No sooner has Rockstar revealed the official box art for GTA VI, they back it up with the official price of the long awaited AAA game.
Releasing on 20 November, the standard edition of Grand Theft Auto VI will cost $80, and the Ultimate edition will sell for $100.
Pre-orders open on 25 June, so you've got a little time to decide whether $80 or $100 is a good price for what will no doubt be one of the most popular games of all time.
So, will GTA 6 be worth that much money?
$80 is a lot of money for anything today, but we need some context to evaluate whether it's good value.
First, in today's economy, is $80 too much for a product you don't technically own? Because all players will be locked into a digital copy (even physical cases will come with a digital code!), you're essentially signing a license agreement, and not owning your own copy of the game. Theoretically, Rockstar can revoke your access whenever they feel like it, but I hear they like being in business, so there's no real fear of that happening... Still, the principle will be important to some.
To give the price a bit of historical context, Legend of Zelda II, which cost $50 in 1986, would cost $150 today if adjusted for inflation. So in one sense, $80 for the biggest game of the year (decade? Lifetime?!) is good value.
Also you've got to look at the scale of game making in 2026. It's been rumoured that making Grand Theft Auto VI has cost somewhere between $1 and $2 billion (quite a range, I know), over a decade. Rockstar has to make that money back before earning a profit (I have a feeling they'll be fine).
Finally, we've got to factor people's expectations: There were rumours that GTA 6 was going to cost north of $100 for the standard edition. $80 for a presumably massive AAA game which, if GTA 5 is anything to go by, will be entertaining you for years to come, seems reasonable to me.
Bottom line: I've got five months to save $80 for a game I have a feeling I'll be playing for years to come, and for the time and effort that's been put in, and the quality of product I expect, I think it's definitely worth it.
I just hope other game companies don't think $80 is the new standard!
