While it’s no secret that the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 will likely have far reaching effects on the gaming industry as a whole, it looks like developer Rockstar Games is also quite confident about this fact. As spotted by IGN, a since-deleted job listing on the official Rockstar website for a lead software engineer had the company claiming that GTA 6 will have “the largest game launch in history”. Along with this, the job listing also noted that the candidate will get to work with “some of the most talented people in the industry”.
“With the continued growth of Grand Theft Auto Online and the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6, the successful candidate will lead both the evolution and operation of the data platform supporting what will be the largest game launch in history,” wrote the company in the job listing, “ensuring it scales to deliver an exceptional experience for millions of players worldwide.”
The sentiment that Grand Theft Auto 6 might have a major impact on the gaming market is one that has also been shared by industry analysts. Back in August, Ampere Analysis analyst Louise Wooldridge and Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter had spoken about how much the game would ultimately end up costing in terms of development and marketing budgets.
Since GTA 6 is “probably the most anticipated game of all time,” Wooldridge spoke about the game also costing quite a bit to make. “We can expect it to be one of the most expensive games ever made,” Wooldridge said. Pacther, for his part, believes that, despite development costs, the game will also end up being quite profitable for Rockstar owner Take-Two Interactive.
“I expect a $100 price point for the game,” said Pachter. “The game will be immensely profitable. It will likely generate $10 billion lifetime and another $500 million annually from GTA Online.” He also expressed a belief that Grand Theft Auto 6 will end up having a budget of over $1.5 billion by the time it comes out.
Back in May, Take-Two had revealed during an earnings report that development on GTA 6 had begun “in earnest” back in 2020. The company also noted that the time and money being spent on the game’s development would end up being worth it. “Affording Rockstar additional time for such a groundbreaking project is a worthy investment,” said the company.
“The ambition and complexity of Grand Theft Auto 6 is greater than any previous Rockstar title, and the team is poised to release another astonishing entertainment experience that will exceed players’ expectations,” the publisher continued.
The second trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 was released back in May, and its immense success serves as a good barometer for what we can expect from the audience response to the full game when it finally comes out. The trailer, for instance, had accumulated more than 75 million views on its first day alone.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 26, 2026.
