As we wait nearly a year for Grand Theft Auto 6 to finally come out, fans and pundits alike are worried about the game's price point. At this point, if any game were going to hike prices up beyond the levels they're at now, it would be GTA 6.
Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, Ampere Analysis' Piers Harding-Rolls and Kantan Games' Dr. Serkan Toto have some thoughts to bring a bit more level-headedness to the discussion.
GTA 6 Probably Won't Cost $100, Breathe Easy
So You're Saying There's A Chance
Given how far Grand Theft Auto 6 is out, it makes sense that so many people are worried that it'll cost a pretty penny. Some pundits are even suggesting that it could crest roughly $100 USD, but that would be the absolute extreme.
Toto explains that we are now firmly planted in the "new normal," which means more rising prices than usual. Harding-Rolls notes that although they don't expect prices to rise in general, there is "some room in the market for AAA titles to shift to $80 if required."
Speaking specifically about Grand Theft Auto 6, the duo addresses the $100 prediction, noting that they think it should hit the $70-$80 range at most. Another expert, Video Game Insights' Vic Bassey, posits that "if there was any game likely to cross the $100 threshold, it would be GTA 6."
As a whole, though, experts seem to agree that we'll see a lot more variable pricing moving forward, with indies and "AA" games (like Clair Obscur) aiming to price below their AAA counterparts. It'll be a wild climate to navigate for sure, especially if games cross that $80 Rubicon.
An Official GTA 6 Price Has Yet To Be Confirmed
Rockstar Has Almost A Year To Figure It Out
I think we'll see a $70 price point for Grand Theft Auto 6, with copious collector and premium editions that will cross the $100 threshold. At that point, Rockstar can have its cake and eat it too, not scaring off a large portion of the playerbase by going over the accepted current MSRP, while also enticing fans to pay up.
As we've talked about many times, Take-Two and Rockstar alike know that Grand Theft Auto Online is really the apple of their eye, and it'll help support them for at least a decade, if not more, just like GTA 5 did. In any case, expect Grand Theft Auto 6 to make waves when it finally comes out.
