Amid 'GTA 6' Delay Concerns, 'GTA 5' Veteran Drops Reality Check on Pricing Rumors
It's been a chaotic year for Rockstar Games, specifically for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI. However, 2025 has been equally, if not more, frustrating for players and the many fans excited about the game's release. Following the second delay of GTA 6, setting its new release date for Nov. 19, 2026, the ongoing drama surrounding recent employee firings and allegations of union-busting has contributed to concerns about another potential delay. But regardless of all that, assuming GTA 6 meets its new release date, another big question is price, with various rumors swirling that the game could be more expensive than ever.
'GTA 5' Developer Gives Strong Opinion on Possible 'GTA 6' Price Hike
If any video game on the market could realistically make the jump from $70 on popular consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox, it would be Grand Theft Auto. The franchise is beloved worldwide, and GTA 6 has been highly anticipated since it was announced in December 2023.
However, it doesn't appear that's likely to be the case, at least according to a former Rockstar Games employee, who helped develop GTA 5. Former animator Mike York spoke to Esports Insider about the possibility of the next addition to the franchise jumping to $100 for its base price, and stated he doesn't believe it will happen due to the game's immense popularity, among other things.
"I don’t think the price tag for GTA 6 will be $100," he said. "I think it will come out at $70, around the flatline of normal releases. I don’t think Rockstar Games feel they need to release it at a higher cost. They’ll sell so many copies of the game that they won’t need to be greedy and charge $100."
York did add that there might be a one-day version that costs $99 for pre-order, offering a bundle focused on GTA Online.
"They don’t need to leave that sour taste in people’s mouths if they don’t have to, so I don’t think they’ll do that. They might have a $99 day-one version if you pre-order it where it gives you a huge bundle when GTA Online comes out, you have your own apartment or something like that – but the base game will be $70," he added.
Here's a rundown of the price points for GTA 5 for its initial release in 2013:
- GTA 5 Standard Edition: $60
- GTA 5 Special Edition: $80
- GTA 5 Collector's Edition: $150
It's excellent news for players, assuming this is how the release plays out. Rockstar Games has yet to offer specific insight into the plan for GTA 6's pricing, but York's point about popularity is a fair one.
York Predicts 'GTA 6' Will 'Obliterate' Video Game Sales Records
Although the delays of Grand Theft Auto VI have been an ongoing point of frustration for fans, it hasn't seemed to deter anyone from wanting to purchase the game. If anything, it's been a running joke mixed with increasingly high expectations from players. Fortunately, York and many others don't think that meeting those expectations will be much of an issue for Rockstar.
The former GTA developer went on to predict that not only will Grand Theft Auto 6 have an "astronomical" first-week sales, but that it will also destroy records in the process.
"The first week of sales will be astronomical, I can see something like $3 billion in sales," York said. "This is not a game that people are on the fence about, people know it will deliver so they will just buy it. It will be huge."
"I can see GTA 6 being the biggest selling game ever," York said. "It’s going to smash records, it’s going to obliterate records."
The possibility of a price increase, delays and any other drama aside, GTA 6 still has all the makings to quickly become the hottest video game in the world. It's hard to envision anything that would make that not be the case, even if it is a price jump. However, if the game stays at $70 when Grand Theft Auto VI is released, it'll be easy for players to quickly leave their frustrations about prior delays well in the rearview mirror.
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