Key Highlights:
- Take-Two says GTA 6’s price will be “fair,” despite speculation it could hit $100.
- GTA V sales momentum slows slightly but GTA Online spending rises.
- GTA 6 launches May 26, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
With the countdown to GTA 6 in full swing, speculation over its price tag has been almost as intense as anticipation for the game itself. Some players believe it could become the industry’s first $100 standard edition, citing its likely record-breaking development costs and Rockstar’s position in the market.
However, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has addressed those concerns, assuring fans the price will be “fair” and designed to deliver more value than what players pay.
Speaking to Variety, Zelnick explained that the company has always used variable pricing. He noted that premium editions may be offered, but prices typically drop over time to widen the audience.
The key focus, he stressed, is ensuring the experience justifies the cost. From my perspective, this is consistent with Rockstar’s long-term strategy.
GTA Online’s in-game purchases have been a financial powerhouse for years, so it makes more sense to keep the entry point at $60–$70 to get as many players as possible into the ecosystem, then monetise gradually through microtransactions.
If Rockstar were to push for higher prices, it would almost certainly be through collector’s editions or packages with in-game bonuses and early access, rather than inflating the base price for everyone.
Given the precedent set by past releases and the continued growth of GTA+, I don’t see a flat $100 standard edition being the smart play.
Recently, an investment firm predicted that GTA VI would make $7.6 billion in 60 days of release. Given that this could well be deemed the most hyped video game of all-time, that estimate could ring true. I think that the success of the series over the years, paired with a game that costs $2 Billion to develop, means it will hit that target, but we shall see.
While GTA 6 is on track for its May 26th, 2026 release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, Take-Two’s latest earnings report also shed light on the state of GTA V. The 2013 juggernaut has reached 215 million sales but has stalled just shy of the expected 220 million milestone. This slowdown isn’t dramatic, though – the franchise as a whole has now sold nearly 455 million copies, with a five-million-unit bump in the last quarter.
Engagement has been buoyed by GTA 6’s second trailer and GTA Online’s Money Fronts update, which drove a 50% year-on-year increase in new players.
Recurring spending was also higher than forecast, with Shark Card and GTA+ purchases climbing. For Rockstar, that consistent online revenue stream is exactly why keeping GTA 6’s base price accessible could prove more profitable in the long run, and why players worried about a $100 price tag may be able to relax, at least for now.