"Red flag": GTA 6 fans upset over shops apparently locked to Ultimate Edition

The recently revealed contents of the Ultimate Edition of Grand Theft Auto VI (available for pre-order on Amazon from around $80) are likely to have left many fans disappointed. According to the product description, Rockstar appears to be locking parts of the game world behind the game’s most expensive edition for the first time. Specifically, the Ultimate Edition is said to include several exclusive shops that will apparently only be accessible to its owners, including a car customization shop, a hair salon, a tattoo studio and a clothing store.

Exclusive vehicles and cosmetic items are nothing new for GTA special editions. GTA V’s Special and Collector’s Editions, for example, included bonus outfits, tattoos, weapons, vehicles and additional stunt plane challenges. However, the idea of entire in-game locations being locked behind a paywall has not gone down well with many fans. On Reddit, some users are calling it a “red flag” and fear it could be an early sign of aggressive monetization in GTA VI.

However, Reddit users are not entirely in agreement. Some believe the backlash is overblown, arguing that regular hair salons, tattoo studios and car customization shops will likely remain available to all players, while the Ultimate Edition simply adds a handful of exclusive premium locations. Exactly how Rockstar plans to implement these shops remains unclear. One likely scenario is that players who own the standard edition will simply encounter the premium stores as locked locations.