Cliff Notes – Games Inbox: How much will GTA 6 cost
- The anticipated price for GTA 6 is expected to start at £100, reflecting a trend in the gaming industry where major titles are increasingly priced higher due to rising development costs.
- Consumers are encouraged to consider not purchasing overpriced games to potentially influence price reductions, although many may still choose to buy regardless of complaints.
- The pricing strategy of major publishers like Rockstar could lead to a broader acceptance of higher game prices across the industry, impacting consumer perceptions and purchasing behaviour.
Games Inbox: How much will GTA 6 cost?
The Monday letters page thinks that The Last Of Us Complete is a bad idea for Sony and gamers, as a reader laments the death of GAME physical stores.
GTA 6 – will the price be daylight robbery?
Comparatively cheap
I don’t think there should be any doubt that GTA 6 is going to cost at least $100/£100. It’s the way the industry’s going and Rockstar Games know they can charge literally whatever they want and that game would sell. If it was £200 and looked like GTA 1 it’d still sell, at least for a little time, until word got out.
I think that Nintendo has just been a bit unlucky in having to go first in announcing their prices but I suspect that within a year or two they will be seen as being the cheap option as usual. Mario Kart World is still less than Call Of Duty and EA Sports is already and Donkey Kong costing less shows to me that Nintendo will try to make all of their games as cheap as possible, depending on how much they cost to make. They might never discount their games but they’ve never tried to rip people off with the base price.
I know they don’t look like they’re being the generous ones at the moment, but when GTA 6 gives Ubisoft and EA the courage to make everything £100 I think that will change. As was said in the Reader’s Feature over the weekend, this is all a response to games costing more to make. And it’s the dumbest most unhelpful response imaginable – and also the most predictable one.
Tolly
The only way is up
In response to Taylor Moon’s post over the weekend, he is pretty much spot on about the pricing. You know Rockstar is going to release GTA 6 at at least £80… but the only way to force the prices down a bit is to not buy it or any others that seem to be overpriced. Once they realise a lot of people are not buying they will drop the prices.
People just need to either pay it and stop moaning about it or wait it out, out of principle, and if enough people do that it will force a price rethink… but will people do it? I doubt it, people like to moan about pricing but will soon cough up when the Switch 2 is released.
And that is why the prices are going up and will probably hit £90 regularly before you know it.
Stew
Digital future
I’m in two minds about the Switch and Switch 2 not supporting analogue shoulder buttons but I think overall it’s a good thing. Racing games are really the only genre that suffers and yet not only is the Switch 2 unlikely to have a Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport equivalent but if you were that into serious racing games you’d just buy a wheel (or, more likely, just play it on a PC).
I’ve played a lot of games where it’s obvious the trigger buttons are not reacting instantly, when all you want is a simple, digital on/off style response. If I was a controller designer and a Nintendo developer told me they wanted digital shoulder buttons I don’t think I’d argue with them either; they are the experts after all.
I’m more curious what these new buttons at the back of the Pro Controller 2 are going to be for, because I haven’t heard of any game that actually uses them. Was there one, in anything you played, GC?
Everwayne
GC: They weren’t used for anything we’ve played. We think they idea is they have no function by default and it’s always up to you to program them in whatever way you want.
Competing with yourself
I’m probably one of many people who checked out the remastered version of the Mafia game released on Game Pass recently. I found it equal parts enjoyable and frustrating but came away looking forward to the next game, which I envisioned as being properly open world, with much more ability to interact with its setting.
The news that it’s to be released towards the end of the year, possibly fairly close to GTA 6, seems to me to be terrible luck. If the developers improve on all the obvious areas they needed to from the last game (which I believe they will) the one thing I really feel the game needs is a clear path to find an audience.
I can’t believe it will have that now. while everyone is basically waiting around for firm information on GTA 6’s release date. So my fear is that the game is about to get swallowed up again through no fault of its own. I hope I’m wrong about that because it has huge potential.
Chris
GC: The irony is that publisher Take-Two also owns Rockstar Games.
Switching priorities
Do you think what is happening with the US and tariffs will means it will be harder for those outside the US to get a Switch 2? With a 90 day reprieve for Vietnam and Cambodia (where the Switch 2 is made) it means Nintendo just might send as many units as they can to the US now, in order to stockpile in the US. Meaning there are less available elsewhere, who they can supply with later shipments.
As a business this would make the most sense in order to do as much as possible to maintain control over what they’re able to charge, but will mean an item that is harder to stock.
Simon
GC: That does seem likely, and reports suggest Nintendo has already shipped over a million consoles to the US. However, it’s almost certainly not something they’ll discuss openly.
Bad introduction
That £100 The Last Of Us set is an absolute disgrace. As you pointed out, the games can easily be bought for half that price right now and the digital edition doesn’t give you anything extra on top anyway. I know it’s just Sony taking advantage of interest in the series, because of the show, but what kind of message is this sending casual and non-gamers?
That video games are ridiculously expensive and then, once you realise you’ve been conned, that publishers love to rip you off and take advantage of you not being 100% clued in to how the industry works? If I was a new gamer buying that and found out I think I’d just never vow to buy a video game again, or at least revert to only indie games/only heavily discounted sales.
I know it’s just businesses being businesses but how short sighted can you be? If I was in charge of Sony I would’ve made the set unusually cheap, thrown in a few extras, and then tempted people into trying out some other Sony first party titles. This has basically the opposite effect. They’ll be so skint after buying this one compilation they’ll probably never buy another game all year, and they’ll think twice about that one.
Focus
You’ll miss them when they’re gone
Having to sell off their office furniture is such a sad and pathetic end for GAME. I know that’s what happens to any business in the end but it’s strangely upsetting to hear about. They were far from perfect but I think we could have done a lot worse for our major high street store.
Now they’re effectively gone – does anyone bother using their website? – and it’s virtually impossible to wander into a high street shop and just browse some video games. You’re more likely to be able to find some old SNES game in a retro shop than you are the latest copy of Assassin’s Creed or whatever. It’s a shame and I really don’t think we’re gained anything from their fall.
Pauldle
Arcade at some homes
As an arcade racer fan, the nicest surprise from the Switch 2 reveal was that Ridge Racer and F-Zero GX would be available day one.
The 32-bit consoles are credited with bringing the arcade into the home but in truth the home ports fell somewhat short of their arcade big brother’s quality. Ridge Racer on Switch 2 is the first time an arcade perfect port will be available on home consoles.
Digital distribution takes with one hand, in delisting the digital-only release of the excellent PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 port of Daytona USA, but gives with the other, with Virtua Racing and Ridge Racer on Switch.
To be fair, there’s a good selection of legitimate ways to access classic games now in the home. The Arcade Archives selection on console, Ridge Racer is the first release of the second wave of those, labelled Arcade Archives 2.
Capcom have done great work and there’s Antstream Arcade.
But, obviously, there’s lots of gaps and it would be nice if it wasn’t so spread out. Virtua Racing is still exclusive to Switch, I believe.
Simundo
Inbox also-rans
All this talk about Capcom being super rich now but all I want to see from them is a Resident Evil 9 reveal, it’s been ages? Do you think it will be unveiled and released this year?
Korbie
GC: A reveal this year is pretty likely, but we’d say a launch had a less than 50% chance.
I see the rumours about Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Switch 2 came true, but I’m interested as to whether this will be Square Enix and Nintendo as best buddies again. They seem natural allies to me, much more than Sony, but will we see exclusives and preferential treatment? (I know no one knows, I’m just thinking out loud).
Zade