GTA 6 gamers cancel pre-orders as Rockstar's latest reveal branded 'slop' and 'junk'

If you thought that Rockstar Games couldn’t put a foot wrong, well, it can.

Grand Theft Auto VI: The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection was unveiled yesterday, on September 24, a $400 ‘collector’s box’ full of merchandise.

The box claims to feature “all the essentials” according to Rockstar Games’ own website, and yet, the Vice City Collection doesn’t actually feature a copy of GTA VI. You’ll need to buy that separately.

Rockstar Games

I wish I could tell you that the merch inside is at least cool but it’s been branded “junk” and “slop” by fans online, with half of the box’s contents simply being rehashed versions of previous merch releases.

Rockstar attracted a little heat for its decision to only launch GTA VI digitally, although not as much as you might imagine; its Vice City Collection, however, is receiving heavy backlash with pre-orders already having been cancelled.

What’s inside the GTA VI: The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection collector’s box and why is it so expensive?

The GTA VI: The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection is not cheap at $399.99 / £349.99.

Here’s exactly what you’re getting inside:

• Six-inch figure of Macca the Gator with stash compartment
• Matte black GTA VI Oakley Frogskins sunglasses with Prizm Sapphire lenses
• New Era 9FORTY A-Frame snapback hat with Vice City Leonida embellishments
• Macca the Gator magnetic mirror
• Vice City swizzle spoon
• Vice City razor blade keychain
• Leonida Keys crossbody bag
• Chunkee the Manatee shot glass
• Leonida Keys enamel pin set in a custom metal tin
• Premium stickers in a stash bag
• Double-sided souvenir poster showcasing the full Leonida landscape

It’s most definitely the Oakley sunglasses driving the price of this collection up, with the brand charging $150 to $250 a pair.

The ‘collector’s box’ is bringing back Vice City’s controversial drug paraphernalia

Aside from being expensive, GTA VI: The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection isn’t exactly original either, with several of the merch items - including the mirror, spoon, and razor blade keychain - being rehashes of similar items launched alongside the original Vice City.

These items drew heavy fire the first time they were released, with some arguing that they promoted the use of cocaine. Clearly, Rockstar Games isn’t all that worried about ruffling the same feathers this time around.

READ MORE: GTA 6 gets interactive map ahead of launch as gamers begin to explore Leonida

The Vice City Collection is yet to sell out with some even cancelling pre-orders

“After a good night, I cancelled and I feel better,” wrote Reddit user arnaudbrabus75.

“Honestly people who do buy these are contributing to the normalisation of mediocrity for future products,” replied guts1ck.

“I did the same, slept on it after pre-ordering and decided it was a waste of money,” LittleBIGman83 commented.

In another thread, Ssago96 wrote, “The collector’s box is the first disappointment …. Leaks were cool, Extended Look got me hyped and the PS5 controller was well priced and I pre-ordered it, but $400 for a box with some goodies?”

“$400 for a box full of junk,” and, “More slop for piggy,” were among the replies.

The negative reception to the Vice City Collection is hardly going to affect the overall success of GTA VI as we approach its PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S launch on November 19.

Even so, it shows that a company as beloved and revered as Rockstar can still get it wrong from time to time.