GTA 6 Ultimate Edition Outselling Standard, Data Shows

Nearly nine out of ten GTA 6 pre-orders are for the pricier $100 Ultimate Edition rather than the $80 Standard Edition, according to new estimates first reported by GamesRadar — a premium split so far outside the norm that even the analyst tracking it says he's never seen anything like it.

How Many GTA 6 Pre-Orders Are Choosing the Ultimate Edition?

Analytics firm Sensor Tower puts the Ultimate Edition's share of pre-orders at 89% overall, and the split holds steady across platforms: 88.5% on PS5 and 90% on Xbox Series X|S. That leaves fewer than 1 in 10 pre-order buyers picking the cheaper Standard Edition.

Why Are So Many Fans Paying $20 More for GTA 6?

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who separately confirmed the Ultimate Edition is outselling Standard, thinks it comes down to who pre-orders in the first place: the most dedicated fans, who are more likely to spend extra regardless of price. Karl Kontus, Sensor Tower's senior vice president of video game insights, offers a second read — the $20 gap between $80 and $100 feels small next to the bundle of digital extras the pricier tier includes.

Is a 90% Premium Edition Split Actually Normal?

Not even close. Kontus says special editions "always tend to perform well" during pre-order windows, but typical premium shares across the games industry sit around 10–20%; the highest he personally recalls seeing before GTA 6 was 50%. He expects the Ultimate Edition's share to ease off as launch nears and more casual buyers join in, but predicts it'll stay well above that industry baseline — GTA 6, in his words, "lives in a league of its own," with "no benchmark for how this game will perform."

What This Means For Players

If you're still weighing which edition to buy, the numbers say most of the community pre-ordering alongside you is paying the extra $20. That's not a reason to upgrade by itself — the Standard Edition still ships the complete story campaign — but it's a sign the Ultimate Edition's bonus content is landing better with buyers than the online grumbling about its price tag suggested.

Are you going Ultimate or sticking with Standard? Tell us why in the comments.