Bank of America Pushes $80 GTA 6 Price Tag
- Sagar Mankar
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
The conversation around Grand Theft Auto 6's price tag has been building steadily, and it shows no signs of cooling down.
Since the game's first trailer dropped in December 2023, fans have mostly been focused on what the game will actually look and play like. But quietly running alongside all of that excitement has been a serious industry-level debate about how much it should cost.
The pricing debate began picking up steam in early 2025, as several analysts and retailers pushed for a new price point. Publishers and developers mostly kept quiet. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, in particular, has repeatedly dodged direct questions about the cost of GTA 6, offering thoughtful yet non-committal responses each time. The latest to join the conversation is Bank of America.
The bank attended the IICON event in Las Vegas, held from April 27 to 30, 2026, an executive-focused video game conference hosted by the Entertainment Software Association.
After speaking with attendees, Bank of America Securities analyst Omar Dessouky put out an investor note arguing that GTA 6 should be priced at $80. His reasoning was straightforward. According to Dessouky, "We heard from attendees that the industry, which is perceived as struggling, would have difficulty selling games for $80 if GTA 6 came out at $70. We think it's in Take-Two's self-interest, as a publisher and partner to many developers, to raise the price point for the entire industry."
Zelnick's own words at IICON were carefully chosen but telling. "Consumers pay for the value that you bring to them, and our job is to charge way way way less of the value delivery," he said. "How you feel about something you buy is the intersection of the thing itself and what you pay for. Consumers need to feel like the thing itself is amazing and the price they were charged was fair for what they got."
Take-Two is no stranger to pushing price points forward. The company was among the first to move from $60 to $70, pricing NBA 2K21 at $70 back in 2020. At the time, they cited development budgets that had increased by as much as 300% over the previous decade.
As for GTA 6 specifically, the development costs are staggering (reportedly reaching $3 billion according to a recent UK office document reveal). The game has been in production for nearly a decade, built across multiple studios with thousands of skilled workers. Zelnick told Bloomberg (on May 4, 2026) that those costs weigh heavily on expectations. "Development costs have gone up and up," he said. "And we really do aim to deliver the highest quality entertainment on Earth. And that is costly. And AI influence is not withstanding. We haven't seen those costs decline yet. Maybe we will. Maybe we won't."
Industry Voices Weigh In
In August last year, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities predicted that GTA 6 could launch at $100. He estimated that Rockstar's combined development and marketing budget has already surpassed $1.5 billion, and projected the game would generate $10 billion in lifetime revenue, with an additional $500 million annually from GTA Online alone. Pachter's $100 prediction is bold, but he clearly believes the fanbase is dedicated enough to justify it.
He is not alone. Chris Stockman, the Design Director on the original Saints Row, shared a similarly strong take with Esports Insider in October last year. "They're the only ones that can get away with it," Stockman said. "I don't think it's a rising tide that floats all boats. I think that there'll be a tremendous amount of backlash if everyone switched to $100. Not all games are created equal. I think GTA is the only one that can get away with it, and I hope they do. I really hope it's $100. I think it deserves to be $100." He did add a note of caution though, warning it would be a "disaster" if other publishers tried to follow suit across the board.
Even Jay Klaitz, the actor who played fan-favourite Lester Crest in GTA V, weighed in last November. Speaking with The Escapist, he reflected on the sheer scope of production work that goes into a Rockstar game. "Yeah dude. I mean, GTA V was so heavy on the mocap. I assume that GTA VI will be the same way, and these games take so long to make. Years and years and years," he said. He argued that when you buy a GTA title, "you're almost buying multiple games in one." That said, he also acknowledged the accessibility concern, saying, "I would like to see it made more affordable for folks. Maybe there's a way to split the difference, but I share the sentiment that this game warrants that price tag."
The industry has been slowly testing higher price points. Nintendo sells Mario Kart World for $80, while Microsoft tried pushing the same price for its 2025 holiday lineup, including The Outer Worlds 2 and other titles, but rolled back after heavy backlash.
Following its updated forecast of an $80 GTA 6, Bank of America raised its price target on Take-Two stock from around $216 to $320, based on a 26x blended earnings estimate for 2027 to 2028.
GTA 6 is scheduled to launch on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game was originally set for Fall 2025, then pushed to May 2026, and delayed again to its current November window.
It has been 13 years since GTA 5 (sold over 225 million so far), and whether the final price lands at $70, $80, or $100, this launch is going to be one of the most-watched moments in gaming history.
