Talking Point: Is GTA 6's Dodgy Ultimate Edition a Deal-Breaker?

I really hope this game is amazing and top AAAA for all those that play and they really enjoy many hours.

It would be so funny if it was a below 90 or mid 80s review score.

No, but it is stupid.

I expect there to be other shops in Vice City where you can get a new haircut, tattoo, car mod etc.

The ultimate edition is just fluff really.

@AI-Generation Too much hype. It'll get 10s galore from journalists just for a bunch of video essatists to release videos throughout next year calling its praise into question.

Whether it's good or not will depend on how tired one is of R*'s formula. If GTAV and/or Red Dead 2 are what you consider the best games of all time, you'll love it. If you think games like Breath of the Wild or Ghosts of Tsushima ran circles about R*'s efforts, I doubt VI will do much of anything to convince you it deserves its generational status.

People should be happy about it, as it's effectively subsidising the game for you if you are skint and just want the base version.

A lot of people expected the price of the Ultimate version to be the price of the game period. 99% of you would have bought it if that were the case let's not forget...

Essentially you are buying a marginally cut down version, that loses next to nothing of value, but for a big discount.

This is common for other goods. I'd say getting the standard version of GTA VI is a better deal than getting the poverty-spec "SE" version of Apple products like the phone and watch.

When you buy cars you can buy the poverty spec with flat paint, no heated seats, parking sensors or electric folding mirrors.

I'm buying the standard edition I couldn't care less about the ultimate version.

Of all the extras the only bit that is appealing to me is the extra classic cars to find. It's not enough to make it worth it the extra cost.

Base is better value for me.

It's all of it. The price, the no disc, and absolutely the ultimate addition being the only way to experience the complete game.

All of this garbage is why they didn't show gameplay or another trailer. So they can use it now as a smokescreen to distract from all the negative reaction they new their scum decisions would cook up.

The industry/journo bots and the online echo chamber will all fall in line when they do post so hype trailer or preview and everyone will forget how dogs hit these choices are. I think voting with your wallet and vocal discourse is necessary here. It's the only thing that's every worked to incite change from the corporate sociopaths.

Also the leaked game description, if accurate, doesn't bode well for ps5 and pro performance..... Considering this now $1000 cost to entry to play this game.

You know, when this was announced I didn't think much could detour me from wanting to get the game, but since they announced this, its definitely put me off, and has atleast delayed me purchasing until I see more of the game.

Internet people will be fuming regardless of which version I buy, so might as well spend the extra $20 for maximum ragebait

Looking at their track record I trust there would be so much shops and content on the Standard Edition that these wouldn't feel like you're missing anything. Pretty sure people haven't even worn half the clothing in GTAV's or RDR2's shops. It's been almost 8 years and I don't think I've even crafted half the attire available at the Trapper and there were still extra stuff given in the Ultimate Edition.

Honestly it isn’t, been waiting for this game for over a decade and I’m positive it’ll deliver on my expectations, I already knew some disgusting practices were coming and I ready myself buying discounted PSN gift cards to pay for the Ultimate Edition for around $70.

However that doesn’t mean I agree with or like any of these practices and I’d even say this release encapsulates everything that’s wrong with the current industry but it’s not the first time we’ve seen all this, basically every gaming company has had these practices for years now, look at all those premium editions/upgrades that are cut content from the base game, people expecting Rockstar to be a good guy and launch the game at $70 (as many were commenting here just last week) was completely unrealistic, I don’t like it but it’s the way the industry behaves, I bet Take-Two executives were thinking ‘if everyone has gotten away with it, why wouldn’t Rockstar?’

Get'em Shogun. 😎

I’ve never bought a special edition, and unless there’s a 60fps mode i won’t be getting the base edition any time soon. I remember how bad GTAV was on PS3

Doesn't bother me and honestly it's pretty overblown.

@Dogbreath it’s subsidizing it? Are you that naive? The game will makes billions at just $70 (let alone $80) no add ons. It’s not subsidizing anything, it’s gouging you. Cars and other things are physical goods, taking stuff out reduces the price to make the good. Removing shops does not reduce the cost of anything in a piece of software.

I got the ultimate, but only because I got it for fairly cheap 78 euros. But I had the same thoughts when seeing the ultimate edition bonuses, locking out the content that's already produced in game is such a scum move.

