“This is just something that the internet has decided”: Former Rockstar Dev Claims GTA Online Could Be the Reason GTA 6 Avoids a $100 Price Tag
GTA 6 is one of the most anticipated games, if not the most anticipated game of all time. And one thing that comes with holding this status is that fans have speculated on every single detail of the game. One of the biggest speculations is regarding the price of the game, and GTA Online might be the biggest factor.
Throughout 2025, we saw a lot of speculation about the money that went into the next Rockstar Games title and how much it might cost. And from that, we got the rumored $100 price tag. But according to a former Rockstar North developer who worked on some of the franchise’s most iconic titles, that’s very unlikely.
Former Rockstar Games Dev Clarifies the GTA 6 Price Situation
Obbe Vermeij, who worked on GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA IV, addressed the $100 price rumor for GTA 6 in a recent interview with GamesHub. Vermeij says there has been no official signal from Rockstar or Take-Two Interactive that the game will launch at $100. In his words,
Rockstar haven’t said anything about $100. This is just something that the internet has decided.
While we do know that the game has been reported to have a multi-billion-dollar development cost, Vermeij believes Rockstar won’t want to risk shrinking its launch audience by pricing it too high. And it makes sense. A higher price at launch means that less people will buy it, and that’s not what GTA is about.
I need every “gaming analyst” to apologize when GTA 6 is actually priced at 69.99$.
— Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) October 18, 2025
So sick of the constant clickbait in the industry about it being priced at 100$ and above, Guys, it’s still a video game by publisher Take-Two which publishes all their games like 2K at $70… pic.twitter.com/Gk6wgaO4Is
With GTA 6 currently scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026, Rockstar’s priority is likely to be getting as many players into Vice City as possible on day one, not testing how much fans are willing to pay at checkout.
This also lines up with what we’ve heard from Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who previously described GTA 6’s pricing as “fair” (via Variety) while noting that the game will offer value beyond its cost.
GTA Online Is Why GTA 6 Won’t Cost $100
The real reason Vermeij doesn’t expect a $100 launch has less to do with goodwill and more to do with business strategy. GTA Online has fundamentally reshaped how Rockstar makes money, and Vermeij believes that model will carry forward into the upcoming title.
The Grand Theft Auto franchise has generated $3.5 Billion in Net Revenue for Take Two since GTA5 launched.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 3, 2017
GTA Online keeps growing. pic.twitter.com/KUugczDmhR
Rather than squeezing an extra $30 out of each copy sold, Rockstar can rely on years of post-launch revenue through online content, updates, and microtransactions. Online is the reason why GTA V has generated hundreds of millions of dollars annually more than a decade after its debut.
That ongoing income stream fundamentally changes how Rockstar thinks about pricing. A lower upfront cost maximizes the player base, which in turn fuels years of post-launch spending. So if we look at it that way, Rockstar doesn’t need to make all its money on day one.
Vermeij also notes that while GTA 6 will likely be the most expensive game ever made, it may hold that title for a long time. According to him, AAA development costs will likely stabilize as AI and other tools take over repetitive tasks in game development.
So what are your expectations for the price of GTA 6? Which way do you see Rockstar going? Let us know in the comments!
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