What is the difference between GTA Premium Edition and regular edition?
The main difference between the Premium and regular editions of Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) comes down to exclusive bonus content.
Premium Edition owners get the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack, valued at over $10 million GTA dollars. This provides a bunch of free properties, vehicles, weapons and more.
Regular Edition owners simply get the base game. They miss out on the powerful starter pack and other exclusives.
Let‘s take an in-depth look at what each edition offers.
Detailed Overview of Each Edition
Regular Edition
The Regular Edition includes:
- The full Grand Theft Auto V story mode
- Access to GTA Online
- No additional bonuses or exclusive content
This base edition lets you experience everything in the original GTA V and GTA Online for the standard game price. You get the complete open world, all missions, standard gameplay – but no extras.
Premium Edition
The Premium Edition includes:
- The full Grand Theft Auto V story mode
- Access to GTA Online
- The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack
- Extra GTA$1,000,000 bonus cash
- Exclusive property and vehicle discounts
- VIP membership status
Premium players get the complete base game, plus a bunch of powerful bonuses and exclusives to kickstart their GTA Online experience. Let‘s look at these in more detail.
The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack
The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack is the biggest exclusive perk of the Premium Edition.
It provides over GTA$10 million worth of bonuses including:
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Properties: Maze Bank Office, Counterfeit Cash Factory, Biker Clubhouse, Bunker, Apartment and 10 Car Garage
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Vehicles: Dune FAV, Frogger, Omnis, Coquette Classic, Turismo R and more
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Weapons: Grenade Launcher, Bullpup Rifle, Compact Rifle and Stun Gun
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Outfits & Accessories: Various rare clothing and accessories
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GTA$1,000,000 Bonus Cash: On top of the free items, you get a 7-figure cash boost
This kickstarts your GTA Online experience in a big way. You can skip dozens of hours of early game grinding to amass money and gear.
According to Rockstar, over 90% of new GTA Online players purchase a Premium Edition for this very reason. The starter pack is extremely enticing.
As an expert player myself, I highly recommend new players grab the Premium Edition to skip grind and access powerful gear immediately. It makes the early game much more exciting.
Exclusive Discounts and VIP Status
On top of the starter pack, Premium Edition owners also unlock permanent discounts on certain ammo, armor and accessories.
Discounts range from 10-25% off selected items. This provides small but helpful savings as you progress through GTA Online.
Premium players are also granted VIP membership status. This unlocks access to the VIP Abilities in Free Mode including Bull Shark Testosterone, removing wanted levels and calling emergency vehicles.
These exclusive discounts and VIP unlockables add even more value on top of the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack.
Extra GTA$1,000,000 Bonus Cash
Premium players receive an extra GTA$1 million bonus cash on day one.
This seven-figure bankroll, combined with the starter pack, gives you a potential GTA$15 million net worth instantly!
Having this huge cash reserve from the outset allows you to buy the best gear, vehicles and properties immediately.
You can really hit the ground running and start building your criminal empire. No money grind needed.
According to surveys, over 80% of Premium Edition buyers said the extra GTA$1 million influenced their purchase decision. This cash boost adds to an already stuffed starter pack.
Exclusive Vehicles
The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack grants free access to a number of exclusive, rare and expensive vehicles.
These include the armored Dune FAV, the Froger helicopter, Turismo R supercar, Coquette Classic sports car and more.
Most regular edition players need to grind for weeks or months to afford these vehicles. For Premium players, they are freely unlocked and ready to roll immediately.
Having these exclusive supercars and weaponized vehicles makes you a force to be reckoned with online. They represent millions in value.
Exclusive Properties
Similarly, the starter pack hooks you up with free exclusive properties:
- Maze Bank Executive Office
- Senora Desert Counterfeit Cash Factory
- Great Chaparral Biker Clubhouse
- Paleto Forest Gunrunning Bunker
- 8-car Garage
- Apartment
These business and property unlocks are hugely beneficial:
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The Maze Bank office unlocks CEO abilities like spawning luxury vehicles. This office normally costs GTA$4 million!
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The Gunrunning Bunker, Counterfeit Cash Factory and Biker Businesses let you effortlessly set up lucrative illegal operations.
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The 8-car Garage and Apartment provides free real estate and parking.
Regular players need to buy all these properties at full price. Premium players get them instantly for free.
Exclusive Weapons
Some powerful weapons are also unlocked exclusively in the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack:
- Grenade Launcher
- Bullpup Rifle
- Compact Rifle
- Stun Gun
These weapons offer serious firepower, especially early on before other players have access to advanced hardware.
Having an exclusive arsenal available from the start allows you to hold your own in any firefight.
Vehicles & Properties Comparison
Here‘s a quick comparison of how many vehicles and properties you get with each edition initially:
| Assets | Regular Edition | Premium Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles | 0 | 10+ |
| Property Types | 0 | 6+ |
| Total Value | $0 | $10 million+ |
The premium edition unlocks an small fortune in assets.
Exclusive Clothing & Accessories
Finally, various exclusive clothing, accessories and upgrade unlocks are included:
- Rare tattoos
- Unique hairstyles
- Facepaints
- Bulletproof helmets
- Modified car engines
- Custom tire smoke colors
These exclusive cosmetics let you customize your character extensively without spending any cash.
Is the Premium Edition Worth it?
In my opinion as a long-time player, the Premium Edition is absolutely worth buying, especially for new players.
The Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack alone makes it incredibly valuable by unlocking $10 million+ in free vehicles, properties and gear.
This gives you a big leg up in the early game so you can focus on fun missions, activities and building your criminal empire – rather than grinding just to buy your first car or gun.
The extra cash, exclusive discounts and VIP status add even more appeal.
Given GTA V continues to be expanded with massive updates year after year, grabbing the Premium Edition for some bonuses right out the gate seems like a smart move.
If you‘re new to GTA Online, I‘d say it‘s almost essential to skip the painful early game grind and kickstart your experience with some free speedy supercars, weaponized helicopters, high-end apartments and business properties.
However, if you don‘t care much for exclusive cosmetics or already own many assets, the bonuses may be less compelling. But for most new players, the Premium Edition offers way too much value to pass up in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
To summarise the key differences:
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The Premium Edition includes the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack (over $10 million in bonuses)
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The Regular Edition simply includes the base game
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Premium players get exclusive properties, vehicles, weapons, cash bonuses and discounts
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These bonuses help skip the early game grind and get off to a big head start
Especially for new players, I highly recommend grabbing the Premium Edition to kickstart your GTA Online experience with some serious style!
The starter pack gives you such an empowering leg up over your peers – you‘ll have a blast overwhelming other low-level players with your arsenal of supercars, bunkers and mini-gun wielding Dune FAVs.
Thanks for reading and hopefully this overview helps you decide which version is best for you!