Edit. I will be more pissed if they try to charge again for GTA Online

The lack of a physical copy with the full game on disc(s) without the need for any download is a dealbreaker.

I don’t plan on buying it at the moment but once they start actually showing the game or when reviews start rolling out, that may change.

The FULL experience is $100

Why do you deserve the full experience if you don't want to pay for it?

Signed: not rockstar

I guess we need a new '5 articles per day' game, just in time for when Final Fantasy 7 remake runs out of news.

I get having some basic cosmetics, clothing/armor or hair styles being locked behind a deluxe edition, it's just some extra cosmetics that won't detract from the game for not having them.

But locking entire shops, that are still visible in the base game but are locked, is really scummy lmao. They're already in the game and they're locked behind a more expensive version. Rockstar is doing the classic "strip stuff from the game to be sold for more".

The galling thing about this "ultimate edition" is that it removed features that used to be standard in GTA games in the past just to try and sell it back as part of the more expensive "ultimate edition". That is what makes this scummy as hell.

A quote from John Lennon 1963 Nov 4th
"For our last number, I'd like to ask your help. The people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry."

@Deadlyblack Especially when those in game shops used to be standard features in past GTA games

@RoomWithaMoose Or it will fail to live up to the hype get a bunch of 8s and the same people will make their video essays similar to the ones they made about Crimson Desert. Could honestly go either way

soon be charging to unlock certain trophies £5 bronze £10 silver £20 gold cant afford platinum

That just sounds like the cosmetics of other games' ultimate editions just in the form of having to actually walk into said shops in the world to claim the cosmetics lol. And I have issue with it in the same way I've always had issues with said versions of other games. This doesn't seem any more nefarious

I’m not happy about it, but this is probably a generational game. I will begrudgingly pay the extra.

I don’t get the point of the article. Some people want this stuff and pay extra, some people don’t want it and don’t pay for it. There is nobody who doesn’t want it but is forced to pay for it.

The only group of people who are p!ssed are those who want this stuff without paying for it. Tough!

I was always gonna buy this digital as we all know GTA is timeless.. and I was always gonna get the most expensive version.. could care less about GTA:O..

But if I’m being honest.. this whole preorder before a gameplay trailer is moronic and shady af.. their whole ad campaign thus far has been a confusing roller coaster (and I mean that in the worst way possible)..

I’ll put my preorder in when I see some gameplay and specs.. not a moment sooner..

I also respect everyone who are mad about the discless physical version as 99% of my games I buy physical so I can resell them for half and get the next new game.. I don’t plan on selling a game that will forever give me entertainment (especially if I can finally get into GTA:O)

It’ll all work out guys.. I’m just glad we’re finally here 🤘🏻

@Judal27 It is quite different. Vehicle mod shops, clothes shops and barbers used to be a standard feature in GTA games going all the way back at least to the first 3D GTA. Now they are seen as a way to sell a more expensive edition of the game. It isn't that they are just cosmetics like in other games; it is taking a feature that used to be standard, removing it and selling it back.

@NerdyPaul but is there proof there won't still be multiple different cosmetic shops in the base game? If yea then sure that's cause for concern for the game itself anyway (I doubt most would follow suit even if this game becomes a monster success). But if not, then I really see this as no different than an ultimate edition coming with its own exclusive cosmetics. Which still sucks and has always sucked but not any more so

I've said it across multiple places but the gist is that any dodgy pricing and I'll just wait until its free on the Epic Store or £15 on PSN... and this counts. I have more than enough in the backlog to offset any hint of FOMO that I might feel.

@NerdyPaul I'm pretty sure they are still going to be plenty of other shops still in the game. They just won't sell/mod what you can get in the ultimate edition ones. Your not going to be losing any features, just certain cosmetics.

I dont like it, I'll buy the game but not the Ultimate Edition. 🤬

Cosmetics have never interested me so I'll be skipping the ultimate edition

I'm more put off by no gameplay videos tbh.

My suggestion would be that sites like Pushsquare take this into account when scoring:

• If the base game feels lacking due to the removed content, then low score the game.
• If the Ultimate edition feels too expensive for what is included, then low score the game.

