GTA 6 could cost '$100 or more', according to one analyst
Grand Theft Auto 6 could establish a new pricing model for other titles
💰 GTA 6 could cost $100 or more, according to analyst Michael Patcher
🤔 Patcher believes Rockstar may offer in-game currency incentives for GTA Online to justify the price
😬 This could set a new industry-wide pricing standard, similar to the $70 price point for PS5 games
📆 GTA 6 is still set to release in the fall of this year
GTA 6 is expected to be one of the biggest video game releases of all time. However, an analyst believes Rockstar's follow-up to Grand Theft Auto 5 could cost "$100 or more".
That's according to Michael Patcher, a well-known analyst in the industry who is the managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities (thanks, VGC).
Speaking about GTA 6's publisher Take-Two, Patcher said: “We think the company has plans to sell the game at a previously unheard of price point, and suspect that management can offer consumers an incentive to pay $100 or more per unit by rewarding them with a large amount of in-game currency to be spent in GTA Online."
Patcher continued: “There is precedent for integrating an online game experience with a premium game, as Activision did so with both Call of Duty Warzone and Call of Duty Mobile content prior to the release of its annual Call of Duty premium installment.
“In Activision’s case, the integration led to a 40% increase in sales of Call of Duty premium; in Take-Two’s case, we think a successful integration of GTA Online and GTA VI can lead to a $100 price point for the premium game.”
This isn't the first time GTA 6 has been linked to a $100 price tag. Some publishers are hopeful that Grand Theft Auto 6 will establish an industry-wide pricing standard, allowing other games to follow suit.
The move would be similar to how Sony and Take-Two introduced $70 games on PS5, which was later adopted by Microsoft and could be the price of Nintendo Switch 2 games.
Personally, publishers have already found ways to nickel and dime consumers via DLC, season passes, microtransactions, deluxe editions, collector's editions, and the free-to-play model. If GTA 6 costs $100, I certainly won't buy it at that price.
Rockstar recently released a free update for GTA 5 for PC. It added graphical enhancements from the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the game, such as ray tracing support. GTA 6 is still on track to release in the fall of this year, though how much it will cost is up for debate.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.