Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 opened last week at the expected $79.99 base price, with the Ultimate Edition reaching $99.99, prompting some Xbox users to explore Microsoft Rewards as an alternative to direct payment.

Players who accumulated points through Bing searches, daily activities, and Game Pass tasks have redeemed them for Xbox gift cards or direct credit to cover the full amount, with one user reporting a successful pre-order using 98,000 points after months of accumulation enabled by the game's postponed release window.

Microsoft Rewards allows point redemption for gift cards or, in some cases, direct application to purchases, though gift card credits typically expire after 90 days and pre-order charges may not process until closer to the November 19 launch date. Community discussions on Reddit highlight both the feasibility for dedicated users earning up to 10,000 points monthly and the regional variations in earning potential.

This approach requires consistent engagement with Bing and related services, converting routine tasks into partial or complete offsets against the listed price without additional out-of-pocket expenditure beyond time invested.