(I'm not saying Pushsquare do a bad job but) Poor practices, including bugs, performance issues, egregious microtransactions etc need to be penalised far more heavily in reviews (by everyone) or it is just accepting these practices.

They know that we'll buy it anyway and that it will break sales records. They can get away with it and they know. I hate practices like these.

One could take the cynical 'it's all only digital stuff anyway', but no, this is terrible. I'm fine with shiny stuff being extra, but massive chunks of existing content locked away sets a bad precedent.

In RDR2's defence, it was more of an acknowledgement of support than a shiny exclusive that gave you a massive leg up over other players.

Bollocks to the two tier policing myth, 2 tier gaming is on its way!🤬😡

I think everyone seems to be getting this all wrong... Ultimate edition gives you access to additional customization stuff (clothing, tattoos, cars etc.). But instead of just unlocking the purchased content in some DLC menu and have it magically appear in your inventory (including some perhpas high-end cars and guns) right after starting a new game, you will have to retrieve them from specific locations that will become available when you progress the story and have perhaps some mini-quests or activities tied to them.

For me this is much better alternative because I was worried buying the Ultimate Edition would make the protagonists too powerful too quickly and ruin the fun. And I, for one, really liked the bank heist in RDR2 and it's the main reason I bought the Ultimate.

EDIT: Forgot to add - this doesn't mean there won't be any clothing stores, car garages, tattoo salons, gun stores for those who don't buy ultimate. There will be plenty. It's freaking Vice City.

Ppl pre ordering the game without even seeing gameplay and more info about the game regarding performance / bugs, etc is really the reason the gaming industry is totally broken - no hope..

This blind loyalty is what really triggers these anti-consumers practices and all the crap

I dont like it but im getting the ultimate edition anyway. I don't care if the SP is short and sucks im buying it mainly for the online. The campaign is just something to play while I wait for online and to get to know my way around the map. I hope it's good obviously but I don't really care for the campaign.

It sounds like it's pretty much an early DLC, as long as you can upgrade at a later point I'm still disappointed, but not FUME.

That said, I'm weirdly not feeling the hype for this. I know what GTA will give me, it'll be a lot of fun and I'd certainly enjoy it, but I've not seen anything revolutionary yet. Nothing that has me desperate to play it if I have other fun games to play.

But I'll wait for reviews, and see if they're holding anything particularly exciting back.

Don't care, they give you access to optional clothing and car mods. Completely useless stuff. Must be sad to spend your time searching high and low for stuff to be Mad Online about.

@Fatewalker yeah, really need to see if checks notes the most consistently great gaming franchise of the last 25 years is worth it before spending MY money.

The way some people wrap themselves into pretzels, trying to find any excuse to NOT play games...

I told you all something didn't smell right with this. I will be waiting them out. No pre order, nothing even close to launch. Zelnick can go kick rocks.

I paid $85 for the ultimate edition. I bought a new TV and a Pro for this game. Spending the extra dosh is nothing at this point to play the game of the generation in the best way possible.

I'm baffled with how some people in here defending this scummy practice.

But i should expect nothing from people since the day they bought that Oblivion horse armor pack DLC and leads the way to microtransaction and paid DLC became normal practice in video games.

Rockstar can suck it, paywalling gameplay elements like this behind another $20 ultimate edition. And to be fair, these are gameplay elements, because they add to the role playing experience. So incredibly lame.

I was entertaining the possibility of getting the game, but they’ve lost my dollar for this BS. If we say yes to this, we’re opening the door for more to come. Sadly, I’m sure the ultimate edition will sell very well.

What I’m not clear on is whether the standard edition will include some customisation locations, just not all of them? Or, is the ultimate edition the only way to achieve this level of customisation?

Either way, I’m likely to go ultimate because if I’m spending £70 I may as well spend £90 and this only comes around every 10-15 years so I’ll make the most of it! Who knows, it might be the last of its type the way things are going!

I really don’t care about playing the game day 1 so I might even be able to wait out a first sale.

I will buy GTA 6 Ultimate Edition. I don't like spending that much on a game, but I will probably put 200-300 hours or more into it. It's cheaper than going out to dinner with the family these days.

@Number09 brother John Lennon died with a $200 million net worth, lol. He was one of the people clapping jewelry…

@PuppetMaster
At the time, I just laughed incredulously at that Horse armour.
If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have been laughing...

