GTA 6 Price: It won't cost $100!

Let’s cut straight to it. You’ve seen the headlines screaming “$100 GTA 6” for months now, and we know it’s been giving your wallet nightmares. But here’s some news that might actually let you breathe: multiple former Rockstar developers are now saying that ain’t happening.

The $70 Verdict: Straight From Ex-Rockstar Devs

Mike York, a former Rockstar Games animator who actually worked on GTA projects, dropped a reality check in an interview with Esports Insider. His take? GTA 6 will launch at $70 — the standard AAA price point.

York didn’t mince words: “I don’t think Rockstar Games feel they need to release it at a higher cost. They’ll sell so many copies of the game that they won’t need to be greedy and charge $100.” He added that Rockstar doesn’t want to “leave that sour taste in people’s mouths” — and honestly, that tracks.

But York isn’t alone. Obbe Vermeij, the former Technical Director at Rockstar North who worked on GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA IV, backed this up. Speaking to GameHub, Vermeij pointed out that the $100 price tag is “just something the internet has decided” — not something Rockstar has ever actually said.

Why $100 Never Made Business Sense

Here’s the thing the doom-and-gloom analysts missed: GTA Online. It’s Rockstar’s golden goose, and it needs players. Lots of them.

Vermeij explained the logic perfectly: “They will have a GTA 6 Online component and they’ll be thinking we want the biggest user base we can possibly have. Rather than trying to cash in that extra $30, I think they’re just going to make it a regular-priced game and then make the money on the back-end.“

The numbers back this up. GTA Online generated nearly $500 million in 2022 alone through microtransactions, according to the Wall Street Journal. When your online mode prints money like that, gatekeeping your player base with a $100 entry fee is just bad math.

Analyst Rhys Elliott from Alinea Analytics put it bluntly: “Limiting the total addressable audience at launch with an aggressively high base price would hinder the crucial GTA 5 to GTA 6 player migration and slow the growth of the GTA Online user base.“

What the Analysts Are Actually Predicting

Industry analysts Serkan Toto (Kantan Games) and Piers Harding-Rolls (Ampere Analysis) — both known for accurate predictions — weighed in with their forecasts. Their consensus:

• Standard Edition: $70 to $80
• Deluxe/Premium Editions: Could hit $100+ with bundled content
• Collector’s Edition: Potentially $150-$200 (physical goodies included)

York himself hinted at this tiered approach: “There might be a $99 day-one version if you pre-order it where it gives you a huge bundle when GTA Online comes out, you have your own apartment or something like that — but the base game will be $70.“

A July 2025 leak allegedly revealed UK pricing that supports this structure: £69.99 for the base game, £89.99 for a Deluxe edition, and £109.99 for Premium. Nothing confirmed, but the pattern fits.

What Take-Two’s CEO Has (and Hasn’t) Said

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has been deliberately vague about pricing, but he’s dropped some telling hints. In an August interview with The Game Business, Zelnick emphasized that whatever GTA 6 costs, it will be “fair” and will “deliver more value” than what players pay.

On the $80 question, Zelnick acknowledged: “There have been some $80 games, and I am certain there will be some in the future.” Note what he didn’t say: that GTA 6 would be one of them.

Take-Two has historically used “variable pricing” across its catalog, so expect multiple editions at different price points. The safe bet? A $70 base with premium tiers for those who want early GTA Online bonuses.

The Bottom Line

Based on everything coming out of former Rockstar devs and industry analysts, here’s what you should actually expect:

• Base Game: $70 (standard AAA pricing)
• Deluxe Edition: $80-$100 with GTA Online perks
• Release Date: November 19, 2026 (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S)
• PC Version: Expected later, likely 2027
• Pre-orders: Probably opening around June 2026 (if following RDR2’s pattern)

Mike York expects GTA 6 to hit “astronomical” first-week sales — potentially $3 billion according to his estimates, with analyst Joost van Dreunen projecting $2.7 billion at launch. At those numbers, Rockstar doesn’t need to nickel-and-dime the entry price.

The wait continues until November 2026. But at least your wallet can relax — the $100 nightmare scenario looks dead on arrival.