How much does GTA 6 cost? New study says $100 price point 'actually saves money'
Blog Andrew Joseph 09 Oct , 2025 0
This is one of the most controversial unanswered questions in all of video gaming: Grand Theft Auto 6 cost? Amid speculation, new research suggests the $100 price point could actually generate revenue for Rockstar less Save money than choosing the $70 “sweet spot.”
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick is often asked how much Grand Theft Auto 6 will cost, with some predicting fans will be willing to pay $100 for what is expected to be the biggest entertainment game ever. Zelnick circles around the question every time he's asked, pointing to creating value for customers.
Recently, the industry's pricing for some games has jumped from $70 to $80, further intensifying the pressure to review. If Nintendo charges $80 for a Nintendo Switch 2 game like Mario Kart World, and Microsoft jumps to $80 for its games starting next year after backdating this year, as many expected, then it will be hard to get GTA 6 priced any cheaper.
But we just don't know what Rockstar plans to do. Analysts, meanwhile, offered a range of different forecasts. Earlier this year, Epyllion CEO and analyst Matthew Ball proposed a $100 GTA 6 at a conference. A lengthy introduction to the state of gaming in 2025. near End of presentationBall said, “Some game makers hope to price GTA 6 at $80 to $100 to break the $70 mark and help $50 games rise to $60, $60 to $70, $70 to $80, etc.”
“Despite historically high budgets and stagnant player growth, packaged games have never been cheaper in real terms,” Ball wrote. “GTA 6 could re-establish video game prices after decades of deflation, despite significant cost increases.”
However, other analysts poured cold water on the $100 recommendation.saying that “GTA 6” is so exciting that there is no need to limit the game's potential audience through pricing.
Now, new research claims that if Rockstar paid $100 for Grand Theft Auto 6, it would actually cost the company, insisting that the revenue “sweet spot” is still $70.
A MIDiA Research study reviewed by IGN rejected GTA 6's $100 price tag. MIDiA's model, based on Gabor-Granger pricing analysis and a nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers, suggests a $70 price tag will maximize sales potential and keep fans happy. However, a listing price of $100 reduces sales and total revenue.
MIDiA Research's Tsion Tadesse told IGN that $69.99 generates the most revenue of any price asked in the survey, which ties into existing research showing that consumer psychology skews toward prices ending in 0.99
Perry Gresham, director of data at MIDiA Research and co-author of the report, said: “Our research shows that GTA 6 will generate more revenue at its standard price point of $69.99 than the much-discussed $100 price point. The $100 price point will actually leave more money on the table.”
The data shows that any increase in revenue gained by players who still buy GTA 6 at $70 above the “best” price will be less than the revenue lost by players who don't buy GTA 6.
Brandon Sutton, gaming analyst at MIDiA and co-author of the report, added: “Our research shows that 59% of consumers have some interest in purchasing Grand Theft Auto 6, underscoring the game's massive appeal and commercial potential. This notoriety also makes Grand Theft Auto 6 a perfect test case for understanding consumer expectations for video game pricing. Our findings should serve as a warning to game developers looking to raise the price of their games in the future.”
Key findings include:
- 60% of consumers who expressed interest in GTA 6 said they would “definitely” or “probably” purchase the game for $69.99
- 35% of consumers interested in GTA 6 said they would “definitely” or “probably” purchase the game for $99.99
- 79% of consumers interested in GTA 6 said they would “definitely” or “probably” buy the game for $49.99, while 16% said they would buy the game for $149.99.
- At the top price of $149.99, superfans were nearly twice as likely as average consumers to buy (9% vs. 5%), but not enough to offset the broader decline in sales.
- Launching at the optimal price point would result in approximately 8.6% of U.S. adults purchasing the game, equivalent to 22.9 million copies sold and approximately $1.6 billion in revenue.
Price is just one of the many unanswered questions surrounding GTA 6. Another question is what Rockstar plans to do with GTA Online. Can the company charge more for GTA Online? Will it be a standalone free download? Can Rockstar sell subscriptions? Will Rockstar and Take-Two really make GTA Online available for free like before?
Hopefully we'll have answers soon. GTA 6 will launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S on May 26, 2026.
Wesley is IGN News Director. Find him on Twitter: @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at [email protected] or privately at [email protected].