This is the gaming equivalent of “shrinkflation”.

Everything we buy nowadays is more expensive but we are being given less.

We used to get complete access to everything in our games for a single fee. It’s not wrong to think that was better for us gamers!

And, quite frankly, some of these comments defending this practice are as depressing as they are imbecilic.

they should do it so you have to buy cosmetics with real money

I'm sure the game is gonna make billions, but it is weird that Take Two stock dropped after preorder info was announced.

@NerdyPaul its not different really. You do realise there will still be clothes shops/tattoo parlours/mod shops & barbers to go to right?
Them setting up 4 shops with the exclusive items is the same as making them locked in the game in the regular shop.
Why do you wanna see hairstyles or tattoos in a menu that you dont have access to?

@ear__wig haircuts and tattoos are gameplay elements? Bit of a reach isn't it. There will still be other haircuts and tattoos to pick from in the other shops. The ultimate is an add on and can be bought at any time. After a year of playing it, if you're really desperate for whatever dumb haircut is exclusive, im sure the add on will be on sale by then.

@Ed_Zeppelin I think its clear there will be other custom locations. For example, the ultimate edition tattoo shop is just one shop. How likely is it there is one tattoo shop in the whole county of leonida? People are getting irate over regular deluxe edition cosmetics that have been bundled up in an extra steps kinda way.

@Dogbreath if you’re genuinely skint, then the base price is still insane. It’s not like it’s super cheap, and others are paying a massively higher price for a few shops to subsidise a properly cheap version.

This is actually a really cool way to do the extra goodies. It’s always immersion breaking to just have an extra menu with cosmetics loaded in. It’s much better to have cool unique shops for your extras. The complaining about this is stupid. It’s the best way we’ve ever seen for a game to sweeten the deal.

I don't buy physical copies of games. But I'm also not interested in collecting so I can understand how this can be upsetting to those who do.

It's clear the publisher thinks very little of their consumers. It's very clear they believe a large part of their fans / gamers aren't smart and they can successfully sucker them into buying $0.99 plastic box (wholesale unit price) with a manual for $99. It's too bad they are very disingenuous in their messaging.

@TheArt (#13) by that logic the ultimate edition is even more overpriced

"You either die as Rockstar Games or live long enough to see yourself become Ubisoft."

@PneumaPilot (#69) Take2 intern spotted!

@Simu001 (#44) don't buy it, then! The only thing Rockstar will notice

I'm not really arsed in any way but I love to see the sanctimony on display in these comments on article 15389 about Beer Good, Rockstar Bad 😄

Have a boss weekend everyone.

I bet all of this 'bonus content' will be added for everybody over time and then it will be the people who bought the ultimate edition who will be complaining.

Not sure how a decision can be reached without knowing the impact of this extra stuff. It might just be cosmetic, or even weapons or cars from the mission, but which are completely outpaced by others available in the base game. Personally I hate the concept of ultimate editions at launch anyway, which means I prefer the easier option of all the stuff in said editions being limited and pointless, so I get your idea, but if people are paying a good chunk extra, then they should get a good chunk of extra content I guess.

Personally, I’ll be waiting until it’s a decent price anyway due to the lack of a resaleable option. I mean, I still haven’t even played GTA5, despite the wife owning it, so it’s not like I can’t resist these games lol.

@4fold lol, I don't think you are the target audience for this.

But play the GTA5 story, I think it was great and alot of fun, especially my favourite Trevor. That man is insane in the best way possible. Guess he remind me of myself in a way

@HangryHero I agree. Doesn’t feel particularly different to what most other games do at launch. I guess people are just looking for things to get annoyed about or looking for reasons to have a go at GTA just because… It’s going to be a tedious few months in that respect!

@Zeke68
To be honest, the requirement to play the online element to get all the trophy challenges, and so 100% the game, really puts me off. Im hoping they don’t do that in 6. I have no interest in social gaming of any type other than split screen at home. Not hopeful though, it’s clearly a standard cynical practice for them - getting single player gamers to artificially inflate their online engagement numbers.

