GTA 6 Fans Call $400 Collector's Set 'Insane' for Prioritising Sunglasses Over an Actual Game Copy

Rockstar Games has opened pre-orders for the $399.99 GTA 6 Vice City Collection, a limited-edition Collector's Box arriving on 19 November 2026, but the set does not include the game.

Some fans have criticised the $399.99 price, particularly because the collection contains merchandise rather than a copy of the game.

The collection is officially titled Grand Theft Auto VI, The Goodtime State, Vice City Collection. Rockstar describes it as a premium Collector's Box inspired by Macca the Gator, a fictional TV show in the game's Leonida setting. The game must be purchased separately.

What the Vice City Collection Includes

The box contains 11 items, including a Macca the Gator figure, Oakley Frogskins sunglasses, a Leonida Keys crossbody bag and a New Era 9FORTY A-Frame snapback hat. It also includes a magnetic mirror, a shot glass, a swizzle spoon, a razor-blade-style keychain, enamel pins, stickers and a double-sided souvenir poster featuring a map of Leonida.

The official Rockstar Store lists the set at $399.99. Its product page clearly states, 'Grand Theft Auto VI game sold separately.' The collection is marked as an adult collectible and carries warnings about small parts and sharp points or edges. Rockstar also says it is not a toy and is intended for people aged 18 and over.

For some fans, the missing game is the central problem. Online comments have described the price as 'insane' and questioned the value of a $399.99 box that still requires another purchase to play the headline game.

The remarks are colourful, but the underlying complaint is straightforward, fans are not necessarily objecting to expensive merchandise, but are questioning why a product sold alongside one of the year's highest-profile game releases does not include access to the game itself.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Offers a Different Benchmark, On Price

Rockstar has previously sold collector's merchandise separately from the game. Its Red Dead Redemption 2 Collector's Box, for example, did not include the game and instead focused on physical items tied to the western setting.

That box included a 150-page physical replica of the Wheeler, Rawson & Co. catalogue featured in the game, along with a metal tithing box, a double-sided puzzle, a treasure map, a pin set, playing cards, a six-shooter bandanna, a collectible challenge coin and 12 cigarette cards. Red Dead Redemption 2 had a separate Collector's Box priced at $99.99, which did not include the game but focused on themed replicas and objects connected to the western setting.

Some fans have compared the two products favourably, pointing to the Red Dead Redemption 2 box's game-themed contents and lower $99.99 price.

The comparison becomes sharper when Rockstar's other editions are considered. Red Dead Redemption 2 also had a $79.99 Special Edition and a $99.99 Ultimate Edition. The editions included additional game content, while physical versions included a map; the Ultimate Edition also came with a steelbook.

The $99.99 GTA 6 Ultimate Edition includes the game and additional digital content, according to Rockstar. Rockstar's current information says the physical Standard Edition comes as a code-in-box release rather than on a disc, while a physical Ultimate Edition is not available.

That split has left fans weighing two very different purchases. One offers the game and digital extras. The other offers a large collection of physical objects but does not include a copy of GTA 6.

The Leonida Map Adds to the Unease

Physical editions of previous Rockstar games have included maps, including Red Dead Redemption 2. Some fans have therefore questioned whether the Leonida map in this collection will also appear in the standard physical release.

Rockstar's product page confirms that the poster shows a full view of the Leonida map. It does not clarify, on that page, whether the standard boxed version will include a similar map.

That uncertainty has fuelled further criticism. Rockstar has confirmed that GTA 6's physical version will not include a disc. Instead, the box will contain a download code. Rockstar says the physical version is expected to be available for shipping and pickup from retailers from 12 November, one week before the game's 19 November release.

Rockstar's official website lists the game for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It also promotes the Ultimate Edition and the Vice City Collection separately, reinforcing the distinction between the game and the merchandise box.

For buyers interested primarily in the game, the collection represents an additional $399.99 purchase because the game is sold separately. The separation between the $399.99 merchandise collection and the separately sold game has become a point of discussion among fans.