If you don't own a current-gen console and GTA 6 is the reason you're finally buying one, get the standard disc-drive PS5; here's why.

GTA 6 launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, so nobody is stuck on the wrong side of an exclusivity deal this time around. Thank you, Rockstar. Still, Rockstar's own GTA 6 site carries the line "Plays Best On PlayStation 5", so that doesn't tell us much and kind of pushes us into a way to play. There's no confirmed frame-rate advantage and no word that you need a PS5 Pro to see the game at its best, so it feels more like a marketing hook than a real upgrade. But when I'm about to spend over £500 ($600) on a console for one game, I notice which console the developer is pointing at.

What muddies the waters is 'ramageddon' and console price rises (the Nintendo Switch 2 has already increased in price). Sony raised UK prices earlier this year, meaning the standard 1TB PS5 is now £569.99 ($649), the Digital Edition £519.99 ($599.99) and the PS5 Pro £789.99 ($699.99). That's a lot of money. But Microsoft has taken the 1TB Series X (disc edition) to £669.99 ($799.99), the all-digital Series X is £619.99 ($749.99), a full £100 more than the PS5, and it's a hard premium to justify if GTA 6 is your only reason for buying.

The Series X is a very good console. If you already have an Xbox library or live on Game Pass, the sums change, and you should stay put. If you're starting from nothing, I'd keep the £100 and look into a PS5.

(Read our guides to the best game consoles and the best retro game consoles for more choice and insights.)

I get the temptation, and the PS5 Pro is teasing many of us, and GTA 6 is the biggest game in years; you've got a 4K OLED, and you want the best hardware. But £789.99 is £220 more than the disc PS5, and Rockstar hasn't announced any PS5 Pro-specific GTA 6 mode. The PS5 Pro might make a real difference, but right now that's a guess based purely on specs, and I wouldn't pay £220 on a guess when the PS5 is proving it has legs.

If you want the best version of every PS5 game, buy the Pro for that reason. For this one game, I'd rather put that £220 towards the game itself, a second controller, or whatever ridiculous merchandise Rockstar puts out, though the $400 GTA 6 Collector's Box feels a little out of reach.

Both Sony and Microsoft have already raised prices, and console interest is climbing, which could push prices higher. According to Idealo, after Rockstar's August Extended Look, UK console sales reportedly rose 33% for PS5 and 34% for Xbox Series X/S that week. That's a correlation, not proof the trailer did it, but it shows what happens when the game is back in front of people.

Maybe a launch bundle will appear in November, but I wouldn't bet on it. If you know you're buying, I'd look for a deal now before prices rise again, and shop around rather than paying the PS5 £569.99 RRP by default.

But between the Xbox Series X and the PS5, I'd buy the standard PS5. It's £100 cheaper than the Series X; it has Rockstar's nod of approval, which could mean unique in-game content (or not), though Sony has a nice GTA 6 DualSense controller on offer, and it gets you into Vice City on day one without the extra £220 the PS5 Pro would cost and £100 less than the Xbox.

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Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.