If you’re a long-time GTA fan, you’ve probably found yourself scrolling through Rockstar’s social media pages at 2 a.m. more than once over the last two years, looking for any scrap of news about the next entry in the franchise. The most common question on every fan’s lips right now is when is GTA 6 pre order coming out, and it’s easy to see why. GTA 5 has sold over 190 million copies since its 2013 launch, making it one of the best-selling games of all time, and the first GTA 6 trailer, which dropped in late 2023, broke every viewing record on YouTube for a game announcement. We already know the game will be set in a modern version of Vice City, feature the first female protagonist in the main GTA series, and have a massive open world that includes surrounding rural areas and small towns beyond the city limits. This guide breaks down all official updates, credible leaks, and practical tips you need to know about GTA 6 pre orders, so you can be ready to secure your copy the second they go live.
What We Know About When Is GTA 6 Pre Order Coming Out
Rockstar has a very consistent release pattern for its flagship franchise titles, so we can make highly accurate predictions about pre order timelines based on past launches. For GTA 5, pre orders opened 6 months before the official street date, after the release of the second full gameplay trailer. Red Dead Redemption 2 followed an almost identical pattern, with pre orders going live 7 months before launch, shortly after the second gameplay reveal dropped. Rockstar has already confirmed that GTA 6 is targeting a fall 2025 launch window, per statements from its parent company Take-Two Interactive’s latest investor call. That means pre orders will almost certainly open between late Q1 and early Q2 2025, assuming there are no unannounced delays to the game’s development.
For reference, Red Dead Redemption 2’s second gameplay trailer dropped 3 months before pre orders opened, so we can expect a similar cadence for GTA 6. Credible leaks from major retail partners including GameStop and Amazon also show that internal placeholder pages for GTA 6 pre orders are already built, and these pages usually go live to the public 1 to 2 weeks after Rockstar makes its official pre order announcement. Rockstar never announces pre order dates out of the blue – they always tease the announcement 2 to 3 weeks in advance across their official social media channels, so you won’t miss the news if you follow their accounts and turn on post notifications. For anyone asking when is GTA 6 pre order coming out, this timeline lines up perfectly with Rockstar's decades-long release pattern for flagship titles.
Confirmed and Rumored GTA 6 Pre Order Bonuses
Even if we don’t have a hard pre order date yet, we can get a clear idea of what bonuses you’ll get for reserving your copy early, based on Rockstar’s past practices and confirmed details from their publishing partners. All pre orders, regardless of edition, will come with a base set of bonuses that usually include in-game cash and exclusive cosmetic items, and special editions will get far more exclusive content for dedicated fans. Rockstar has also hinted that pre order bonuses for GTA 6 will apply to both the single player campaign and the new, separate GTA Online 2 mode that will launch alongside the base game.
Based on official teases and credible retail leaks, here are the expected pre order tiers and their associated bonuses:
- Standard Edition: Base game + base pre order bonus cash for single player and GTA Online 2 + exclusive vehicle skin for the single player campaign
- Digital Deluxe Edition: Base game + all standard pre order bonuses + 3 days early access to the full game + 2 exclusive single player side missions + 10 bonus cosmetic items for online mode
- Physical Collector's Edition: All Digital Deluxe content + steelbook case + printed full-color map of Vice City and surrounding open world areas + exclusive vinyl copy of the game’s soundtrack + custom GTA 6 controller skin
All pre orders will also get access to an exclusive in-game outfit for Lucia, the game’s main female protagonist, that’s not available to players who wait to buy the game after launch. The standard edition pre order will come with in-game currency for GTA 6's single player mode and GTA Online 2 worth roughly $1.5 million in in-game dollars, per credible leaks from Rockstar’s internal testing builds. Don’t pre order from unlicensed third-party sellers, even if they claim to have exclusive bonuses that aren’t listed here. These listings are almost always scams, and you won’t get a valid copy of the game when it launches.
How to Prepare for GTA 6 Pre Orders Opening
Big Rockstar launch pre orders usually sell out in minutes, especially for special collector’s editions, so taking a few small steps now will make sure you don’t miss out when pre orders go live. First, save your payment and shipping details on your preferred retailer's website – cutting down your checkout time by even 30 seconds is enough to secure a copy before stock runs out for high-demand releases like GTA 6. If you’re planning to buy the digital version, make sure you have enough storage space on your console or PC ahead of time, and that your payment method linked to your store account is up to date.
Once we get an official answer to when is GTA 6 pre order coming out, these steps will make the checkout process seamless for you. You should also decide which edition of the game you want to buy ahead of time, so you don’t waste time scrolling between tiers when pre orders drop. If you prefer physical copies, you can also reach out to your local independent game store to see if they’re taking pre-reservations with a small deposit ahead of the official pre order launch. I did this for Red Dead Redemption 2, and I got my collector’s edition 2 days before launch, without having to stay up late to fight for stock online. It’s a super underrated tip for people who don’t want to deal with the chaos of online pre order drops.
If you’re on a budget, you can also set a reminder to check for pre order price matches across different retailers. Most major stores including Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop offer price matching for pre orders, so if you pre order at $69.99 and another retailer drops the price to $59.99 before launch, you can get the difference refunded automatically if you ask. You don’t have to pay the full price up front for pre orders at most retailers either, you can usually put down a $10 deposit and pay the rest when the game launches.
Common Myths About GTA 6 Pre Orders Debunked
There’s a ton of fake info floating around online about GTA 6 pre orders, so let’s clear up the most common myths so you don’t waste time or money. First, the biggest myth: pre orders are already open. That’s 100% false. Rockstar has not announced a pre order date yet, so any website or social media post claiming to let you pre order GTA 6 right now is a scam, full stop. Legitimate retailers will never list a game for pre order before the publisher makes an official announcement.
Another common myth is that you have to pre order to play the game on launch day. That’s not true, but it is the best way to guarantee you get a copy, especially if you want a special edition or physical copy. If you wait until launch day to buy, you might have to wait 2 to 3 weeks for restocks if stock sells out, which it almost certainly will for the first month after launch. There’s also a myth that pre ordering gives you access to a GTA 6 public beta. Rockstar has not confirmed any public beta for GTA 6, and they never tie beta access to pre orders for their main franchise games, so anyone saying otherwise is lying to get you to click their link.
One last myth worth addressing: pre order prices will be higher than $69.99 for the standard edition. Rockstar has confirmed that standard edition pricing for next-gen console and PC versions will be in line with industry standard for AAA games, which is $69.99 in the US. Any retailer listing the standard edition for more than that is price gouging, and you should avoid them. If you see any pre order listings before Rockstar makes an official announcement, report them to the platform you see them on, to help other fans avoid scams.
At the end of the day, we still don’t have an exact answer to when is GTA 6 pre order coming out, but all official signs and past release patterns point to pre orders going live sometime between March and June 2025, a few months ahead of the planned fall 2025 launch. If you follow the simple steps we laid out earlier, you’ll be first in line to secure your copy the second pre orders drop, without falling for any of the common scams spreading across social media right now. You also won’t have to stress about missing out on exclusive pre order bonuses or waiting weeks for restocks if the game sells out fast, which it almost certainly will. For now, you can rewatch the first GTA 6 trailer a few more times, keep an eye on Rockstar’s official social channels for announcements, and get ready to explore the brand new Vice City in just a couple of years.
