Ask any gamer their expected price of a big game, and the answer will likely be $60, maybe $70 for a super-elaborate title.
Yet with the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6, the question isn’t if the price will rise further, but how high.
Jay Klaitz, the actor behind GTA 5‘s iconic Lester Crest, started the debate when he declared that the next instalment deserves to cost $100.
This poses a difficult question for many gamers. Is this price justified, or is it pricing them out of something they love? The debate has only just begun.
The arguments for $100
Let’s start with a home truth: making games is now a huge project rather than something a single developer dreamed up in his or her basement over the weekend.
Klaitz said that GTA games take “years and years and years” to build. They’re global productions with a thousand-strong team of people working on every minute detail.
They include cinematic pictures and the best writing you can get. They also come with entire living cities with dynamic weather systems and physics engines that are almost beyond understanding.
GTA 5 was released over a decade ago, and it’s still a massive hit among gamers. Ten years later, the mind boggles at just what Rockstar can do with the latest tech.
Supporters of the price rise will argue that the game that takes up most of our free time over the next few years deserves a higher cost.
The other argument that Klaitz hinted at was value. With GTA, you’re buying a whole range of incredible gaming benefits, including:
- A beautifully written storyline
- A huge gaming map that you can get lost in for hours
- Constant updates packed with more possibilities
GTA is often the only title that gamers play for years. Spending $100 on something you’ll use for thousands of hours isn’t bad value: it works out at just a few cents an hour.
Looking at it in that light, the $100 move may not be so unreasonable.
Why $100 might be a bad idea
The other side of the argument is one we’ve heard many times before.
Games aren’t just for adult gamers with steady incomes. They’re also for teens saving pocket money and college students on a budget. Also, think of parents who don’t want to choose between groceries and an expensive game.
The biggest concern is that a $100 base price builds a wall around something meant to be shared among fans.
Then there are microtransactions like battle passes, shark cards, cosmetics, and booster packs. Games today want your wallet on a leash, which means consumers naturally ask: “If we pay $100 for the base game, are we done? Or is it the cover charge before the spending really starts?”
People don’t mind paying more if it gets them the full package. But if that $100 still comes with in-game cash purchases and digital drip feeds, that’s when it starts to feel less like “premium entertainment” and more like a luxury tax on fun.
Not every studio is Rockstar, either. If GTA sets a new standard, plenty of publishers would love to follow suit, without delivering anything close to a GTA-sized world. That’s how a price shift becomes an industry problem instead of a Rockstar experiment. As gamers, we’ve seen it before: one company pushes the limit, and suddenly everyone follows.
The future of premium entertainment
The $100 conversation covers more than just video games, it’s about premium entertainment as a whole. If people are willing to pay to enjoy first-class flight service or front-row concert seats, then why can’t the same principle apply to video games, they say?
It’s a concept that already exists in the gaming world, particularly in gambling. If you wish to play USA casino games, you can do so for free with their demo versions, but if you want a top-notch online gambling experience, then plenty of sites offer loyalty programs that deliver perks like exclusive VIP bonuses or faster withdrawal times.
We’re quickly seeing the spread of this tiered pricing for entertainment, which is why games like GTA 6 are confident that their price increase will be a success.
Love or hate the idea, GTA 6 is about to become our industry guinea pig. It’s big and hyped enough to really change the conversation.
If we still see the game sell like hot cakes, then expect to see more titles at the same price soon. If, however, sales don’t take off, then we may see the price increase postponed for the time being.
Something bigger is happening
The GTA example is part of a broader gaming trend. This could be the moment we see games take the leap into full-scale blockbusters rather than just $60 cartridges.
The business has changed, the tech has changed, and the audience has changed. All that remains is the price tag.
One thing is certain, the GTA 6 conversation isn’t going away – it might be a good idea to start saving early, just in case.
