GTA 6 Costing $100 Could Reward Players Too, Analysts Argue

Rockstar hasn't even released a second trailer yet for Grand Theft Auto VI, but that isn't stopping analysts from again predicting that the highly anticipated game should retail for at least $100. This time, Wedbush Securities--alongside well-known analyst Michael Pacter--are arguing this premium price point could benefit players as well by bundling in GTA Online currency.

In a Wedbush industry note, a prediction is made that Take-Two will sell GTA VI "at a previously unheard of price point." The game company "can offer consumers an incentive to pay $100 or more per unit by rewarding them with a large amount of in-game currency to be spent in GTA Online," write Pachter, Alicia Reese, and Kade Barr. What's intriguing about this proposal is the fact it's unknown what happens with GTA Online once GTA VI launches. Last month, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick suggested that GTA Online could continue with GTA VI's release, but theoretically alluded to it as a "legacy title." Meanwhile, GTA V just received an enhanced upgraded on PC earlier this month, with the old version subtitled Legacy.

The Wedbush analysts point to how Call of Duty: Warzone (and mobile) have helped lead "to a 40% increase in sales of Call of Duty premium," though Activision and Microsoft haven't confirmed those figures. As such, Take-Two can utilize similar integration to boost GTA VI sales. The Wedbush group isn't the first to posit that GTA VI could cost $100, though proposing this high cost could reward players seems new. Additionally, last year Larian Studios director of publishing Michael Douse noted that GTA VI could prompt a shift to more expensive games. One thing usually left out of this discussion is the fact many big-name new games already cost more at launch with deluxe and collector's editions.

Research company DFC Intelligence believes GTA VI could sell 40 millions copies within 12 months of release, leading to $3.2 billion for Take-Two. The game's launch along with Nintendo Switch 2's release should help the video game industry rebound overall this year, per Circana.

GTA VI is still on track for Fall 2025, but Zelnick notes delays are always a possibility. A more specific release date could be coming into focus after Take-Two revealed Borderlands 4 will launch September 23; basically, October and November seem likely as release months for GTA VI. Pachter believes GTA VI could launch on Halloween, October 31, following a similar release pattern to GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas. Those three games also came out in October, but they were over 20 years ago, too.