Despite the high level of excitement that is circulating around Grand Theft Auto 6, official communication from Rockstar regarding the title has been minimal, with over a year having passed since the game’s reveal trailer was shared in December 2023. Most of the current discussions surrounding GTA 6, aside from those that attempt to predict when the next trailer will release, largely concern rumors and leaks, with a lot of recent discourse centering around the rumored pricing of the title.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is already expected to break gaming industry trends in a wide variety of ways, with many players predicting that the game will go above and beyond the record-breaking success of its 2013 predecessor. The expected ambition of GTA 6 has, understandably, been a cause for great excitement within the franchise’s passionate community, yet reports of higher-than-usual pricing for the game have been the cause of some concern. The possible explanations for these pricing rumors are many, and there may be more to the cost of GTA 6 than meets the eye.
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Grand Theft Auto 6’s Price Rumors Might Not Be What They Seem
A lot of discussion around Grand Theft Auto 6 assumes that the game will be a truly massive experience that will go above and beyond anything that the franchise has done before. In keeping with the series’s trend of setting new standards for itself with every subsequent release, a huge amount of pressure is already being placed on Grand Theft Auto 6, and many fans expect it to surpass the dizzying heights of GTA 5, in both its single-player campaign and online offerings.
With many assuming that GTA 6 will be a truly massive title, it is no wonder that some attention has been placed on the potential pricing of the game, and early rumors suggest that it could cost upwards of $100 due to its sheer scale. This would, essentially, rewrite the standards of the AAA gaming industry’s pricing practices, and many fans worry that this could set a precedent that other high-profile releases would copy going forward.
These rumors have only heightened recently thanks to early pre-order listings for GTA 6, some of which reportedly list the game with a price as high as $112. While some have defended a $100 price tag, suggesting that it is reasonable for a game that is expected to maintain popularity for over a decade, there may be something else going on here. Indeed, the pre-order prices do not necessarily confirm that all players will pay $100+ for GTA 6 at release, as there are some possible alternative explanations for the figure.
GTA 6 and Its Online Mode Could Be the Cause of Its Confusing Price Points
For one, these listings could simply be for pre-orders of a special edition of Grand Theft Auto 6 with extra content, as Rockstar may release the game in a variety of editions with a wide range of price-points. Alternatively, the rumored price may be an indicator that Rockstar is aiming to handle the base game of GTA 6 as somewhat separate from its online mode. This approach would not be extremely surprising, as Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online are now considered as separate entities.
Grand Theft Auto Online was made available for purchase independently of GTA 5 in 2022, and Rockstar may do something similar with GTA 6. Specifically, the developer could allow players to choose between purchasing GTA 6‘s single-player campaign or its online mode, or they could opt to buy them both together.
Rockstar may be aiming to split GTA 6‘s single-player mode and its online experience into two separate titles to create a distinct identity between them, and the rumored $100+ price tags could be for a bundle package that includes both of these offerings. It is understandable why the price tag of Grand Theft Auto 6 has been the source of so much debate, and it is still possible that the title will be the start of a new era of pricing for AAA releases. However, there are plenty of potential explanations for the recent pricing reports and rumors that do preclude a more affordable base game release for GTA 6 from existing.
