In case you somehow missed the news, Grand Theft Auto 6 preorders start June 25 at midnight local time, depending on your region. Now I've covered a few big preorders in my time, most notably the PS5 six years ago and the Nintendo Switch 2 just last year, and in my experience, it always goes the same: complete and utter chaos! Websites crash. Queues form. Social media melts down. You know the drill.
You can bookmark retailer pages, such as this one, to get ahead of the rush.
If you want a bit of help navigating the madness, I've put together my standard cheat sheet of all the ways IGN's expert shopping team (including myself) handles the stress of a big video game preorder just below.
Apply it to your own experience, and things may go just a bit smoother and potentially be a whole lot less stressful. I'll even throw in a few hot takes along the way to keep you on your toes.
The obvious counterpoint to the idea of "physically owning" GTA 6 takes a bit of a hit when you remember there's no disc in the box, just a download code.
While this certainly isn't ideal, and definitely won't satify most physical media advocates, myself included, I can absolutely still see people wanting to own the box as a collector's item, a memento, or simply a marker of gaming history.
And there's no shame in that. Let's be honest, this is probably going to be the biggest game launch of all time. I'll be treating it as such, and you should too. (Still, it also would've been nice if they included a disc as well).
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My second reason is a slightly more economic one. How sensible of me.
The global economy is a bit dicey right now (potentially understatement of the year, I know). Now, that's not going to stop millions of people buying GTA 6, but an $80 price tag is definitely enough to make at least some of us hesitate. At least, that's what Reddit commenters keep telling me, and they're famously the most intelligent among us.
For anyone who's not thrilled about paying $80 today for a digital copy, and then waiting several months to actually play the game (or simply doesn't have the cash available right now) a physical preorder through retailers like Amazon, Walmart, or Best Buy could make more sense.
Thanks to their preorder guarantees, these retailers won't charge you until your order ships. So if you're planning to spread the cost over the second half of the year, a physical preorder may actually be the smarter option.
Still, at the end of the day, this is entirely subjective. Just do whatever is best for you. Want to buy digitally? Go for it. Fancy a physical copy to delay the cost, or as a collector's item? Crack on!
I think it's pretty inevitable that retailer sites will crash, or become extremely slow, from the massive influx of traffic once GTA 6 preorders go live. My advice? Stay the course, and you'll eventually be able to secure your copy, even if it takes a bit longer than you'd like.
One of the biggest reasons I expect GTA 6 preorders to be a lot more manageable than something like the Nintendo Switch 2 launch is simple: it's software.
This is a game that can only be downloaded. There isn't a limited Collector's Edition that's going to vanish in 30 seconds. There's a standard edition and an "Ultimate Edition" with some extra in-game goodies for $20 more (i.e. no physical bonus items).
That's basically it. Everyone is buying one of two versions of the same thing. It's unlikely retailers will sell out, simply because the only thing Rockstar is manufacturing is a plastic box with a download code included. No discs required.
Honestly, it might even be worth giving the whole June 25 rush a miss and simply preordering whenever you feel like it between now and November 19. It's not going to sell out, is it? Surely?
Well, remember when I said people would be buying GTA 6 as a collector's item? That's where things get a little less straightforward.
If you're absolutely determined to own a Grand Theft Auto 6 box with a PS5 or Xbox logo slapped across the top, then maybe you're allowed a small amount of panic. Rockstar has stated that physical preorders are available "while stock lasts", which suggests there is, in fact, a limit to how many copies will be produced.
Now, does that mean physical editions will become genuinely difficult to find? Probably not. Does it mean Rockstar has simply decided on a certain number of plastic boxes, printed them all, and called it a day? Maybe.
Nobody outside Rockstar knows for sure. But if the physical box itself is important to you, that's probably the one scenario where preordering sooner rather than later makes some sense.
So, what about preorder bonuses? And that Ultimate Edition I keep mentioning, is it actually worth the extra $20? All in good time, my friends.
First up, every GTA 6 preorder, whether physical or digital, comes with the Vintage Vice City Pack. As long as you preorder before November 20, you'll get the same bonus regardless of where you buy the game.
The Vintage Vice City Pack includes a handful of themed cosmetics and extras inspired by the neon-soaked glory days of Vice City, including a classic '55 Vapid Stanier, a personal garage near Ocean Beach, some flashy outfits for Jason and Lucia, and a weapon skin inspired by Tommy Vercetti's legendary tropical shirt.
It's a decent little collection of bonuses, although it's probably not the sort of thing that should convince anyone to preorder who wasn't already planning to. If you've waited thirteen years for GTA 6, I suspect a free linen suit isn't going to be the deciding factor.
The bigger question is whether the Ultimate Edition is worth spending $100 on instead of $80. Once again, I must remind you that the Ultimate Edition only includes digital bonus items, and doesn't come with any real world extras.
What it does have is a collection of in-game bonus vehicles, including the Vapid Dominator Buggy, a retro '95 Grotti Cheetah sports car, a Dinka Enduro motorcycle, a speedboat, and a handful of additional upgrades and storage locations spread throughout Leonida.
Beyond that, you're getting access to extra vehicle customization shops, a Classic Car Collection side activity with several exclusive restoration projects, unique weapon variants for both protagonists, bonus robbery content tied to the PTT Youngin$ Compound, and a mountain of cosmetic items ranging from outfits and tattoos to hairstyles and accessories.
At first glance, Rockstar has certainly thrown a lot into the package. Exclusive vehicles. Exclusive weapons. Exclusive outfits. Exclusive tattoos. Exclusive side content. Exclusive haircuts. Exclusive garages. Exclusive stores. Exclusive kayaks.
Yes, kayaks. Make of that what you will.
Is that worth an extra $20? Eh, maybe? If you're planning to sink hundreds of hours into GTA 6 and whatever form GTA Online eventually takes, there's a decent argument for upgrading.
Yeesh, but it does also make me feel a bit dirty for even suggesting that. In a perfect world this would all be included in the $80 version, no questions asked.
A digital preorder also gets you a free month of GTA+, with Rockstar referencing GTA Online:
"Experience the dynamic blockbuster GTA Online now with the best way to get the most out of its ever-evolving world. Pre-order any edition of Grand Theft Auto VI on the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store and get one free month of GTA+ — featuring a recurring monthly GTA$500,000 deposit into your GTA Online character's bank account, access to special Shark Cards with 15% bonus GTA$, access to free and discounted GTA Online vehicles, a rotating selection of classic Rockstar Games titles and other featured games in the GTA+ Games Library, and much more."
It's worth noting that this auto-renews, so if you do redeem the free month of GTA+ - we'd advice turning that off at your nearest opportunity.
Robert Anderson is IGN's Senior Commerce Editor and resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Bluesky.
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