 pre-orders to keep you covered here.

GTA 6 pre-order watch

US

• ✅ Amazon | Live now
• ✅ Walmart | Live now
• ✅ Best Buy | Live now
• ✅ GameStop | Live now
• ✅ Target | Live now
• ✅ PlayStation | Live now
• ✅ Xbox | Live now

UK

• ✅Amazon | Live now
• ✅ John Lewis | Live now
• ✅ Very | Live now
• ✅ Currys | Live now
• ✅ Argos | Live now
• ✅ ShopTo | Live now
• ✅ The Game Collection | Live now
• ✅ Smyths Toys | Live now
• ✅ PlayStation | Live now
• ✅ Xbox | Live now

Where to pre-order GTA 6 in the US

Where to pre-order GTA 6 in the UK

Pre-order GTA 6 Ultimate Edition

GTA 6 pre-order bundles and discounts

GTA 6 pre-order bonuses explained

GTA 6 pre-orders come in two flavors; the simple Standard Edition and the Ultimate Edition. Both come with the Vintage Vice City Pack including:

• 1955 Vapid Stanier
• Jason - linen suit
• Lucia - red sequin dress
• Weapon skin

However, the Ultimate Edition packs a whole host of extra cosmetics, stores, and vehicles to enjoy:

• Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers
• Personalized weapon variants
• 95 Grotti Cheetah
• 67 Vapid Dominator Buggy
• Ganado Retro Build
• Classic Car Collection
• Shitzu Squalo
• Vice City Style Pack
• Jason's Safehouse Vehicles
• Rideout Customs Mod Shop
• Sara's Unisex Salon
• Stock 305 Clothing Store
• Estudio Electric Fang Tattoo
• One-Eyed Willie's Mod Shop
• Goodtime Gear
• PTT Youngin's Compound

If you pre-order either GTA 6 edition via PS Store or Xbox direct, you'll also receive a free month of GTA+. That nets you access to a bunch of monthlies in GTA Online, but also unlocks a catalog of rotating Rockstar titles.

Do you need to pre-order GTA 6?

Pre-orders on games are tricky. Their only real benefit is the exclusive in-game items that often come alongside that early commitment - the days of having to reserve your copy are (hopefully) behind us.

If you want to play as soon as the clock hits midnight, though, you will need to pre-order. Pre-load opens up on November 12, which means you'll be able to get everything sorted for the big day.

With GTA 6 pre-orders finally live, folks are securing their copies of Rockstar's long-awaited new Grand Theft Auto entry – on both the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, apparently.

Although there's no PC release in sight just yet, GTA 6 sales have reportedly been flying on the PS5. Heck, as per IGN's own findings, "PlayStation is outperforming Xbox by a rate of 8-to-1" – although it's important to note that there is some nuance to this (it's only taking into account pre-orders secured via its affiliate links)... but it's still impressive to see the PS5 version doing that much better in any context, admittedly.

We are talking about the console whose creator, Sony, feels confident enough to declare that "Grand Theft Auto 6 plays best on PS5," so I suppose it's not all that surprising – but Xbox doesn't want us to count it out so quickly.

In a new statement to Windows Central from an "Xbox spokesperson," Microsoft requests that people remain mindful of the circumstances surrounding stats like IGN's, as, like I said above, there's nuance to them. "This doesn't represent pre-order data," Xbox writes. "We've had record orders. People should wait for real data and not clicks on affiliate links."

Although it comes across as a bit direct – to say the least – it does imply that Microsoft's console isn't exactly struggling in the GTA 6 pre-order department. I honestly don't doubt that it's seen "record orders," either, simply taking into consideration the 13 years of built-up hype Rockstar's game has behind it.

I am interested to see what the actual numbers involved here are, however – but I doubt we'll get to until the game's November 19 release date draws a bit closer… at least.

As hardware like the Steam Machine gets more expensive, GTA 6 will have fans "eagerly" spending, analyst says.

Rockstar Games found itself in hot water last year when the studio fired around 30 developers who were in talks to form a union. One affected worker now says playing GTA 6 when it comes out later this year would "probably just bring back too much."

Speaking to the BBC, former Rockstar Games QA worker Jack Hoxby said he "really" doesn't know if he'll play GTA 6, a game he spent years working on. "I definitely don't think I will buy it," he says. "I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to, personally. Obviously, a lot of my friends will either presumably be gifted copies by the company, and probably other people will buy it."

"I will probably play it at some point, but it is hard to say," he adds. "I might get to it and try and sit down and play it, and it'll just be too, like, you know - I just won't be in the mood to play it. It'll probably just bring back too much. But I'm not sure. It's something I have thought about quite a lot to be honest."

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) last year accused Rockstar Games of illegal union busting after the company fired around 30 devs located across the UK and Canada, all of whom were either union members or involved in unionization efforts.

The GTA 6 studio claimed the firings were due to leaks of "confidential information," though the company hasn't made public what information exactly was being spread. The firings led to protests outside Rockstar Games offices, and the situation even spread to UK parliament a fair few times.

More recently, an employment tribunal ruled against Rockstar Games' request to have claims of blacklisting taken out of the upcoming trial.

