It was not long ago that our Raphael Garcia wondered aloud if a $100 Grand Theft Auto 6 was on the horizon and what impact that might have on game prices. Now Nintendo has announced several $80 games, most notably Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World. Games in the $80-100 range seem more likely than ever to be the new normal.
Console launches provide the industry's best opportunity to raise a bunch of money quickly, and at least some of the industry needs it. GameStop and other brick and mortar retailers are circling the drain. Layoffs in all aspects of the industry are more and more commonplace. A large problem is that a handful of games are making the majority of the profit. GTA 5 and Fortnite are still making millions, despite being over a decade old in GTA's case.
Many new games don't get a chance to prove themselves in the market, because a majority of players are sticking with what's familiar. Of the top 10 selling games of 2024 in the United States, Helldivers 2, Elden Ring, and Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero were the only new franchises. And truthfully, Sparking Zero is heavily inspired by the DBZ Budokai series from decades ago.
As I looked back at my own admittedly bland list of game purchases, I realized I've been paying $100 for games for a while now. I almost always get the Super Special Hyper Viper Fighting Edition of Madden, WWE 2K, etc. Remember that story about the frog that gets boiled by slowly turning up the heat? I suddenly see the steam rising all around me.
Being fair about it, Nintendo is offering a bundle that reduces the price of Mario Kart World by $30 if you buy it with the Switch 2. That's how I imagine most people that play it will get it, because you can't play it without the Switch 2. But as us Nintendo vets know, Nintendo's first-party games don't go down in price.
Nintendo has always viewed and priced itself as a premium product, and we've paid the premium price. I am not about to sit here and tell you I won't play Mario Kart World at some point this year or early in 2026. But as somebody that gets paid to play these games, I will not pretend my experience is the normal one.
Also, we're now getting confirmation from industry experts that President Donald Trump's tariffs factored into Nintendo's pricing. Half of the hardware Nintendo imports into the United States comes from Vietnam and Cambodia. Tariffs that go into effect April 9 will place tariffs of nearly 50 percent on both countries.
We all know how capitalism works. If GTA, Mario Kart, and the like get away with these prices (and I have no reason to suspect they won't) other publishers will follow suit. Look how many trash games get away with selling ultimate editions as their "Game of the Year" versions.
Also, once game prices reach a certain threshold they don't go backwards. Remember when 2K released a $20 football game and EA bribed the NFL to make sure 2K didn't get to make anymore football games?
I'll be shocked if there isn't a $100 version of GTA 6, offering more goodies for its profitable online mode. That's the carrot that has worked so well with sports games and their "ultimate team" modes. Considering the hours of entertainment I get from my favorite games, I'm not even arguing that the best games aren't worth $100. But I'm warning you that some of the worst games will jump to that price point right along with them.