@4fold Same for me I got 100% of the singleplayer trophies, and for each onlinepatch it went from 35% unfinished to like 70-80 ish today. Insane and stupid as online wasn't a part of GTA5 when I bought it on release day. They just want to mess up my clean trophylist ;(

I’m in my 40s and have been a gamer all my life. Over the last 5 years I’ve stopped my PS Plus which I had for about 10 years before. I don’t buy new games at full price since they’ve been £70. The only exception I told myself was for GTA 6. The news that even at this price I won’t get everything in the game means I will wait for a sale. They have just been too greedy for me.

@PercyChuggs Thanks for validating my point about blind loyalty, though! Just because it's Rockstar doesn't mean consumers should just bow down and hand over cash without seeing actual gameplay or performance.

No matter their history, giving money to rockstart without even seeing a single frame of gameplay is wild. Plus, digital copies are not going to run out! Talk about the "pretzel"..

I didn't buy GTA5 until 2020 for $5, probably won't buy GTA6 until it hits the same price.

I hope it doesn't end up being a Cyberpunk situation for the early adopters. People have a lot of faith in Rockstar, but they're a Ship of Theseus at this point. The people making GTA6 for the most part are not the ones who made GTA5, and only a few of them made Red Dead Redemption 2. This is mostly new staff, and entirely new writers, so we'll see if they can uphold the legacy.

I don't see what all the fuss is about. It's additional content behind a pay wall, like countless other games before and no doubt after it. There will still be plenty other stoner and content for standard edition buyers.
I very rarely buy games day 1, last time was Gran Turismo 7 but this will be one, I have already blocked my diary around release date. I will probably buy the Ultimate Edition too cos why not give myself the full experience.

It’s funny that leading up to the price announcement there was so much speculation that it would be priced at $100 for the base game and in a sense it is. People will be pressured into paying the extra $20 for fear of missing out on what everyone else has. That plus a digital only version which lets Rockstar completely control the market with no ability to trade in or loan the game to a friend. GTA 6 will be a massive worldwide event that will set the stage for others to try to do the same thing. I fully believe that the product they made will absolutely be worth the money based on their track record based on how amazing RDR2 is. I have zero interest in GTA but understand just how big a deal it is. I wish they would have made it a disc with an unlock like Crimson Desert so you could at least not have it tied to your account if you wanted to share or sell.

@Gunga Same, I also don't see what the fuss is about. I very much doubt there won't be OTHER shops available to the players. I see these things in the premium as an addition.

Perhaps I'm missing something here.

@GenX79 that’s totally how I see it. If you put 100 plus hours into a game, isn’t it worth it?

Considering that all of this will be available at launch, there is no reason for it not to be in the standard edition. So I guess you could argue that the full game is actually 100€ but you can get a lite version for 80€.

Preordering digital, lol. Like they are gonna run out of copies ha

Don’t know why people moan about the price of a game that you’ll clearly spend hours on, plus it lasting weeks/ months as entertainment. I easily spend triple that on a night out for dinner and drinks. So 80-100 doesn’t seem so bad at all

Honestly, it’s just irritating. Say what you will about Nintendo, but when they charge $80 for a game, they give you the whole damn thing. TotK’s switch 2 version has so much to do. Mario Kart World may have been overpriced, but you can get every piece of content when you buy it.

All this is going to do is encourage mediocre developers like Ubisoft or Activision to charge more for their half baked products.

@Rich33 I wish i have a time machine to warn people back then. sigh...

Voting with our wallets is the best thing a responsible consumer can do. Unfortunately, responsible consumers are screwed right along with everyone else because they are outnumbered by irresponsible consumers who don't understand the gravity of the responsibility they have. Expect more of this in the future as irresponsible consumers line up in droves to support the practice.

@HangryHero Again, role playing is gameplay, and cosmetics are a part of role playing. Not a stretch imo

If there are other barbers, salons, clothing stores, and tattoo shops, then R* needs to share that information. Right now, it appears that all of that customization is locked behind an ultimate edition. Forgive me if this stuff is now standard GTA knowledge, I haven’t played this series since Vice City

So it's safe to assume your review score in November will take this ***** practice into account?

All that stuff seem like just cosmetics and not something important like a story DLC. So just putting those items within an in-game store or mission is just their way to realistically give you access to them. Would you be happier if your character starts with those items in their inventory like a reborn isekai character?

I guess get angry if missing those items blocks you from a Platinum trophy, but I doubt this will happen. Of course, if you have ADHD and must collect ALL items in the game, then it's just a $20 fix.