The trial is set to begin in the months leading up to GTA 6's November release date on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Rockstar spokesperson says "we welcome" judge's decision to deny fired GTA 6 devs interim relief, union highlights "a glimpse of Rockstar's flimsy grounds for defence"

Games are likely to follow Mario Kart World and GTA 6's lead with an $80 base price tag, according to several analysts, but only the biggest of games will be able to pull it off unscathed.

Like Mario Kart World before it, GTA 6's price has raised big question marks over the heads of anyone worried about higher video game costs. Will $80 become the new standard? Not exactly, say some analysts we talked to, but they will become much more common in the months and years following GTA 6's November release date.

DFC Intelligence's David Cole explains to GamesRadar+ that "the industry has already been moving to this price point, led by Nintendo," a publisher that launches games with all sorts of price tags attached. "The issue is there are only a handful of premium games that command this price point."

Essentially, not every game will have the easiest time launching at $80. Grand Theft Auto and Super Mario can because they're, well, Grand Theft Auto and Super Mario. Cole adds that Rockstar Games is continuing a precedent "for only the most in-demand games with a built-in initial audience... It is the industry going towards a tiered pricing model where it is recognized that some games simply provide much more value than others and should be priced accordingly."

Joost van Dreunen echoes the point, saying the new $80 standard will be "reserved for only a select few titles and franchises" that can command it, and publishers that try to charge $80 on games that don't deliver "will likely come to regret that."

"Gaming is increasingly becoming a luxury category," van Dreunen continues. "Its economics have historically centered around a winner-takes-most model, and GTA 6 raises the bar again. Publishers who can clear it will pull further ahead, and those who cannot will have to compete on distribution instead, finding new channels, bundles, and pricing models to reach players the blockbusters don't."

Serkan Toto of Kantan Games notes that corporate owner Take-Two was already the first publisher to charge $70 back in 2020. That was an inflated price other companies very quickly adopted, "and I believe the rest of the industry will follow them this time as well - whenever it makes sense," Toto says.

Rockstar Games reportedly has no plans to print GTA 6 discs at launch or in the months after

With ever increasing hardware prices, gamers might be more willing to drop $80 or $100 on GTA 6 than they otherwise would be, according to one analyst.

Fresh off the announcement of the GTA 6 price, we talked to a few gaming analysts about what an $80 Standard Edition and an $100 Ultimate Edition (that paywalls some crucial features) could mean for the Rockstar Games behemoth and the industry at large.

Joost Van Dreunen reckons the slightly higher asking price won't have an effect on how well the game sells. In fact, higher hardware prices across the board might help Grand Theft Auto's case.

"I expect that precisely because gaming hardware has become largely unaffordable for consumers, the existing player base will eagerly spend on those experiences they know will be worth their time," Van Dreunen tells GamesRadar+. "Why spend $1,000 on a new console when you can spend only a fraction on one of the best franchises around?"

Hardware prices are on the up and up. The Steam Machine launches with an eye-watering starting price of $1049, Xbox Series X|S consoles just saw another price bump, and PS5 price tags went up earlier in the year as well - and things aren't slowing down. Valve recently said it doesn't expect component costs to come down any time soon, while Xbox expects prices to multiply in the next year.

"Gaming is increasingly becoming a luxury category. Its economics have historically centered around a winner-takes-most model, and GTA 6 raises the bar again," Van Dreunen adds when asked if the game's price sets a precedent that other companies might follow. "Publishers who can clear it will pull further ahead, and those who cannot will have to compete on distribution instead, finding new channels, bundles, and pricing models to reach players the blockbusters don't."

Multiple retailers drop GTA 6 after physical version is confirmed to be a code in a box

A new report claims Rockstar Games has no plans to reverse its controversial digital-only GTA 6 release, either at launch or in the months after.

Physical collectors and anyone wanting to actually own the games they spend money on were irked this past Wednesday when Rockstar Games announced that GTA 6's release would be digital only. The developer is selling a physical box, but that simply comes with a digital download code instead of a disc containing the game - so, no reselling or lending it out to a friend.

A widely-circulated email then gave fans false hope. Rockstar Support replied to one worried player by saying, "You will be able to acquire a physical copy during the following months" - a response many misinterpreted as confirmation that a proper physical release would follow GTA 6's November 19 release date.

The Hollywood Reporter has now squashed that false hope and explained Rockstar was referring to the code-in-a-box case when it mentioned a "physical copy" that players could buy in the months leading up to launch, not in the months post-launch. THR claims the internet simply misread the support email and Rockstar Games doesn't have any plans to print discs of GTA 6, citing an anonymous source familiar with the company's plans.

There you have it, then. The most-anticipated game of all time may very well stay digital-only forever - a worrying sign for physical media and anyone concerned about game preservation.

Multiple retailers have said they aren't going to stock the game come November due to its physical edition not actually containing a physical copy, but games analyst Mat Piscatella recently said he doesn't think the lack of disc will hurt GTA 6's sales at all.

More GTA 6 features may have been leaked by Amazon: switchable protagonists, in-game social media, and more

GTA 6 theories are like mice. Each time you discover one, you should remember there are about 800 more living in your walls. And they're persistent, as I'm learning now that new screenshots have brushed off GTA fans' half-buried suspicion that a Red Dead Redemption 2 crossover is waiting for them.

