GTA 6 is coming, and the hype is almost unbearable. Every trailer breaks viewership records. Every rumour generates millions of clicks. The game has been in development for over a decade, and Rockstar’s track record suggests it’ll be extraordinary.

But as an Australian gaming journalist, my job is to temper expectations with reality. Not about the game’s quality — Rockstar will almost certainly deliver a masterpiece. About the practical experience of being an Australian gamer playing it. Because some of the realities are going to sting.

The price

Let’s get the painful part out of the way. GTA 6 will be the most expensive standard-edition game ever released in Australia.

Based on current pricing trends and Take-Two’s stated strategy of pushing premium pricing, expect $109.95 to $124.95 AUD for the standard digital edition. A deluxe or “special” edition will likely push past $150. Physical copies might be slightly cheaper at EB Games, but not by much.

Is the game worth $125? If it delivers even half of what the trailers promise, the hours-per-dollar ratio will be excellent. GTA V kept people playing for a decade. But the upfront cost is still a significant outlay for many Australian gamers.

Console vs. PC

Rockstar will almost certainly launch GTA 6 on consoles first, with a PC version following months or possibly a year later. This is the same strategy they used with GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2.

For Australian PC gamers, this means a painful wait. The console version will be everywhere — in conversations, on social media, on streaming platforms. Avoiding spoilers for six to twelve months while waiting for the PC release is going to be a challenge.

The consolation is that the PC version, when it arrives, will likely be the definitive version. Higher frame rates, better visual quality, mod support, and no PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live requirement for online play.

GTA Online Australia

Here’s where it gets complicated. GTA Online — the multiplayer component that has generated billions in revenue — will have Australian servers. It has to. The existing GTA Online has Oceanic servers, and the player base in Australia is large enough to justify continued support.

But the GTA Online experience in Australia has historically been rougher than in North America or Europe. Peak player times don’t align well with global events. Session populations during off-peak hours (which is most of the US prime time) are smaller. And the latency to US and European servers — which you’ll encounter when playing with international friends — ranges from tolerable to frustrating.

The bigger issue is the microtransaction economy. GTA Online’s Shark Cards (and whatever equivalent GTA 6 uses) are priced in USD and converted to AUD, meaning Australian players pay more for the same in-game currency. This is standard practice, but it feels particularly egregious in a game that already costs over $100 at launch.

Performance expectations

On PS5 and Xbox Series X, expect a performance mode (targeting 60fps at lower resolution) and a quality mode (targeting 30fps at higher resolution and better effects). Based on Rockstar’s previous titles, the quality mode will be the visually impressive one that trailers show, and the performance mode will be what most people actually play.

Australian-specific considerations for performance are minimal — the game runs locally on your console. But for the online component, your internet connection matters. NBN FTTP or HFC connections will be fine. FTTN connections might see more rubber-banding and connection issues during populated lobbies.

The content landscape

GTA has always had a complicated relationship with Australian classification. Previous entries have been rated R18+ (or the equivalent before the R18+ rating existed for games in Australia). GTA 6 will almost certainly receive an R18+ classification.

There’s a slim chance that specific content might be modified for the Australian release, as happened with some previous Rockstar titles. But the introduction of the R18+ classification for games has largely resolved this issue, and Rockstar is unlikely to make significant content changes for the Australian market.

My advice

Pre-order if you want, but wait for reviews first. Rockstar has earned trust, but no game deserves a blind purchase at $125. Wait for the reviews to confirm that the game delivers.

Budget for it now. If you know you’re going to buy it, start putting money aside. $125 is easier to absorb when you’ve planned for it.

Manage your expectations for online. The single-player campaign will be incredible. The online component will be a grind designed to sell microtransactions. Go in with clear eyes.

Consider the console first, PC later approach. If you have both a current-gen console and a gaming PC, you might play through the story on console at launch and then revisit on PC when the definitive version arrives. Yes, that means buying it twice. Rockstar is very much counting on this.

GTA 6 is going to be a cultural event. Australian gamers will participate in that event the same way everyone else does — just at a slightly higher price point and with slightly more complicated online infrastructure. Worth it? Almost certainly. But go in informed.