GTA 6’s $100 Ultimate Edition Proves Rockstar Has Learned the Wrong Lessons About Monetization

The sale price of Grand Theft Auto 6 has finally been revealed, along with pre-order bonuses and other versions of the game players can buy. The Ultimate Edition has a variety of extra content, but players have been surprised to see a lot of features gate kept through this upgraded variant of the title. With an incredibly high price set for the Ultimate Edition, Rockstar seems to have locked a big portion of GTA 6 away, much to the frustration of fans.

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The base version of GTA 6 costs $80, marking a shift in AAA prices that moves up again after modern consoles raised $60 game sales up to $70. By comparison, the Ultimate Edition of GTA 6 costs even more, with a $100 cost if players factor in tax from the original price tag. This may not be the most expensive game ever sold, but the content behind the Ultimate Edition’s higher price is what has fans leveling critiques against developer Rockstar Games and publisher Take-Two Interactive.

GTA 6 Locks Several In-Game Locations Behind The $100 Ultimate Edition’s Bonuses

The Ultimate Edition of GTA 6 has lots of extra content to justify its $20 increased price, mainly through cosmetics or optional items players can collect. That being said, this version of the game also featured plenty of single-player content exclusive to those who get the Ultimate Edition, such as in-game locations within Vice City. For example, only a player who bought the Ultimate Edition can access Jason’s Safehouse Vehicles, a location that has special vehicles players can purchase.

Mod shops, hair salons, clothing stores, and garages are just a few of the places the Ultimate Edition offers, with each new area being completely inaccessible for those who buy GTA 6‘s base version. In total, the restricted content available to Ultimate Edition players includes:

’95 Grotti Cheetah (Luxury Vehicle)
Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers (Weapons)
Personalized Sidearm Variants
Vice City Style (Character Customization Options)
Jason’s Safehouse Vehicles (Vehicle Shop)
Ganado Retro Build (Vehicle Mod Shop)
Rideout Customs (Vehicle Mod Shop)
Sara’s Unisex Salon (Character Customization Shop)
Shitzu Squalo (Aquatic Vehicle)
Stock 305 (Clothing Shop)
’67 Vapid Dominator Buggy (All-Terrain Vehicle)
Paradise Garage (Storage Garage)
Electric Fang Tattoo (Character Customization Shop)
One-Eyed Willie’s (Vehicle Mod Shop)
Goodtime Gear (Clothing Shop)
PTT YOUNGIN$ (Gang Compound/Contraband Shop)
Classic Car Collection (Special Commission)

The personalized sidearms or extra weapons and vehicles are not too strange to find in an Ultimate Edition, but the sheer amount of other content has players baffled. Nearly a dozen in-game shops exist only through the Ultimate Edition, including a variety of personalization stores tied to what main characters Jason and Lucia look like. Something as simple as giving Jason facial hair or putting paint on Lucia’s nails is a feature that Ultimate Edition players have an easier time getting, if base version players get that customization system at all.

An Already Expensive Base Game Loses Plenty Of Features Without Extra Cosmetic & Location Content

Since GTA 6 is confirmed not to launch with GTA Online, the loss of content the base game has in relation to the Ultimate Edition is staggering. When starting the game, players on the standard version suddenly can’t use several Vehicle Mod Shops, Clothing Shops, or even complete specific missions. Players can’t change their car into a low rider, modify vehicle interiors, purchase certain street wear, or even get a tattoo as easily as those who open new locations just by getting the Ultimate Edition.

Although this issue would have been easier to address if all the locked locations were tied to cosmetics, the Ultimate Edition differences go deeper into gameplay. An entire gang stronghold that players can raid for unique items is only available in the Ultimate Edition, as well as a in-game mission that lets you collect rare vehicles. Extra storage space for vehicles, an often needed feature in any Grand Theft Auto game, is also locked behind the Ultimate Edition through an exclusive Garage zone.

Fans Are Already Vocal About Having To Pay Extra To Unlock Various GTA 6 Areas

In summation, base version players are severely restricted in the content they can access compared to those who spent more for the Ultimate Edition. Understandably, this has fans upset in a big way, likely to grow as the release date for GTA 6 grows closer. If the Ultimate Edition bonuses had just been one or two Shops, a few extra vehicles, and perhaps one character customization store, players likely wouldn’t have much of a problem with a moderate number of extra features for those who paid more.

However, the long list of exclusive features almost makes the Ultimate Edition feel like the definitive version of GTA 6. For many, $80 is already a big ask, but $100 to unlock a multitude of stores is ridiculous. Considering how players will already have to grind for in-game cash to purchase the items from these stores anyway, it feels like Rockstar or Take-Two is being deliberately predatory. The single-player content is being marketed to be enhanced through the Ultimate Edition too, almost linking the “true” GTA 6 experience to a bigger cost.

Some players may have already planned on buying the bigger and better version of the game anyway, but those with a passive interest may be discouraged from purchasing the title at all. With the restrictions that only a more expensive Ultimate Edition can unlock, Grand Theft Auto 6 is already practicing malicious monetization schemes, setting a disturbing trend that could grow even worse as Rockstar’s biggest game gains other features in the future.

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