Generally, I don't find this idea impossible. Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption are two of developer Rockstar's favorite children, and despite the fact that the franchises take place about 120 years apart, they're narratively linked: rough guys in a rough open-world make morally grey decisions and are allowed to slap prostitutes. GTA has plenty of Red Dead easter eggs, too, like a red John Marston shirt some NPCs can stroll around with in GTA 5.

But this GTA 6 theory is much more substantial than a cute wink and a boardwalk T-shirt. Fans think GTA 6's criminal protagonist Jason is related to Red Dead 2 antihero Arthur Morgan because they both have freckles and kind of a squash-like nose.

The 63 new screenshots Rockstar revealed this week alongside its GTA 6 Ultimate Edition announcement are currently refueling comparisons between the two world-weary men. Rockstar content creator Synth Potato comments on Twitter about the way Jason and Arthur both frown a lot, "Jason could absolutely pass as a direct descendant of Arthur Morgan, he's the spitting image of him."

Twitter account TheCassiniGames agrees in a post with, as of writing, over 33,000 likes, saying "Jason Duval from GTA 6 looks a lot like Arthur Morgan." The accompanying screenshot comparison shows Jason looking like a pouty Calvin Klein model, with a pair of lucite sunglasses, while Arthur Morgan looks like a guy with sun damage who fell off his horse.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see it. There are some situations that make me think, "these are just two white guys" – I have that thought a lot while watching reality TV like Love Island. And I'm thinking it now, partner.

GTA 6 pre-orders live - stock is flying and bundles are hitting the shelves.

GTA 6 and a string of other high-profile games might be forgoing discs altogether, but US physical game sales actually grew ever so slightly for the first time in 17 years.

Rockstar Games recently caused a big online hullabaloo after announcing that physical copies of GTA 6 won't actually contain a disc come launch, just a code that lets people download a digital version. Multiple retailers began dropping what will eventually become the biggest game of the year over its code-in-a-box plan, although Circana senior director and prominent analyst Mat Piscatella predicted this won't actually have any impact on sales..

Curiously though, Piscatella also shares that physical game sales in the United States actually enjoyed a rare glimpse of hope – for the first time since 2009's feverish peak, dollars spent on physical game releases shot up year-on-year by 3%.

US new physical video game software spending. 12 months ending May 2007-2026:

— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-06-26T16:27:48.105Z

Physical game sales have been on a big decline since 2009's $11.5 billion record, but now "spending is up by 3% in the 12-month ending May 2026," according to Piscatella. Don't be too quick to celebrate now, collectors. This uptick is apparently not a sign of things to come, he says.

"The overwhelming majority of volume is done digitally now," Piscatella writes on social media. "The second hand market... doesn't really matter. More than half of all Xbox Series consoles in the US don't have a physical drive, while over a quarter of PS5s are the same. We likely have less than a decade left of physical software." Ominous indeed.

GTA 6 ignoring a real physical release is also worrying since the Rockstar Games behemoth is guaranteed to sell consoles, especially since it's not immediately coming out on PC, but many prospective console buyers might opt for hardware without disc drives thanks to the game's digital-only launch. I can only imagine that'll further snowball the death of boxed games, our ability to share them with people in our real lives, the preservation of art, and, you know, our ownership over the things we've paid for.

Analysts expect GTA 6 could sell up to 30 million copies at launch, but are unsure if it can "surpass the incredible longevity and massive sales of 5" in the long run.

With games seemingly getting bigger all of the time, speculation about the GTA 6 GB size is already starting to ramp up, with players wondering just how much of their hard drive space they'll need to clear out come November 2026 to accommodate Rockstar's magnum opus. While nothing is confirmed at this stage, we can look at previous releases and current trends to make an educated prediction, so here's what I think the GTA 6 file size will be.

To get yourself ready, we've broken down all of the GTA 6 weapons and GTA 6 cars identified so far, along with the GTA 6 locations you can visit.

How big will the GTA 6 download be?

While it's too early to definitively know any details, we can all agree that GTA 6 is going to be huge – and that will no doubt translate to a significant download and install size. If you've seen the elements of the GTA 6 map that have been pieced together so far then you'll know that an expansive setting is on the cards, and with a diverse range of locales from bustling city to mountain wilderness that means plenty of unique textures, sounds, and more to squeeze in.

To make some comparisons, the base file sizes for Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are in the region of 100-110GB these days, though that does include years of accumulated updates and additions. To take a more recent example, Starfield will currently occupy around 125-140GB of your hard drive, depending on what extras you have installed.

Considering current trends, I would make a conservative estimate that the GTA 6 file size will be at least 120-130GB, and could easily be significantly more. A 2024 post from @GTA6Intel linking to a now-deleted story claimed the file size would be closer to 200GB, but take that with a pinch of salt.

Another consideration is that the physical edition will only include a code to be redeemed for a digital copy of the game, and while this is likely so Rockstar can continue development right up to launch day, there is a cap of 128GB on Blu-ray XL discs – no one wants to go back to the days of GTA 5 on Xbox 360 spanning multiple discs!

