GTA 6 nears as console prices spike at the worst time
▼ Summary
– GTA VI is a major “system seller,” but the current-gen consoles it runs on have become significantly more expensive, with the PS5 now costing $649.99 and the Xbox Series X up to $799.99.
– The high console prices may cause many potential players to reconsider buying hardware just for one game, as the cost goes against the typical expectation of prices dropping over time.
– GTA VI launches on November 19th for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S at $79.99, and its physical version does not include a disc, though these issues are seen as minor compared to console costs.
– The combined install base of PS5 and current-gen Xbox consoles is around 120 million, far below GTA V’s 230 million sales, and price hikes are limiting future growth.
– Despite the high costs, GTA VI is expected to be a massive hit with a long sales tail, though the expensive hardware will restrict how many people can play at launch.
The arrival of Grand Theft Auto VI is shaping up to be a cultural event of rare magnitude, one powerful enough to drive people to finally invest in new hardware just to experience it. This is the ultimate “system seller” in modern gaming. A massive audience has likely held off on upgrading their consoles for years, content with GTA V and its enduring online mode. But now that the moment is nearly here, a serious obstacle has emerged: the very consoles needed to play the game have become shockingly expensive.
The long wait for the next installment in the franchise has been unprecedented. GTA V first launched in 2013, and through a series of ports across three PlayStation and three Xbox generations, plus PC, it became arguably the most profitable single entertainment product ever. That legacy looms large. The excitement for GTA VI, set to launch on November 19th for the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S, is so immense that rival publishers are deliberately clearing their release calendars to avoid being eclipsed.
When Rockstar confirmed development back in 2022, the pricing landscape for consoles was far different. The PlayStation 5 debuted at $499.99, but after two price increases, it now costs $649.99. For those wanting the more powerful PS5 Pro (a wise choice for a graphically demanding title like this), the price jumps to $899.99. Microsoft has raised its console prices three times since 2025. The entry-level Xbox Series S now retails for $499.99, while the Series X has climbed to $799.99. Both are hundreds of dollars above their original launch prices.
These increases defy the traditional wisdom that buying a console at launch is a poor investment because prices eventually drop. For GTA VI, the timing is particularly painful. This week, Rockstar opened preorders, signaling that a further delay is highly unlikely. That means the audience needing an upgrade will face significant sticker shock, regardless of their platform choice. The cost is now high enough that many will seriously question spending $600 or more just to play one game. A large number of potential players will likely postpone their purchase, hoping for future price drops.
Other launch issues exist. At $79.99, the game itself is pricier than most, and there is controversy over the physical edition lacking an actual disc. These are minor hurdles for a title of this scale. However, the soaring cost of hardware represents a much more substantial threat to the game’s reach.
Consider this: GTA V has sold over 230 million copies across all platforms. Even if every current owner of a PS5 and Xbox Series X / S bought GTA VI, sales would not come close to that number. The PS5 has an install base of roughly 90 million, and Microsoft has sold an estimated 30 million current-gen consoles. While not insignificant, this installed base is unlikely to grow substantially given the price increases. PS5 sales are already declining sharply under the new pricing.
There is little hope for a quick reversal. When announcing its latest price hike, Microsoft stated that “console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027.” Even a future PC release of GTA VI faces headwinds, as component costs have made capable machines extremely expensive. For reference, Valve’s Steam Machine starts at $1,049. For anyone without the right hardware already, playing the next Grand Theft Auto will be a very costly endeavor.
GTA VI will almost certainly be a massive success, even if it doesn’t match its predecessor’s record of earning a billion dollars in three days. Few things are too big to fail, but this game might be one of them. These titles also have a famously long sales tail; people are still buying GTA V over a decade later. That gives the game plenty of time to find its full audience. Still, the current state of console pricing is a serious limitation on how many people can play at launch. The wait has been long, and it turns out, it will also be very expensive.
(Source: The Verge)
