GTA 6 Pre-Orders Are Officially Breaking Gaming's Golden Rule

Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders are now live, and it’s subverting the usual gaming “golden rule” of never pre-ordering games. Over the years, many gamers have been burned by ill-fated launches for titles they were excited to pre-order, but GTA 6 is making a lot of eager fans ignore the “no pre-order” rule. Sales are off to a huge start for Rockstar, and those numbers are bound to continue to skyrocket as the days pass.

The road to get to this point has been a years’ long journey, but the GTA 6 pre-orders finally becoming a reality has made the game feel closer than ever. It honestly feels surreal that the game has finally reached this point, and the number of gamers flocking to pre-order Rockstar’s newest title is further proof that GTA 6 is a game that many aren’t going to think twice about buying ahead of time. So many gamers jumping at the chance to pre-order definitely isn’t surprising, but it’s fascinating to see years of “no pre-order” discourse go down the drain in the blink of an eye.

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The “Never Pre-Order” Rule Exists for a Good Reason

At first glance, it seems like pre-ordering a game only makes sense, especially if one wants to make sure that they have secured a physical copy at launch. However, the past decade has demonstrated over and over why ordering a game before it’s officially out has now become a bad idea for the most part. Not every game is like this, but many major releases in recent years have unfortunately been added to the list of disappointing video game launches.

Bugs, lack of content, and even being incomplete at launch have all been big issues when it comes to pre-ordered games. This has built a very understandable paranoia around pre-ordering, but GTA 6 is one of the few games that can sidestep that stigma. Even with the price of GTA 6 being $80 and the Ultimate Edition costing even more, it still hasn’t deterred gamers from diving into the pre-order pool.

GTA 6‘s Ultimate Edition costs $100 and features exclusive in-game content like shops, cosmetics for Jason and Lucia, cars, weapons, and even extra missions. This content can only be accessed via the Ultimate Edition.

A Look at a Few Games That Had Notorious Launches

Cyberpunk 2077
Starfield
No Man’s Sky
Fallout 76
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Anthem
Halo: Infinite
WWE 2K20

This list could honestly be even longer, but the games listed above are some of the most notable. One of the most controversial game releases of the last decade was undoubtedly Cyberpunk 2077‘s launch. It was one of the rare times that PlayStation offered refunds to disappointed players, but developer CD Projekt Red eventually bounced back and turned Cyberpunk 2077 into one of the best RPGs of the 2020s.

Games like Starfield, Fallout 76, No Man’s Sky, and Halo: Infinite lacked compelling content, while Anthem, Assassin’s Creed Unity, and WWE 2K20 were riddled with jaw-dropping bugs and glitches. The state of the industry right now has caused aggressive crunch times in order to hit publisher deadlines and keep shareholders happy, which often leads to developers being cornered into situations where they have to push games through when they aren’t really finished yet. As game development has gotten more complex, it has become far more difficult to turn games around in the time that higher-ups desire, and the cycle this has created continues to plague the industry.

Pre-Ordering a Game Is Often Risky Behavior, But Rockstar’s Track Record Makes GTA 6 a Different Situation

Deciding whether to pre-order a game or not is a personal decision, so no one should ever feel guilty for doing so. However, a lot of gamers have perfectly good reasons to at least try and warn fellow gamers before they go and spend money on a game that they aren’t fully aware of what state it’s in. What makes GTA 6 different from other titles when it comes to pre-ordering, though, is that games by Rockstar have a reputation for being complete and well-polished at launch.

Rockstar Has Proven Multiple Times That It Values Quality Above All Else

It’s no secret that Rockstar has taken its sweet time with GTA 6. Eight years have passed since Red Dead Redemption 2‘s story and gameplay elevated Rockstar to new heights, and GTA 5 is still wildly popular, despite being released over a decade ago in 2013. Rockstar has continued to be deeply secretive about the finer GTA 6 details, and that secrecy and the delays that have hit the game’s development have built an intense level of hype. The lead up to GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption had their own delays, too, and the finished product at both launches proved that the games were well worth the wait.

Even GTA 6‘s physical version not having a disc can’t keep people away from pre-ordering. The decision to go for a disc-less release has definitely upset a lot of gamers, but the average customer simply just wants to play the game. Because of Rockstar’s incredibly strong track record, people are going to line up no matter what.

GTA 5 has sold over 250 million copies, and Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over 85 million copies, making them the second and third best-selling video games of all time, with Minecraft overtaking the number one spot.

GTA 6’s Pre-Order Data Is Starting to Roll In

According to RockstarINTEL, the first batch of GTA 6‘s physical copies (both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S) sold out on Amazon within the first hour of going live. Amazon has since been restocked, but it’s a great example of just how excited gamers are to get their hands on a copy of the game. As the days pass, seeing reports of GTA 6‘s sales numbers is going to be fascinating. Controversial decisions like GTA 6‘s exclusive Ultimate Edition content and a disc-less box are still frustrating, but Rockstar’s long-awaited game is expected to be such a massive pop culture moment that it’s hard for people to say no to pre-ordering.