While the above thoughts apply to the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game, there's also GTA 6 on PC to think about, as PC games traditionally take up even more hard drive space than their console counterparts. However big the file size is, the GTA 6 pre-load will be available a whole week before the game launches on November 19, which at least gives you a few days grace to upgrade your hard drive or delete other games to make room – you won't be playing anything else, right?

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

It's going to be a busy holiday season this year, since GTA 6 is actually coming out in November. While people rush to pick up what may very well go down in history as the biggest video game ever, people in the know on the retail side of things warn you might want to get a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S now if you're planning on getting one and haven't already.

This comes from a report in The Game Business, who spoke to a senior games buyer at a retail outlet operating under anonymity. "We’ve been informed that because of the ongoing issues around hardware component availability, we won’t be getting the units we want ahead of GTA," he says. "Demand will likely outstrip supply during the year end period."

As much really reflects the state of the industry. Stock supplies have been difficult for some time now, and it was always unlikely that'd change in time for Rockstar's new crime sim. Grand Theft Auto 6 is going to shift a lot of systems, and it's difficult to anticipate or prepare for the kind of demand the sequel's going to generate.

Microsoft, at least, is aware of the strain that's coming, per comments made to The Game Business by Matthew Ball, Xbox's chief strategy officer. "I can tell you definitively, demand for our console exceeds the supply. We are putting them in as many stores as possible," he explains.

"We are producing them as quickly as possible," Ball says. "There is a severe limitation to how quickly we can do that, but it’s not a question of appetite. We need to do more, but there are constraints here."

The race is already on between Sony and Microsoft right now for who gets people's money. PlayStation is going all in, having changed the PS5 dashboard to advertise the latest GTA, and even going so far as to alter the PS app to match the aesthetic of Rockstar's new game. Whoever wins, it seems the only losers will be those stuck waiting for a system to play-through Lucia and Jason's sordid journey.

Rockstar veteran says there's a good reason why GTA 6 is more expensive than most titles – it's "not an average AAA game"

Now that GTA 6 pre-orders are finally live and folks are spending their hard-earned money on Rockstar Games' next big hit, some of the community is sharing its dismay at the price… which, yeah, isn't exactly cheap.

In case you missed it, GTA 6 costs at least $80 – the Ultimate Edition, which controversially contains a lot of content people thought would be in the base game (you know, like certain customization shops and whatnot), is a whopping $100.

Unsurprisingly, this pricing has caused a bit of a stir within the community… but one Rockstar veteran doesn't think it's unfounded for the new Grand Theft Auto to cost so much.

Former Rockstar technical director Obbe Vermeij, who worked on GTA 3, 4, San Andreas, Vice City, and more, responds to a disappointed fan over on Twitter, who notes that the GTA 6 price is a good $20 more than "the average AAA game" in Canada. Vermeij writes, "GTA 6 is not an average AAA game."

Although he doesn't explicitly say that the game is priced reasonably here, the implication is evident: its cost makes sense.

After all, a solid 13 years have passed since GTA 5 graced us with its ever-chaotic presence on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 – it's been cookin' in fans' minds for over a decade, and they're ready for it… even if that means paying a hundred buckaroos or so.

Comments under the ex-developer's reply prove as much, too, with the original poster even saying, "That's true." Another person jokes, "Some might say it's [a] quadruple-A game."

Interestingly, though, Vermeij previously shared that GTA 6 likely won't cost $100 – and while it's admittedly only $80 in the United States ('only'… hahaha), the Ultimate Edition is $100. I personally just can't wait to see what the stats reveal about its sales, honestly.

More GTA 6 features may have been leaked by Amazon: switchable protagonists, in-game social media, and more.

There's a high chance GTA 6 will be the most absurdly detailed and densest among the best open-world games ever made when it releases on November 19. The long-awaited return to Vice City is at the centre of Rockstar Games' blockbuster, but we know we'll be getting more of the state of Leonida in the same way GTA 5 expanded its map beyond a very impressive refresh of Los Santos. Will it be shaped by DNA inherited from Red Dead Redemption 2 though?

As GTA 6 promises "more and better" of everything and to set a new bar for living and breathing sandboxes moving forward, I believe we shouldn't ignore the potential of the fictional American state of Leonida. Vice City may be the main attraction as the capital, but the thin marketing materials haven't shied away from showing us more about the natural environments and animals that inhabit the broader state itself. However, it's not enough to just have them; I hope GTA has learned from Red Dead's penchant for outdoor activities.

Lessons from the Wild West

Back in 2013, the larger San Andreas map wasn't particularly exciting. It wasn't until later updates came that more animal species and activities involving them like the GTA 5 wildlife photography challenge were added. Even then, Red Dead Redemption was where Rockstar paid more attention to nature outside crime-filled missions, and RDR2 took everything related to wildlife and its untamed areas to ridiculous levels – finding all the Red Dead Redemption 2 animal locations and completing that compendium was arguably the hardest thing in the entire game.

One of the funniest (and best if you ask me) things Rockstar did with Red Dead Redemption 2 was tricking everyone into playing what's essentially a "cowboy simulator" more often than not. Your mileage may vary, but I always felt the studio's obsession with details would lead to games with heavy simulation elements. More time and money has only enabled the developers to push things further, and while we might argue about how many details are too many details (more on that when GTA 6 releases), the truth is post-GTA 5 Rockstar has done a fine job of making its massive game worlds (including Los Santos over the years) fun to spend time in.

