GTA 6 pre-orders are set to go live for players worldwide. However, ahead of pre-orders rolling out, Rockstar Games has confirmed there will be two GTA 6 pre-order editions: Standard and Ultimate. Eagle-eyed fans have noticed an interesting detail in the Ultimate Edition description. Rockstar is (likely) introducing a brand new progression mechanic in the form of GTA 6 chapters.
GTA 6 Chapters Could Change How Progression Works
Spotted under the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition section on the official website, it states that: “Ultimate Edition bonuses are threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story, with new items uncovered behind each chapter.“
This suggests that the developers could be taking a page out of Red Dead Redemption 2’s (RDR 2) story progression mechanic, in which chapters played a major role when it came to progression.
There’s a lot of speculation surrounding this detail and how it will pan out in terms of gameplay progression. If this functions similarly to RDR2, each one of GTA VI’s chapters could hold content exclusive to that phase of the storyline.
If you miss out on completing certain tasks or skip out on certain side missions, they may not be accessible once you progress. If this ties into Trophies, that’s a whole new can of worms to sort through.
GTA VI Chapters Could Curtail Some Early-game Exploration
Based on rumors and leaks, there will be a total of five GTA 6 chapters once you complete the Prologue, which, in a way, brings the total up to six. We can summarize that the prologue will focus on Jason and Lucia, which will give us an introduction to the two protagonists, alongside an action-packed opening sequence.
Chapter 1 could focus on the backstory of the aforementioned duo and character development. We could also be introduced to other major characters and carry out missions for them to get the hang of the game. GTA VI Chapter 2 and 3 could focus more on exploration of the greater Vice City area, introducing us to the crux of things.
Chapter 4 could feature a longer segment, which will reportedly be filled with heists and other GTA 6 characters. Given that we’ve seen Jason and Lucia rob places in the trailer(s), this phase of the storyline could focus on those before the epilogue kicks in. It is alleged that the total storyline will encompass roughly 75 hours of gameplay.
Having said that, GTA VI Chapters could curtail some early-game exploration by locking or limiting you to certain areas of the map. Of course, this is not a bad thing as Rockstar has traditionally done this with other GTA games in the past and it has panned out well. All said and done, it’s still a triumphant return to the franchise after nearly a decade.
With pre-orders starting on June 25, 2026, local time at midnight, Rockstar Games has revealed the GTA 6 price as well. While the standard edition is priced at $79.99, the Ultimate Edition will see you shell out $99.99 for a ton of free content that unlocks with each chapter. This is excellent pricing from Rockstar and crushes Ubisoft’s dream of charging you more.
