The day we’ve been waiting years for has finally arrived. Rockstar Games has finally given word on GTA 6 pre-orders (spoiler: they’re happening now), as well as pricing information and a torrent of new screenshots, but fans have highlighted a notable omission.
We were asked in a comment on our TikTok announcing the news whether or not we knew of a collector’s edition in the works — and we don’t, with Rockstar staying quiet on the matter — but there’s at least some reason to believe that we won’t see one that includes a physical copy.
That reason is an entirely different game; Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2), the last game developed by Rockstar. Instead of a collector’s edition including a physical copy, fans received a collector’s box priced at $99.99 / £89.99 with “outlaw essentials” inspired by the Van der Linde gang.
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These included various themed items like a metal tithing box, a bandana, pins, and more, all neat, but notably, there was no digital content included. Bundles were available that included a hard copy, but officially speaking, these were distinct and separate products. It was met with mixed feelings; some fans liked the focus on real-world collectibles rather than in-game content, but others at least wanted a unique game box to
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
So, will we see a collector’s box for GTA 6?
Well, reader, I’ve got no clue. It’s been a long eight years since RDR2, an even longer 12 years since GTA 5, and it’s a whole different ball/car theft game in 2025. In our pre-order live blog, our Managing Editor, Gaming and Streaming, speculates:
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Could it be that Rockstar only wants to launch digitally initially in order to avoid any risks about leaks or something, but then come again later with a special edition or collector’s edition that’s ‘properly’ physical — I could see that happening. People would buy it twice, too.
I think we’re about to witness a game pre-order situation that is like no other, ever; it’ll transcend any other game pre-order logic, pattern, or situation, so the idea of Rockstar coming later with a collector’s edition or physical copy to coincide with a later beat, such as GTA 6 Online, or a PC release, is very much something I can see.
Rob Dwiar — Managing Editor, Gaming and Streaming
Indeed, GTA 6 already stands to shape the market. Its pricing alone has been a huge point of interest, with analysts putting early predictions at over $100; it’s safe to say that would have been the real kicker here, even if a collector’s edition would be appreciated by many fans.
Who knows, perhaps Rockstar is going all-in on the digital future and scrapping all physical media, including merchandise. I mean, I’d be surprised, but it’s not beyond the realms of imagination that we’d see fewer publishers making their own merch and offloading the effort onto third-party providers.
Still, I sincerely hope that’s not the case; whether it’s a collector’s edition with a physical disc, a game code, or just a box filled with junk I can shove on a shelf to proudly show in the background of my Zoom calls, there’s plenty of demand for collector’s items.
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