Not everyone was ready for the slow pace of RDR2's early hours or how meandering it can be at times, but those are signs of developers treating its world with respect and not just like a giant playground to fill with lots of content to grind through, an easy pitfall of many modern sandboxes. Though it might be argued Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert ticks plenty of items off the Ubisoft school of design checklist, it's also managed to enchant millions with a truly dense continent full of surprises and opportunities, giving players more to do more than fighting and looting – and nature is at the centre of much of it.

As memorable as RDR2's tale of criminals in a dying West is, I strongly believe most of it wouldn't have hit as hard without the time Arthur (and John) spend indulging in everyday mundanity. It's during those sections – enforced by the game or sought by the player – that we get a glimpse of normalcy amid all the senseless violence and betrayal. Go fishing, find some wild horses to tame, complete your massive compendium of odd animals for that guy you barely know... Tens of hours can be spent engaging with places that haven't been fully invaded by man, and there's space for that experience in GTA too. Swamps and glades needn't just be different scenarios for drug runners and those the wacky hillbilly encounters no doubt awaiting us.

Finding balance

There's always the danger of Take-Two and Rockstar choosing to overcorrect based on the complaints of a loud minority, but when RDR2's success continues to impress eight years later and vast but forgettable open worlds abound, a GTA 6 that's breezier and too focused on the "criminal life" we already know well would be a mistake.

Yes, the game is about Lucia and Jason's "new life" in Vice City first and foremost, but the sandbox bar has been raised several times since GTA 5 came out, and many other studios have almost caught up.

RDR2 still feels like a unique and special beast though. Having the chance to disconnect from criminal activities and visit confirmed natural locations like the Mount Kalaga National Park is the type of thing that can elevate GTA 6. Leaning on the brand of world-building and secondary content only Rockstar (and a few others) can afford to put out on such a scale, switching to totally different genres with ease, is a rare sight. With the past having told us players appreciate getting to live digital lives at their own pace without an urgent need to clear content, I hope that kayaking and off-road hiking aren't limited to NPCs waiting to be murdered, and that birdwatching is an actual hobby I can partake in and be rewarded for. Seriously.

The older I get and the more selective I have to be with my gaming time, the more I appreciate open worlds that put their size and depth to good use. I'm always down to explore new sandboxes, but I only stick around and revisit the ones that feel truly unpredictable and alive. This means I'd rather feed alligators and go diving with sea turtles in GTA 6 than clear a hundred gang hideouts after its credits have rolled.

In this case, I'm confident in Rockstar's ability to repeat (and improve on) RDR2's balancing act. It's the only way the studio can justify all those years in development and cutting-edge visuals; Grand Theft Auto 6 must be more than just GTA: Vice City in 2026.

Here are all the latest GTA 6 activities, customization, and gameplay details revealed now that pre-orders are live!

When is GTA 6 on PC going to happen is a reasonable question that many games will have, as so far Rockstar have remained tight-lipped about what that plans are for that. While the biggest launch of the year is set for November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X, there has been nothing said officially about if or when a PC release may take place. However, it's possible to analyze previous releases and get a better idea of when we're likely to learn more, so here's what you need to know about GTA 6 on PC.

If you want to get prepared, then we've broken down all of the GTA 6 weapons and GTA 6 cars identified so far, along with the GTA 6 locations you can visit and what is currently known about the GTA 6 map.

Is GTA 6 coming to PC?

Look, we all know that GTA 6 is the hottest ticket in town, so it will definitely be coming to PC in the future. There's no way that Rockstar wouldn't tap into that market, especially given the massive investment of both time and money to get to the finished product. However, as we've seen with previous releases, there is always a notable gap between the initial console launch and arrival on PC, so let's dig into the history and see what we can learn from it.

When do we expect the GTA 6 PC release date to be?

Based on previous releases, it's unlikely the GTA 6 will release on PC before November 2027, and it could get pushed back into 2028. It's also likely that Rockstar will keep completely quiet about it until a while after the console release, as they have done with previous games.

To give that some context, GTA 4 came out on PC a little over 7 months after consoles, and while GTA 5 was originally due launch for PC alongside the PS4 and Xbox One enhanced versions 14 months after the original release, delays meant it was 19 months before GTA 5 arrived on PC. More recently, there was a 13 month delay between Red Dead Redemption 2 arriving on consoles and making the leap to PC.

The PC version of GTA 5 was announced at E3 2014, some 9 months after initial release, while Rockstar waited the best part of a year before confirming Red Dead Redemption 2 was heading to PC. So, while it is an inevitability, don't expect to hear anything official about GTA 6 on PC until at least 2027.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.

If an Amazon Brazil description is to be believed, GTA 6 will have in-game social media and missions that have you switching between its two main characters. Neither is too surprising – GTA 5 had us ping-ponging across three guys and digital feeds absolutely littered GTA 6's first trailer – but the features are still notable since Rockstar Games has yet to say anything about them.

