With pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 having opened up on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, Sony seems to be going all in with its marketing for the game. PS5 users turning on their consoles will find themselves greeted with an entirely new UI theme that prominently features Grand Theft Auto 6’s pre-order information on the welcome screen.
Along with this, PlayStation users who also have the smartphone PlayStation app will find that its icon has been changed to reflect the Vice City themes of Rockstar Games’ upcoming title.
On the PlayStation Blog, Sony also published an article about why Grand Theft Auto 6 “plays best on PS5”. The reasons for this include the DualSense controller’s unique features, like its haptic feedback that can help set the scene, adaptive triggers that offer unique resistances depending on your in-game interaction, and sound effects coming from the controller’s built-in speaker.
The title will also support Tempest 3D AudioTech so that players can experience an appropriate level of surround sound audio. And while a high-speed SSD is available on both Sony’s and Microsoft’s consoles these days, the company has promised “near-instant load times.”
The PlayStation Store listing for Grand Theft Auto 6 has also confirmed that the open-world title will be PS5 Pro Enhanced. While Rockstar Games hasn’t gone into much detail about what this means, players can expect higher-resolution output with smooth frame rates and potentially even support for PSSR.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is slated for release on November 19th and is priced at $80 for its standard edition and $100 for its Ultimate Edition. The latter includes an “exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action around every corner.” Among the additional content are three shops: Rideout Custom, The Electric Fang Tattoo, and Sara’s Unisex Salon. All three offer unique customization options for vehicles, tattoos, and character customization options like hairstyles, facial hair, makeup, and nailwork, respectively.
Fans of the franchise might want to keep in mind that the “physical” release of Grand Theft Auto 6 won’t include a disc. Rather, it will only have a code that can be used to redeem the title on the Microsoft or PlayStation Store, giving you access to download the game. While many have found this idea disappointing, Circana analyst Mat Piscatela believes that it won’t really affect sales in the long term.
“Anyways, devil’s advocate here, but given the % of PS5/XBS consoles out there without a disc drive, one could argue code in box may provide a better opportunity for retailers, particularly those that don’t sell used,” he wrote. “In any case, can’t say this changes anything regarding total sales expectations.”
Rumors have indicated that a physical release with an included disc is still planned for release. However, rather than making it available at launch, Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive are seemingly waiting until December 2026.
In the meantime, while you wait for Grand Theft Auto 6, take a look at a new fly-by video that Rockstar Games has uploaded on its official website. Also, check out our thoughts on why a third trailer for the game might be coming soon.
