No Game Pass on Day One for GTA 6. Why You Still Will Not Need PS Plus Either

GTA 6 is not on Xbox Game Pass, and nothing points to it arriving there on day one. The Microsoft Store listing, which we checked on 13 October 2026, includes GTA 6 in no Game Pass plan, and the game is sold as a normal purchase at $79.99 for the Standard Edition or $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition.

The PlayStation question runs the other way, and the answer is better news. You do not need PlayStation Plus to play GTA 6. PlayStation Plus is what PS5 owners pay for online multiplayer, and the PlayStation Store listing marks GTA 6 as offline play only.

Why GTA 6 is not on Game Pass

Take-Two has been open about this. Its CEO, Strauss Zelnick, told GamesIndustry.biz in 2022 that putting triple-A games on Game Pass on the day they come out "doesn't make any sense to us, because economically speaking, we don't think consumers are prepared to pay for that". In August 2024, NME reported that his view had not changed. Zelnick accepted that a premium new game in a subscription on day one pushes players toward that service for a while, but said "it won't affect our decisions", because "our decisions are rational".

Every official sales channel since has followed that line. GTA 6 is priced as a full launch on both consoles, with the same $79.99 and $99.99 editions on PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store. Nothing stops Microsoft and Rockstar from making a deal later, but none has been announced, and Take-Two's stated reasoning is about money rather than timing.

Do you need PS Plus or Game Pass to play GTA 6?

No, not for the game as it is sold now. Rockstar calls GTA 6 a single-player experience, the PlayStation Store listing says offline play only, and the Microsoft Store lists single player as its only play mode. The Xbox listing also marks GTA 6 as not requiring Xbox Live Gold, the old name for the paid online tier. You need an internet connection to download the game, since even boxed copies hold a download code, but you do not need a subscription to play it.

What PlayStation Plus adds on all three tiers, Essential, Extra and Premium, is online multiplayer, plus cloud storage for saved data. Game Pass has a matching rule on Xbox, where every plan, Essential, Premium and Ultimate, includes online console multiplayer. For GTA 6 as listed, the only part of either that matters is the cloud backup of your saves.

Is GTA 6 in the PS Plus Extra or Premium catalogue?

No. The PlayStation Store listing offers GTA 6 only as a purchase, at the same $79.99 and $99.99 prices, and it is not tied to any PlayStation Plus tier as of 13 October 2026. Extra and Premium members get a rotating catalogue of older games, and nothing from Sony or Rockstar puts GTA 6 on that list.

The same goes for any idea of a discount for subscribers. Neither listing shows a member price for GTA 6 on PlayStation Plus or Game Pass, so subscribers and non-subscribers pay the same.

What about an online mode?

Rockstar has not announced an online mode for GTA 6, a date for one, or what it would require. If one arrives, the console rules above would be the default, since Sony and Microsoft both put online multiplayer behind their subscriptions. That is an expectation based on how the consoles work today. Rockstar has announced nothing on it. GTA Online, the multiplayer side of GTA V, is a separate game and tells you nothing about what GTA 6 will need.

GTA+ is a different subscription

The one subscription attached to GTA 6 so far is Rockstar's own. Digital pre-orders include a free month of GTA+, Rockstar's membership for GTA Online that also opens the GTA+ Games Library. It is separate from PS Plus and Game Pass, and it is not needed to play GTA 6.

The store listings carry the small print. On PlayStation, the GTA+ month has to be redeemed by 31 March 2027, and the membership renews monthly until you cancel it. On Xbox, it has to be redeemed within 180 days of the pre-order, from Offers & credits under your profile in the Microsoft Store, and it is not available to restricted child accounts. Set a reminder to cancel if you do not want to keep paying after the free month.