So, take everything from here on out with a grain of salt, but Amazon Brazil's store description for the GTA 6 pre-orders lists a bunch of features – some of which we've known about for a while (Vice City's here, for example), some of which we could've guessed (dynamic weather's also in), and some of which haven't actually been confirmed by Rockstar Games.

GTA 6's main difference from past titles is that this one's the kind-of love story of Jason and Lucia, so, naturally, both are playable, but the sequel's also seemingly borrowing from its older sibling with duo missions. Sounds like we'll be able to swap who we control in the middle of missions, if not the entire open world, similarly to GTA 5.

The other notable feature is the built-in social media. Amazon's listing mentions players can watch videos, follow influencers, and maybe even get clued in on open-world activities via Jason or Lucia's phone.

Grand Theft Auto's no stranger to dabbling in made-up internet spaces. GTA 4 had the very of-its-time internet cafes for browsing websites, and GTA 5 plopped the entire digital space onto our characters' phones, complete with a stock market and websites to purchase all types of goods. As the series often does, it sounds like GTA 6 is once again updating its satire for the modern era, only this time perhaps with interactive doomscrolling and brainrot content in case you need a break from doing that in real-life. The ultimate gaming power fantasy, eh?

Keep in mind Rockstar Games hasn't outright confirmed these features or really delved into the game at all, so don't get too attached to the idea of Grand Theft TikTok.

Analysts expect GTA 6 could sell up to 30 million copies at launch, but are unsure if it can "surpass the incredible longevity and massive sales of 5" in the long run.

Analysts predict GTA 6 will obviously be a massive success at launch, but they don't necessarily see it becoming as much of a long-term juggernaut as GTA 5 has been.

Rockstar Games finally revealed details about the upcoming open-world game yesterday, with the GTA 6 price sitting at $80. Speaking to GamesRadar+ David Cole, founder and CEO of DFC Intelligence, says that despite the fears some had that the game would be $100, this price "was not a surprise." Serkan Toto, founder and CEO of Kantan Games, tells us it was "expected" that the game wouldn't launch at the $70 standard, but thinks "expecting $100 was not crazy in my book. However, that sum would probably be a tad too much even for GTA 6."

As Cole says, "the biggest surprise was that the physical version does not have a disc," and despite some pushback on this, it probably won't end up effecting sales all that much.

We asked Cole how many copies he expects GTA 6 to sell now that it has an official price point. "Our estimate for day one sales, mostly pre-orders, is 25 million," he tells us. GTA 5 previously sold 11 million copies in its first day when it launched back in 2013, so more than double of that would certainly be huge, especially with 13 years of hype behind it. Meanwhile, Toto, reckons it could be even higher: "30 million units should be possible."

However, GTA 5 went on to sell almost 230 million copies during the 13 year wait between it and GTA 6, but this isn't a feat that Cole expects is guaranteed to be surpassed by the latest entry. "It could be hard for GTA 6 to surpass the incredible longevity and massive sales of 5," Cole explains. "We think GTA 6 will be stronger upfront but whether it can have the remarkable lifespan of its predecessor remains an open question."

"The biggest issue GTA 6 has is the limited installed base of the platforms it is launching for," Cole explains, adding: "Obviously, GTA 5 gained the bulk of its sales over time as it launched for new platforms and PC. We expect GTA 6 to follow a similar trajectory."

Analyst Joost van Dreunen,once the CEO of games market research firm SuperData Research who now teaches at the NYU Stern School of Business, also expects "GTA 6's long-term sales to underperform compared to its predecessor." He explains: "When GTA 5 launched in 2013, the industry was about to enter a historic growth spurt, and over the decade that followed, global consumer spending tripled from $76 billion to $236 billion. I don't expect to see that repeat in the years ahead."

Even so, Van Dreunen is also optimistic about GTA 6's sales. "I predict GTA 6 will at least match its predecessor's launch and sell-in to at least 30 percent of the overall console audience, totaling 38 million copies and just over $3 billion in sales within its first 12 months," he tells us. And, while he thinks its overall sales figures might end up lower than GTA 5, "per player spending will be higher" as he expects Rockstar to "cater to a smaller player base that it will nonetheless monetize quite effectively."

GTA 6 could get a physical disc release only a month after its code-in-a-box launch, it's claimed, which could be good news for collectors and bad news for FOMO

Unsurprisingly, we've already seen plenty of GTA 6 weapons on display through the various trailers, artwork, and announcements released so far, as the arsenal you have at your disposal is a key part of the Grand Theft Auto experience. There will no doubt be an extensive selection of guns and other tools available in the next instalment, whether you're purchasing them from Ammu-nation, illegally trading them, or simply finding them on the street.

There are some that I've identified already, while for others I can only highlight their closest real life counterparts until I get my hands on them when GTA 6 launches in November 2026. For now though, these are all of the GTA 6 weapons we know about so far.

We've also broken down all of the GTA 6 cars identified so far, along with the GTA 6 locations you can visit and what we know about the GTA 6 map.

