Grand Theft Auto VI no doubt had a big production budget, but just how much did the game cost to make? Neither developer Rockstar nor parent company Take-Two has disclosed a number, but Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has now commented on the matter, saying “it was expensive.”
He said this in an interview with Business Insider, which also quoted unnamed industry analysts who said GTA 6’s budget could be as much as $1.5 billion.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Zelnick said his company has the “most amazing creative teams” and that Take-Two management insists that its creatives “pursue their passions,” even if it’s expensive.
“We try to give them unlimited financial, creative human resources and then they aim to deliver perfection,” Zelnick said.
Also in the interview, the executive reflected that development costs have “gone up and up,” and that the effort to make the “highest quality entertainment on Earth” is a “costly” endeavor.
AI might help drive efficiencies that save costs, but Zelnick said, “We haven’t seen those costs decline yet,” and they might never, he admitted.
Zelnick also pointed out that Take-Two’s ambition is to make blockbuster games, and that can mean spending more than its peers. “That’s a high-stakes game for big boys only, and I’m cool with it,” he said.
How much will GTA 6 cost to buy?
Unnamed analysts speaking with Business Insider also touched on the ongoing mystery of how much GTA 6 will cost for the consumer to buy. They told the site that GTA 6 will cost more than $70 when it launches, with one person saying it would be $100+.
An stock analyst from Bank of America recently said Rockstar would be smart to price GTA 6 at $80, in part to help Take-Two make more money and convince other publishers to raise prices.
For years, major new releases have been priced at $70, despite rising development costs. Experts have said games not going up in price is causing major issues for the AAA game market. No significant price increases help explain why publishers push DLC and microtransactions so much to help cover the costs of ballooning budgets, according to experts and industry veterans.
Data shows that people are ready and willing to pay $80 or more for games. Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics said even in challenging economic times, people will spend money on what they want the most, including video games. “The rising prices won’t necessarily reduce spending. The market will bear it.”
GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Fans have been waiting a long, long time for it, as it was originally set to launch in Fall 2025 before being delayed to May 2026 and then to November. It’s been 13 years since GTA 5, though GTA Online has received regular updates over the years.