BusinessJun 24, 2026
Take-Two Sets New Pricing Benchmark With Upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI
Rhea Lobo
Take-Two Interactive Software priced Grand Theft Auto VI at $79.99 for the standard edition, with pre-orders opening June 25 and the game launching Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Theprice pushes GTA VI above the $69.99 ceiling that recent blockbusters like Sony's Ghost of Yotei and Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have held.
A premium Ultimate Edition, priced at $99.99, adds exclusive vehicles, weapons, and apparel woven into the story of protagonists Jason and Lucia.
Shares of Take-Two rose following the announcement.
The physical edition will contain a download code inside the box rather than a disc.
Freelance games journalist Vic Hood said the no-disc approach may irk some physical collectors but added it makes sense as it reduces rebuying and reselling and helps prevent leaks.
Fans raised questions about whether codes could be resold the same way discs traditionally have been.
All pre-orders and purchases made before Nov. 20 include the Vintage Vice City Pack of retro in-game items.
Digital pre-orders also come with a free month of GTA+, Take-Two's membership service that unlocks in-game perks and access to GTA V and other titles.
Players who pre-order digitally can begin pre-loading the game on Nov. 12.
The physical version will also be available from Nov. 12 to support pre-loading ahead of the Nov. 19 launch.
NYU Stern School of Business's Joost van Dreunen called $80 "a rounding error against the anticipation."
He added that the move widens the pricing gap between top franchises and mid-tier publishers rather than lifting all game prices broadly.
GTA V, released in 2013 at $59.99, has sold roughly 230M copies, making it one of the best-selling games ever.
The broader GTA franchise has sold over 470M units worldwide.
Analysts expect GTA VI to generate billions of dollars in sales within days of launch, driven by the franchise's track record and its status as a console and PC hardware catalyst.
The game features a fictional version of Miami called Vice City and marks the franchise's first playable female protagonist in a 3D setting.
Its first trailer, released in late 2023, has amassed nearly 300M views on YouTube.
Whether the $80 price point becomes a new industry standard for premium releases will depend heavily on how that launch performs.