All GTA 6 Weapons at a glance

The following GTA 6 weapons have been identified up to this point:

• Assault Rifles
  • Duke Arms Company carbine
  • Duke Arms Company special ops carbine
• Submachine Guns
  • Heckler & Koch MP5/40-inspired submachine gun
• Shotguns
  • Double-barreled Shotgun
• Sniper Rifles
  • Duke Arms Company assault sniper rifle
  • Remington 700-inspired bolt-action sniper rifle
• Handguns
  • Beretta 92FS-inspired pistol
  • Bersa Thunder 380-inspired pistol
  • Capo pistol
  • Girardi ES9 pistol
  • Hawk & Little Morgan revolver
  • Klose K17 pistol
  • Mustang .357
• Heavy
  • Grenade Launcher
• Melee
  • Baseball Bat
  • Hammer
  • Minigolf Club
  • Pool Cue
  • Switchblade Knife

GTA 6 Weapons in the Ultimate Edition

As part of the announcement for the Ultimate Edition of GTA 6, a number of premium weapons were confirmed for those who make the purchase. The first of these are his and hers versions of the Hawk & Little Morgan revolvers, featuring "Vice City stylings sourced from the Vercetti Estate" (a nod to Vice City's Tommy) including palm trees etched on the grips, detailed engraving – J. Duval for Jason and L. Caminos for Lucia, and a high-performance scope. You can also see a Switchblade Knife in the image, which is likely to be a melee weapon.

More personalized GTA 6 weapons follow, with confirmation of Jason's Girardi ES9 pistol and Lucia's Klose K17 pistol. Both of these feature detailed engraving, with Lucia's featuring roses and her signature, while Jason's bears the phrase "Sua Sponte" – a Latin phrase that is the official motto of the US Army Ranger Regiment, meaning they are ready to act spontaneously and deploy without waiting for external direction.

We don't have specific details of what's included just yet, but the Shitzu Squalo motorboat that comes with the Ultimate Edition has an explosives-laden weapons crate onboard, ready to cause chaos out on the ocean.

One of the activities available to Ultimate Edition owners will be raiding the illegal goods store of the PTT YOUNGIN$ gang to "score some special items and distinct contraband." In the image above you can see a gang member holding a brightly colored and highly customized SMG, which is branded "ERIS" on the side – who are actually a footwear company in the GTA universe rather than a weapon manufacturer!

In this key art for the Ultimate Edition, we see the other side of Lucia's personalized Hawk & Little Morgan revolver. Among other details this is engraved "VC" near the hammer, presumably representing Vice City.

GTA 6 Weapons in the Vintage Vice City Pack

Everyone who puts in their GTA 6 pre-orders prior to release will also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack, and the key art for that shows Lucia and Jason both holding Bersa Thunder 380-inspired pistols.

The Vintage Vice City pack will also allow you to apply a Tommy Vercetti-style tint to most of your weapons, matching the iconic palm tree design on his shirt. In the image above, you can see this tropical pattern has been applied to a Beretta 92FS-inspired pistol and an unidentified SMG.

From the previous trailers and press assets, I've been able to identify the following GTA 6 weapons:

GTA 6 Assault Rifles

A screenshot of Jason aiming an assault rifle reveals it is a Duke Arms Company carbine, identified by the logo engraved above the magazine, though we don't know the exact model name at this stage.

In a video on the GTA 6 media site we see Raul Bautista aiming a Duke Arms Company special ops carbine, in the middle of what appeared to be an armed standoff in the street.

GTA 6 Submachine Guns

Early in the second trailer during an armed robbery, both Lucia and Jason can been seen carrying a Heckler & Koch MP5/40-inspired submachine gun, with Jason's also fitted with a red dot sight.

GTA 6 Shotguns

Taking an up-close look at a screenshot showing poachers hunting in the Grassrivers area, we can see what appears to be an unidentified Double-barreled Shotgun.

GTA 6 Sniper Rifles

There are a couple of poachers in this Grassrivers regions screenshot, and the one seated has what appears to be a Duke Arms Company assault sniper rifle resting in his lap, which the other stood beside him is holding an unidentified carbine.

In a close-up of another screenshot showing hunters moving through Mount Kalaga National Park, we can see what appears to be a Remington 700-inspired bolt-action sniper rifle.

GTA 6 Handguns

Jason sits on a motorcycle in this screenshot holding a Beretta 92FS-inspired pistol, which he can also be seen firing from a vehicle in the second trailer.

This screenshot of Lucia preparing to face an armed intruder shows a close up of her Klose K17 pistol, which gets a special finish with the Ultimate Edition of the game.

Raul Bautista can be seen holding an unidentified Capo pistol from the GTA universe weapon manufacturer in this screenshot, which Jason also uses during the liquor store robbery at the end of the first trailer.

A screenshot showing a couple of bikers from the Ambrosia region has one of them holding a Mustang .357 manufactured by the Duke Arms Company, identified by the logo and engravings on the side.

GTA 6 Heavy Weapons

In an explosive scene during the second trailer, we see Lucia destroy a number of police vehicles with a blast from a series staple heavy weapon – the Grenade Launcher.

GTA 6 Melee Weapons

This screenshot shows Jason and Cal Hampton playing pool in a bar, and it's likely that a Pool Cue will be one of your available melee weapons.

Another screenshot shows Cal Hampton playing a round while brandishing a Minigolf Club, which is also likely to become a melee weapon if you get your hands on it.

