GoKawiilIt seems to some of us like just yesterday—even though the transition began more than half a decade ago—that gamers were getting adjusted to spending $70 on AAA game releases at launch instead of $60, but as preorders begin this week for the wildly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI, they’re finding that at least that title will sell for $80.
Additionally, disclaimers make it clear that the physical release of GTA6 will not include a physical disc. Instead, it will be a box with a download code inside it.
The game’s “Ultimate Edition” will sell for $99 and will include a plethora of exclusive perks for the single-player portion of the game. (GTA6 will launch with its single-player campaign first, with its online modes coming sometime later.) Developer Rockstar Games’ marketing says that the ultimate edition includes “an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of” the story.
While many gamers will find the new price level frustrating, it’s not a surprise. Analysts and commentators have been predicting this specifically for GTA6 for a couple of years now, with some speculative estimates landing even higher, like $100 for the base game.
Considerations and caveats
Game prices have not generally risen as quickly as inflation over the past few decades, while the cost of developing high-fidelity games for PC and consoles has been multiplying in recent years as large publishers chase bigger-than-ever projects in the belief that the most successful games will be massive, groundbreaking bets.