I dont mind it at all. Actually I love it.

Its normal games now come with pre order bonuses, or editions and just cosmetics and slight story missions or pay an extra 30 or 40 just to have early access for 2 days before.

At least GTA6 is giving me a big reason to buy the ultimate edition and honestly I just dont get the uproar.

In the uk its normal price, so no they arent setting a new standard because here nothing has changed.

For a pre order and a ultimate edition they are giving me exactly what I want from a edition.

What they are actually doing is making you feel like, youve really have bought a different version or your part of a club. The whole point of a ultimate edition.

Cosmetics and cars which 99% of people won't even bother with.

But then again 99% are going to buy the ultimate edition.

And just to point out the classic car missions are still in the game. Its just the ultimate edition will add 4 more.

Bummer. I’m most certainly not offering anything new here, but that amount of walled-off content — which will be visible to everyone but accessible only to those who pay more — makes me feel like the baseline game is GTA 6 Lite.

@PercyChuggs Do you want to buy my copy of metroid prime 4? The first 3 are really good!

Overall GTA5 was a bargain at $60 0n my PS3. Hundreds of hours of play, almost daily online play for two years before I purchased a PS4. There was no dlc costs as the no extra cost online was the dlc and I never needed shark cards because I had the time to grind, and also no fee to play online. All for only $60, a cost per hour played ratio bargain in deed.

Then I paid $30 for an on sale copy of GTA5 PS4 edition, and purchased Plus for the first time to play it online. Still a bargain for the story replay at better fps, and hundreds of hours of online play from 2016 to 2018, and more hours until about 2022.

That was a decade ago and everything costs more now. Playing GTA6 will cost more, the game, the paywall to play online, and maybe even a one time fee or monthly fee to play online, or maybe major features/ content walled behind a GTA+ sub. However if I play daily and total hundreds of hours of play for a year or two it will likely also feel like a bargain.

The $20 extra for ultimate is the cost of some large dlc in some games so the content should be more than just skins, trinkets, and a weapon we may never use. One question I have is will we be able to purchase that content seperately after purchasing the regular edition?

It is a disgrace. Added to the pathetic "code in a box" moronic edition, all my interest in the game has been killed.

So without the ultimate edition, you'll never get access to these stores? They'll be in the game, all decorated with a storefront and everything, but you just won't be able to enter, ever?

I’ve only ever dabbled in preordering games that offer “rare loot” to start and almost every single time, I end up using other loot that comes with the game through normal gameplay. It’ll be like a developer’s logo t-shirt or gold guns or like, a tattoo or something. All cool stuff but realistically, I’m not using that stuff at all. So no, I’m not fronting cash for items I’m likely not even going to use or keep using.
Probably not even buying the game at all if I’m being frank, or not until it goes on sale anyway.

@glennthefrog If all reports are correct Rockstar / Take 2 Interactive will never release GTA6 with discs. They will keep it as digital only. In that case, the price will never drop down for consoles (maybe for PC via Steam sales). They will keep it at full retail price.
As for GTA Online V2, maybe they'll charge extra for it. I see Rockstar has a subscription service thingy called GTA+, and you need to subscribe to that.
To me, as I mentioned previously, Rockstar is following Ubisoft's blueprint of locking content to higher editions. Effectively, GTA6 is actually a $US100 game. No way they declare it as such, but putting it as an Ultimate Edition lessens the backlash. So far, 50 million people already purchased it. Gamers aren't bringing out pitchforks and torches in droves.

Not really in terms of value for money GTA 5 was probably one of my most replayed games ever. Gone trhough the campaign thrice and my brother twice. So I'll spend for the 90usd digital deluxe since I got regional pricing advantage. RDR2 otoh wasn't worth the special edition. Loved the map and the game itself but zero replayability unlike GTA or RDR1.

Even for Wolverine. Getting 80 usd edition for those costumes. Probably paying for the early access for control resonant.

The publisher should apologise for even considering this sh**.

No. Current day Florida as a setting is a deal breaker.

this is a game hyped to hell and tbh I'll not be getting it - I only got GTA 5, 9 months ago - personally I think the games are over hyped they are good games, and now without the ultimate edition, you'll never get access to these stores .. not for me I'll wait until its in the sale in 7 years time

I voted "Yes, it's a disgrace". Because it sets a bad new president for future games.

