Rockstar Games has officially revealed the pricing for Grand Theft Auto VI, confirming a $79.99 cost for the standard edition across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. This represents a $10 increase over the typical $70 price point for current-generation AAA titles. An Ultimate Edition will also be available for $99.99.
The announcement also specified that GTA 6 will feature a "single-player experience" at launch. Details regarding a new iteration of GTA Online have not yet been provided, suggesting the existing online service will continue to operate following the release of GTA 6.
The pricing of GTA 6 has been a significant topic of discussion within the industry, with some analysts predicting a base game price as high as $100. While not reaching that extreme, the $79.99 price tag may set a new benchmark for AAA game releases. Nintendo has previously sold new titles at $80, such as the Switch 2 launch game Mario Kart World, and Microsoft had previously considered a similar pricing strategy before backtracking.
Preorders for GTA 6 are set to begin at midnight local time on June 25. The Ultimate Edition and associated preorder bonuses have also been detailed. Rockstar has confirmed that physical copies of GTA 6 will not contain a disc, but rather a code within the box.
Rockstar is increasing the visibility of GTA 6 as its launch approaches. Alongside details on the Ultimate Edition and preorder incentives, the studio has released new screenshots showcasing Vice City and official cover art for the game.
Speculation about GTA 6's development costs has been extensive, with parent company Take-Two Interactive reportedly investing between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick declined to comment on the specific expenditure for GTA 6, but acknowledged that it was a substantial investment. For context, many AAA game development budgets reported in the hundreds of millions of dollars. For instance, Bungie's extraction shooter reportedly cost over $250 million, Concord's initial development deal was around $200 million, and documents revealed The Last of Us: Part II and Horizon Forbidden West each exceeded $200 million. Activision's Black Ops Cold War alone reportedly incurred $700 million over its life cycle, a figure surpassed by GTA 6's estimated development budget.
While neither Take-Two nor Rockstar has provided a specific justification for the $80 price point, Zelnick previously stated that consumer perception of value is determined by the product itself in relation to its cost. He emphasized that the goal is to deliver exceptional value, ensuring that customers feel the game is outstanding and that the price charged is fair for the experience provided.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026.