I want to agree, but I think the sentiment holds less water than it used to. "It's GTA" doesn't mean what it may have ten years ago. Tons of franchises have released subpar games on the backs of their reputation, especially in the last decade. While highly anticipated, GTA6 game is still just another open world video game in 2026. It uses the same conventions as most other games which have caught up to, and use, Rockstar's formula. The problem with a new GTA game is that 5 capitalized on all of the systems Rockstar had implemented up to that point and it felt fresh and unique because when GTA5 came out, open world games hadn't been completely rinsed yet.
Since then, plenty of game companies have caught up, and the gap has closed in terms of what is possible. We also have been inundated with hundreds of open world games since then.
While I'm sure we can expect it to do what we want it to do, I doubt this game is going to be so much more mind-blowing than the other great launches we've had in the past few years that it will justify being almost double the price. I think that when it comes to modern gaming, especially during times of great hype, it is far better to hold back until release for that reason alone. Considering this game is going to be available for another decade at least, it's fine to wait a couple of weeks to see how things pan out rather than committing to a $100 pre-order.
I think you'll find that many Americans see this as the last bit of faith in the system they have left. If it gets pulled out of their hands, you're going to see a very different type of American.