đ˛ GTA 6 could cost between $80 and $100 according to an analyst
đ Thatâs because video game prices havenât kept pace with inflation
đ¤ It could encourage other companies to charge more for its games
đ° The price of games recently went up from $60 to $70
GTA 6 is the most anticipated video game of all time. But would you pay $100 to play it? According to one industry analyst, thatâs how much Rockstarâs next entry should cost.
In a presentation called âThe State of Video Gaming in 2025â (thanks, Dexerto), Epyllion analyst Matthew Ball says video games have struggled to âmaintain inflation-adjusted pricesâ and that games have never actually never been cheaper.
Ball said that rising development costs have the bigwigs at gaming companies hoping for another price bump after the PS5 and Xbox Series X generation of consoles introduced $70 games.
Ball says other gaming executives hope that GTA 6 publisher Take-Two will price GTA 6 at $80 to $100, which would break the current price barrier and allow other publishers to follow suit.
Ball admits that âno player hopes for such a hike, but recall that packaged prices have never been lower in real terms than they are today â even though budgets are at all-time highs.â
Why Iâd never buy GTA 6 for $100
I understand that game development has become more expensive over the years, but Iâd never pay $100 for a game. Personally, I donât believe the rise in development costs has translated to better games.
Yes, graphics have improved and in-game worlds are exponentially bigger than before. But so many titles release broken or are crudely designed to draw more cash from players than just the $70 entry fee.
Itâs not like publishers donât already release bundles and limited editions that allow them to inflate the price, too, and GTA 5 released multiple times across different consoles and generations. The gameâs online mode is also an evergreen money-spinner, and thereâs seemingly a subscription to everything these days, including games.
I donât doubt that GTA 6 could be worth $100 to some players, especially if it successfully builds upon Rockstarâs open-world formula. But a higher price tag would open the door to publishers to charge more for games that simply arenât worth that fee. We already saw Ubisoft describe Skull & Bones, a game that was a monumental flop, as a quadruple-A title when it obviously wasnât.
Inflation adjusted figures aside, gaming has never felt more expensive, and this is the first console generation where the PS5 and Xbox Series X increased in price after launch. Everything costs more in todayâs world, often unjustifiably so, and itâs up to game developers and publishers to deliver something that people think is worth their hard-earned money.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcutâs Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadarâs 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.