But I won't be buying anyway. I don't the clunky controls of Rockstar games, which is inherent to their game engine.

I notice that absolutely nowhere in neither the base nor the ultimate edition does it confirm that GTA online 2 (or whatever they end up calling it) is included. They are careful to call it a single player game, in fact.
When they announce that the online game is a separate purchase people are going to lose their minds.

Ahh the complainers. They've always got something to gripe about despite Ultimate Editions being something of an industry standard for quite a while now and GTA VI is probably one of the less egregious of them. Has everyone forgotten the £120 Assassin's Creed series UE's? Whatever the "locked" content is in Vice City there will no doubt be a ton of content (shops etc) that isn't but if course there's no mention of that because it's all about the complaints right now lol. In any case the UE content will most likely become available down the line as part of a marketing incentive, Complete Edition or GTA+ perk, so to my mind it's more of an early adopter strategy to get more preorders banked given that we're all very excited for it all after only waiting 12 YEARS 😄
Yes I'll take the GTA VI UE thank you very much and I won't think twice about it. I'll be playing the game for 1000 hours minimum unless the world suddenly ends (2958 hours in RDR2 to date) which means it'll have cost me 8 pence per hour of gameplay. That will most likely drop by half to 4p per hour in about 18 months after release and especially once the new GTA Online drops. Compare that to ANYTHING in terms of value, like a coffee, a cinema ticket, a train ride, a book, a burger, a holiday etc etc and you'll be hard pressed to find something as enjoyable for as little. Even if you were to play GTA VI for only 10 hours, that's still only £8 an hour. Worth mentioning that I preordered my GTA VI UE on the Singapore PS store as I used to live there and it cost me 134SGD which is £78.

@ear__wig i think the gameplay is gameplay. Roleplay is an optional way to play the game. But i get where you're coming from.
Yes there will absolutely be other barbers, tattoo parlours, clothes shops and car mod garages. This was all in GTA V. Multiple stores with each one offering different customisations. So having one of each store type locked off is not a big deal as its entirely optional customisation. The classic car hunt thing is just a way of including additional vehicles but with extra steps where you've to look for the parts or whatever.
If you haven't played a GTA game since Vice City, I'd highly recommend San Andreas, GTA 4 & 5.

21% say "Yes, I refuse to support this practice".

Yeah, right. I'm sure none of the 200+ million copies this game will sell will be from any of you.

Other 21% say "I don't plan on buying GTA 6", which is a bit more honest since there's plenty of time to change plans.

At the end of the day, it's a little ridiculous when 42% of the audience of a gaming enthusiast's website say they're not buying a game that will undoubtedly be one of the best sellers of all time.

Frankly, I'm tired of all the faux outrage around this. GTA6 will likely be the first and last game to be worth a 100$. If that price is to much, they have offered a budget edition.

@SingleStooge It's possible they could do that, but I'm sure they'll see using the base game as a way to lure people in GTA Online much like 5 and eventually drop it to practically nothing.

If not no great loss really, I always thought GTA was the most overrated game (regardless of generation, they aren't bad but also not really 10/10s to my personal taste if I'm being honest) and generally play it later just to round out my experience in a gaming generation. Didn't play 4 until around 2013 and didn't play 5 until 2020, never played any other GTA games.

So very low stakes here. I worry mainly for friends and fam who are super hyped, especially any buying a console with these prices at this time, I really hope it delivers and isn't a bunch of unproven creators hiding behind a legendary brand until it's too late as we've seen too often recently. The fact they won't show gameplay this late should set off red alarms if you expect quality. It might be a slideshow on base PS5 for all we know.

Bundling a mission in the ultimate edition is no different to offering a mission in a DLC bundle a few months down the line for the same price. It's just timing.

@glennthefrog Rockstar not yet releasing a "gameplay" trailer, nor console specs officially indicating as to what resolution and framerate this game will run on PS5 / PS5 Pro / Xbox Series X and S is also a "red flag" for me. If Crimson Desert is any indication, then base PS5 / XBX on quality mode could be 1080p@60, and upscaled 4K from 1440p@30 on performance mode. Personally, played every mainline GTA game and liked them all.