Pre-orders for the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI is now available, and oh boy, it’s going to cost you.
In the US, the price for a standard copy of GTA VI is at $79 USD while the just-announced Ultimate Edition costs $99.99.
In Malaysia, the price for a standard copy of GTA VI is RM339 while the Ultimate Edition costs RM419 via PlayStation Store.
That’s quite the price jump from the now-standard full price of RM299 (the equivalent to $70 USD), but rather expected. In the wider games industry, it was Mario Kart World that first set its price at $80 USD, though in Malaysia, the price of that copy of the Switch 2 launch game is localised to just RM308, just RM9 more rather than the RM30 more as per USD to MYR exchange rates.
That doesn’t mean GTA VI is the most expensive full-priced copy of a AAA game sold in Malaysia. Koei Tecmo, for some reason, are selling digital copies of some titles including Nioh 3 and Dynasty Warriors Origins at RM350. Physical copies at retailers have prices in line with the standard norm of RM299, but digital versions have a significant premium.
That being said, on launch GTA VI won’t be available in disc form. Even physical copies that will be sold at retailers will just contain a download code. Until publisher Rockstar Games released a new run of GTA VI physical copies that actually has a physical copy inside and not just a box with a code, there won’t be any second-hand copies available in the market. There’s no choice but to pay full price, and pay even more if you don’t want to miss out on select cosmetics, vehicles and even missions that are tucked behind the Ultimate Edition.
For more context, the minimum wage of a Malaysian worker is RM1,700. A standard Big Mac set at a McDonald’s costs RM19.45.
Until further news says otherwise, GTA VI is playable on November 19 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game is available to pre-load on November 12.