A screenshot featuring a couple of characters found in the seedy Port Gellhorn area shows one of them wielding a Baseball Bat, and I would be shocked if this trusty melee staple wasn't one of the GTA 6 weapons.

During a sequence of social media clips in the first trailer, a lady is shown armed with a couple of Hammers, and as this tool has featured in several previous GTAs it will likely return as a brutal melee weapon.

Those are all of the GTA 6 weapons I've picked out from the information revealed so far, and there's already quite an arsenal being built. As more details are discovered I'll keep this guide up to date with the latest from Ammu-nation and beyond.

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Prime Day gaming deals are the perfect excuse to ignore the GTA 6 pre-orders everyone else is scrabbling to secure and get a bargain on something a bit different instead. Sure, there are Prime Day deals on games with vibes like GTA 6, but there's nothing wrong with not being into the year's biggest gaming event of the year. It only means more bargains for you and me to grab!

GTA 6, after all, as a crime-based open-world adventure, isn't for everyone. I've already highlighted some great Prime Day remakes you can snag, or Prime Day PS5 RPG deals, which fit the bill as being quite different. The great thing about the gaming deals I've been seeing lately is how they cater to all tastes - there really are great savings for gamers of all genres.

But what is an anti-GTA game? I've gone broad here a bit, all to fit in the heaps of discounts across Prime Day itself and other retailers' competing sales, but it's all in the name of shouting out some of the cheapest deals on the best games I know. That includes a few titles similar to GTA that flip the script, putting you on the side of law, different types of crime stories, more adventures you can play with pals instead of GTA Online, and other big worlds to explore. Stick with me, and let me run down some of my top Prime Day anti-GTA 6 games below for those looking to counter the hype.

Take a look at my best Prime Day Switch game deals for more bargains!

Prime Day gaming deals have been great so far, but the wind has been taken out of them a tad by everyone refreshing retail pages to finally secure their GTA 6 pre-orders (though given they're codes in boxes, they're surely not going anywhere). Yet, while we've waited so long for Rockstar's latest, there's plenty more open-world adventures and crime capers worth getting lost in already, many of them on sale across Prime Day and beyond.

With GTA 6 still a few months out, why not whet your appetite with something else while the prices are at a discount? There are Prime Day deals to get your set-up GTA 6-ready, too before its November launch. Sure, you could replay the classics you already own, but why not use this opportunity to try something new? For cross-gen games in my picks, I've tried to account for free digital upgrade paths to still nab the best deal.

After all, games like GTA don't have to be exactly the same, many offering different spins on an open world adventure like going on foot in Assassin's Creed, a very different setting like Cyberpunk 2077's sci-fi Night City, or a different type of crime story entirely that might be a touch more linear. Join me below, and I'll round up the best deals available at the moment on games like GTA 6 that I personally go to bat for, which will get you in the mood to play this year's biggest game.

Take a look at my best Prime Day PS5 RPG deals for more bargains!

In the midst of this week's Prime Day chaos, we've seen GTA 6 pre-orders arrive and fly off the shelves. For what is shaping up to be the biggest game of 2026, that's no surprise. But it's proving so popular that I'm seeing a notable increase in people jumping into the PS5 and Xbox Series X generation - specifically for GTA 6.

While ongoing price hikes are making consoles pricier than ever, there is one silver lining. Prime Day sales are underway - so whether you're looking to pick up some must-haves alongside your PS5 or Xbox Series X or are looking to treat yourself with sensible setup upgrades, now is the time to spend smart to get more for less.

Below, I've hand-picked the best budget options for everything you'll need to enjoy GTA 6 at its best. From headsets and screens to controllers and accessories, I've picked the best budget option in each category to create the perfect affordable gaming setup. Items have been picked based on our team's personal recommendations, their reviews, and my own experience, as well as how notable their Prime Day discounts are.

Fans are warning that the free month of GTA+ included in your GTA 6 pre-orders will be automatically set to renew, so make sure to turn that off if you don't want to pay for more.

Rockstar Games confirmed the GTA 6 price yesterday ahead of the pre-orders going live today, which also included the biggest info dump we've had about the game probably ever. The GTA 6 Ultimate Edition was confirmed, as was the fact that there's exclusive content locked behind the $100 version, as well as other annoying bits of news like GTA 6 physical copies being a code in a box.

Rockstar also confirmed that anyone who pre-orders GTA 6 will get a cosmetic pack inspired by GTA Vice City, but there's another pre-order bonus in there in the form of a free month of GTA+. Rockstar's own subscription gives you benefits on GTA Online, as well as access to a number of games in the Rockstar back catalogue like Bully, Red Dead Redemption, and GTA 5.

However, fans have noticed that the free month of GTA+ will automatically renew for anyone who activates it. It's worth noting that it's not a case of pre-ordering GTA 6 and you'll automatically be put on the subscription, instead you'll be sent an email with an activation code for GTA+, and once you activate it then it will be put on an auto-renew process.

So, PSA to anyone who pre-orders GTA 6 and activates their free month of GTA+ – go and check your console's subscription tab and turn off auto-renew for GTA+. Unless you fancy keeping it, in which case do nothing, I guess?

Multiple retailers drop GTA 6 after physical version is confirmed to be a code in a box.