GTA 6 Ultimate Edition takes nearly 90% of pre-orders as buyers weigh $20 upgrade

The game, more than a decade in development, had nearly 5 million digital pre-orders within days of the Netflix Extended Look, which drew 31.1 million Netflix views, according to Sensor Tower. The early mix is unusual for a premium edition, which typically accounts for 10 to 20 percent of sales, said Karl Kontus, Sensor Tower's senior vice president and general manager of Video Game Insights. "I have never seen a 90 percent premium share before," he said. Kontus expects the split to land "much closer to 50/50" once more casual buyers turn up closer to the game's November launch.

Take-Two Interactive has not published pre-order figures. CEO Strauss Zelnick declined to give numbers when he spoke to CNBC after the company's Aug. 7 earnings call, but he said pre-orders are "skewing more to the premium edition."

The Ultimate Edition's two main extras are exclusive locations and side missions. They include five shops: Rideout Customs, Sara's Unisex Salon, the Stock 305 clothing store, One-Eyed Willie's off-road mod shop and the Electric Fang Tattoo Parlor, which stocks more than 50 designs from the art collective FAILE. The side missions include the PTT Youngin$ Compound, a gang stronghold that players raid for contraband, and the Classic Car Collection, a string of restoration jobs given out by a fixer named Wyman.

Other additions are items to own and wear. The package includes three exclusive vehicles: the '95 Grotti Cheetah, a reimagined version of the GTA series icon; a Shitzu Squalo jet ski loaded with explosives; and the '67 Vapid Dominator Buggy. Ultimate Edition buyers also get the Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers, a set of weapon skins, and the Vice City Styles and Goodtime Gear outfit packs.

Engadget said the bonuses are not really day-one inclusions. Rockstar has said they are "threaded" throughout the game and "uncovered behind each chapter" as the story goes on. The more players play GTA, the more they unlock, earn, buy or steal anyway, so a fancier garage at the start is unlikely to change much, Engadget said.

Whether the extra $20 is worth it depends on how much value a buyer places on the additional shops and side missions. Engadget recommended buying the Standard Edition if a buyer is unsure, because the Ultimate Edition upgrade can be purchased at any time after launch for the extra $20. There is no real benefit in rushing to pre-order the Ultimate Edition, the publication said.

The pre-order structure is also a departure from the norm. Historically, the main point of a premium edition pre-order has been early access. Starfield's Premium Edition granted up to five days of early access, and Diablo IV's Digital Deluxe and Ultimate Editions granted four days. With GTA 6, everyone is expected to get access at the same time, though Rockstar has yet to release specific timings for the unlock and how different time zones will be factored in.