2025 is slated to be a big year in gaming. There are several highly anticipated titles scheduled for release this year. Yet, none of them are bigger than Grand Theft Auto VI. Fans wait with bated breath for the next morsel of news about this title. It’s currently planned to drop in Q3 or Q4 2025, and every other publisher is waiting for that exact date to know when it is “safe” to drop their game. GTA VI has already had that type of impact, but there’s another impact it may have on the gaming industry. That is around its price and the door it may open for publishers looking to increase the price of their games going forward.
This conversation all stems from Matthew Ball who released a 200+ presentation on “The State of Video Gaming in 2025.” In this presentation, Ball tackled several key indicators across the gaming space from mobile gaming, console, and PC gaming, major and developing markets, player time and more. It’s an in-depth presentation that tackles the industry with key metrics that are worth a review.
One of the sections of the presentation that caused the most uproar specifically focuses on GTA VI. “Some gamemakers hope GTA VI will be priced at $80-$100, breaking the $70 barrier and helping $50 titles to move up to $60, $60 to do $70, $70 to $80, etc.” The idea presented is that publishers are hoping that GTA’s higher than normal price will open the door to an overall price increase across all of games. Which, in basic capitalism speak, would hopefully mean more revenue and profits for those companies. But is that really the case? This is a multi-faceted conversation that deserves more consideration that doesn’t have a clear answer.
First, should fans expect GTA VI to be more than $70 for the base game? Yes. Look no further than GTA V for the reasoning behind that thought. GTA V was released in 2013, more than a decade ago, and it is the second-highest selling video game of all time, behind only Minecraft. According to Steam Charts, GTA V still has an average player count above 130 thousand and reached more than 200 thousand players in the last 30 days. With so many ways to monetize content in GTA V, it’s understandable why the next edition of the series is coming out years later.
Grand Theft Auto comes with all the brand recognition that would allow it to demand a higher price for the base product. Would players hope to get something “more” for $100? Yes, they would. Would publishers be obligated to give them that thought? Absolutely not. Everyone is going to want to dive into GTA VI the day it is available. Expect the early release versions to be available as well, which will come with a higher price tag for those who can afford it. Grand Theft Auto has the power to turn heads, hold attention, and open wallets. Seeing it come out with a price tag higher than other games today should not be a shock to anyone.
However, that opens the door to the second part of this conversation. Will other games be able to increase their costs? That is a more difficult question to answer, with an understandable tilt toward “no.”
All games are not created equally. For every Grand Theft Auto, there’s a Marvel’s Avengers, Concord, or Suicide Squad. The gaming industry is not at a place where every game is considered a massive hit, even if it is a good to great game. Some games like Suicide Squad aren’t good games at their base, leaving players almost angry at their purchase. Just because one excellent game arrives and has the value of charging an increased price, doesn’t mean that every other product in that same space can try the same thing.
There’s bound to be customer blowback at the attempt and attempt these publishers will. Why? Because the unfortunate musk of capitalism has infected the video game industry in a way that has turned gaming on its head, leading to massive layoffs, cancelled titles, and multiple reports of critically loved games like Hi-Fi Rush “underperforming.” The gaming industry isn’t at a place where an increased price across all games would be welcomed just because Grand Theft Auto VI pushed the envelope. Especially when there’s little to believe that money would go back to the creators and staff that built the game, rather than the pockets of CEOs and shareholders.
Whenever Grand Theft Auto VI drops, it’s going to be a massive day for the industry. Fans are waiting, some patiently, for what has the potential to be the most popular game in history. When it comes, expect to pay a premium to enjoy it though, because that is what the market is going to demand. Will that cause an increase across all games? Be ready for the powers that be to test players as it will be a battle for every last dollar.