
The first month of the new year is almost over, and we’re getting a little antsy over the lack of Grand Theft Auto 6 news. There’s still plenty of time until the Fall, so it’s probably best to wait a little longer before hitting the panic button. However, something else GTA 6-related gained traction last week – the price. Or, more accurately, what it should be priced.
Recently, Epyllion investment analyst Matthew Ball published an extensive presentation on the “State of Video Gaming in 2025.” It offers some insightful looks at the growth of gaming, especially how 2011 to 2021 saw video game spending growth outpacing world real GDP. Following the pandemic, a slowdown was anticipated – instead, spending fell in 2022, followed by negligible growth in 2023 and 2024. Compared to 2021, video game spending is down about 13 percent.
Cue the layoffs, studio closures (which vary on a case-by-case basis), and so on. Thus, we arrive at Grand Theft Auto 6, one of the most anticipated games of all time, if not the most anticipated. A game that most consider to be 2025’s biggest, to the point where major publishers are allegedly waiting for a release date so they can steer clear of it. Such is the hype that Circana analyst Matt Piscatella said: “There’s probably never been a more important thing to ever release in the industry.”
Ball states there’s hope in the industry for Take-Two Interactive to price GTA 6 at $80 or even $100. Why? Because it will seemingly cause the “rest of the market to move up” and price their titles in the same range.
Naturally, this point caused a bit of a stir. After all, most triple-A video games saw a price hike in 2020 when the current generation began, with major publishers going from $60 to $70 for their titles. That’s not factoring in Deluxe, Premium, Gold, Ultimate, and so on editions, which bundle DLC and advanced access for those who want to pay even more. Another price increase isn’t exactly something that many want.
Of course, the question arises: Would you pay $80 to $100 to play Grand Theft Auto 6 on day one? While I can’t speak for everyone, I was surprised to hear “Yes” from a few acquaintances. There are plenty of people who would rather wait until reviews and graphical analyses first, either to learn more about its features or whether its performance will cause consoles to explode. Some may even be willing to wait until the PC version arrives.
But those numbers are a drop in the sea of players, GTA fans and otherwise, who will pick it up on day one, never mind pre-ordering. DFC Intelligence’s analysts predict it will generate a whopping $3.2 billion in revenue within its first year, with IDG Consulting CEO Yoshio Osaki projecting $1 billion in pre-orders. The latter even believes it will be “one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, not just in games but for all of media.”
On a base level, it’s extremely easy to justify for many. Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are pinnacle titles even by today’s standards, representing years of hard work and delivering dozens of hours of quality gameplay. Sequels in those franchises aren’t commonplace, and their launches qualify as major events and spectacles. Whether you’re a genre fan, looking forward to the sequel, or just someone who wants to get in on the hype, no amount is too high. Besides, some players only buy a handful of games each year, so spending $10 to $30 more on one of them isn’t a big deal.
Whether it will actually prompt other developers to follow suit and raise their prices is the real question. Interestingly, Ball acknowledges that “no player hopes for such a hike” but notes that they’re lower than ever when accounting for inflation. There’s also the fact that video game budgets are at “all-time highs.” Look no further than The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon Forbidden West each having budgets crossing $200 million, or Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 costing $315 million.
Even if Grand Theft Auto 6 doesn’t adopt this pricing, it’s something that may happen sooner than later. If that happens, will audiences be prepared?
It’s not an easy question to answer, but it’s worth looking at the games that cost $70 and their reception. We’ve seen games like Baldur’s Gate 3 become massive successes despite costing that amount on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also sold extremely well, despite being the first title on the Switch to cost $70.
Conversely, there have been failures like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League or titles that underperformed, like Star Wars Outlaws and, more recently, Dragon Age: The Veilguard. You could point to any number of factors for their respective downfalls, like players rejecting boring live service titles, wanting more polished experiences, or simply not finding the gameplay compelling.
Maybe a property like Star Wars is just ice-cold at this time, compared to when Outlaws first began development (though its myriad of issues at launch didn’t help matters). Perhaps Dragon Age fans opted to skip The Veilguard because of the gameplay changes, prospective story or unappealing companions. Then you have those who didn’t want to play a subpar looter shooter with DC characters.
You would think that quality matters most for a game’s appeal. Yet even if the highest-rated game of 2024, Team Asobi’s Astro Bot, sold 1.5 million copies in nine weeks. The reasons behind that are likely numerous. However, it’s more or less a given that consumers don’t want to pay for underwhelming experiences riddled with issues at launch, especially when some of them also pack in microtransactions.
At this point, Grand Theft Auto 6 has all the momentum. When Rockstar reveals more gameplay and details in the coming months, it could very well disappoint some long-time fans. The power of hype and marketing still ensures it will be a success – even if it launches with numerous bugs and issues or a repeat of GTA Online’s servers just not working for extended periods. The $80 to $100 price tag may sting when its best foot isn’t put forward, but it’s not going to lead to buyer’s remorse.
If other titles adopt the same price, you have to wonder if there won’t be even more pressure to deliver on expectations. Development issues and terrible practices aren’t going to disappear overnight because a company is recouping more of its budget. Once again, look at today’s market and the sheer number of failures that have occurred for $70 titles.
Also, even if video game spending hasn’t seen as much growth in recent years, it’s still extremely competitive, with numerous free and paid games vying for players’ attention. That’s only going to lead to more pressure in the triple-A space. Maybe it’ll become a case of Grand Theft Auto 6 standing alone at the top for a long time and slowly but surely, other big-name games testing the waters. However it may pan out, you have to wonder if there Take-Two executives keeping an eye out and wondering how much is too much.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.