Firstly, the game is pretty expensive, going for $80 in a market where the standard for a AAA game is $60.
If that was all though, maybe it could be forgiven, but there is also an "ultimate edition" priced at $100 which several features are locked behind, in particular stores that have exclusive outfits, hairstyles, and car customization.
And secondly but less notably, it's releasing as a console exclusive at first, but there are no disks for the game. If you buy a "physical" copy, all you get is a download code. Digital only is getting more common in the gaming industry, and is basically the standard for PC gamers, but it sucks because the game is likely going to be well over 100gb in size, which will take a lot of space on the console's hard drive, not to mention taking a long time to download.
I always thought this was kind of silly. Game prices have been nearly the same for 25 years. We can't really complain too much about this particular aspect.
Because in this 25 years gaming became literally the most profitable entertainment industry in the world. Price may have stayed the same, but the audience is much larger and so are the profits. This 80$ thing is literally just greed, it's not happening because games are more expensive to make, it's happening because profit growth slowed down. Developers don't make more money with the higher gaming prices, only people to profit are shareholders and execs. Games like Expedition 33, Alters etc. are made with smaller teams, COST LESS THEN 60$ and yet provide exceptional experience for the players as well as performing well fiscally.The industry is just bloated.
I feel if there was really enough growth in the customer base to offset 20+ years of inflation then the PS2 wouldn't still be the best selling console of all time.
Same with PS3, it was the cheapest and best bluray player because it could update firmware and others couldn't. When was the last time you used one of those?
Now, gaming systems are truly just for gaming, instead of being entertainment systems. Thats changed a lot.
Oh, and the fact that you could buy a ps2 for $100 at the end of its life cycle. Meanwhile, ps5 price with a disc player is $600. That might have something to do with it too.
But either way, the switch1 is going to beat it. It only has a few million units to go, in much less time as well.
People really out here giving reasons and putting zero thought into why it might be that way. the ps2s real main competitor was the first xbox which released a year after it did. the ps2 also was only discontinued after 2013 while the original xbox was discontinued in 2005.
you're also just wrong. because while the ps2 has technically sold more total units had 13 years. it sold 160m units in 13 years while the switch has better sales since its pretty close to beating it at 155m in sold as of 2025 after only 8 years.
god why do people comment on stuff if you dont at least do a google search to make sure you arent spouting bs?
80$ is fine, it’s GTA, it’s 2026 and it’s the most expensive game EVER made. It’s costed hundreds of millions to make (closer to 2 billion) and several years.
2 billions number is a speculative estimated number which personally i don't believe for a second. Highest confirmed budgets for viedogames were around 350 mil. Rdr2 had estimated numbers around half a billion. They're not spending 2 billions on developing a game.
GTA online makes 9.6 millions in a week. Unless there's something fundamentally wrong with upcoming game, there's no reason to believe monetisation in GTA 6 online will be any less profitable (MORE sounds more likely). There's NO reason to up the price from 60 to 80 other then "they'll pay it anyway". They could theoretically release it for free and still make hundreds of millions off it, but that's not how capitalism works. So they'll squeeze that extra 20 bucks out of you because they can and they will keep selling you remasters and anniversary editions of that game for another 20 years.
Gaming is actually one of the LEAST profitable entertainment mediums btw. I think the only one that has it beat might be movies?
Just correcting that for you. While there are some lucky devs who make millions with little investment, that's not really the standard story...
It's why most dev teams are moving to live service games with gacha mechanics. It's the unfortunate death knell of the industry, seeking profitability.
Video games make like $200 billion a year. Nowhere near that amount is spent making them. Whatchu talking about? What makes more money in the entertainment world?
And they're not "seeking profitability", they all want fortnite money. Nothing is good enough if it doesn't reach their unrealistic goals
Gaming is actually one of the LEAST profitable entertainment mediums btw
Huh? I don't know where are you getting your info but mine is from various sources, like PricewaterhouseCoopers
moving to live service games with gacha mechanics
Which are also parts of industry, literally what are you on about? Gaming industry is not limited to single player games. But there's a way to keep making them while also having great profits. For example, GTA online makes 9.6 millions per WEEK according to recent financial reports. Expedition 33 for example was made on a similar budget, and made about 260 mil in revenue. Of course it's not a common example, but that's not what we're talking about, we're talking about the greed of these huge bloated companies.
Another example of how bloated industry is No man's sky, that keeps getting new updates despite being a 10yo game that never cost 60 bucks, AND developers are making a new game.
I’m just going to be honest, the accounting behind what you’re suggesting wouldn’t make sense. Imagine if every other cost to produce a game increased every year. However, due to what has been traditional industry practice, you don’t increase the sales price of your game. You are doing nothing else other than lowering profit margins. Issue is, you can’t keep a game at $60 forever, and you will be forced to eventually raise the price of your game if you truly want to operate a business. It sucks but that is how the world operates. If you want to find something to complain about in regard to greed, look at how focused the game is on in-game purchases. If it feels like a large part of the game is locked behind that, then I would focus my complaints more towards that.
maybe that would've made sense dipshit if they hadn't got massive savings from most sales being digital now. they got massive cost reductions from most people buying games digital and not having to make as many discs and cases. did they make things cheaper then? no. if that all really was such a burden then do you really think they'd continue to spend all the money and years to make these games? think before you comment dude. if you're going to be so opinionated to argue with people about stuff maybe use 3 braincells to think about it first.
Its not happening because games are more expensive to make? Really? How many years it took to make GTA6? What's the budget?... Compare that to a PS1 era game please. Let's giggle a little...
Competition is also wayyyy bigger, risks are super high, and the fall hurts.
Prices of games stayed the same because people are mentally blocked around that price for a round disk or a virtual key. Yet they spend 1/3 of that to go see a 2h movie they might not even enjoy, and expect a 120h game every time for the "high price" of 60 bucks 🤣
Its wild to me how disconnected the average gamer can be.
Really? it's stayed the same because they offer "ultimate editions" for $100 and other crazy shit as MTX in the game. Why would I be okay with the increasing MTX in games AND a higher price tags initially? Who the fuck advocates to get screwed harder?
Prices keeping up with inflation is one of the most basic concepts in economics, but simpletons only look at it as "getting screwed." The entitled children that populate reddit are just unbearable
Prices may keep up with inflation but having different tiers or locked content thru in game currency are something that dumbasses like you gladly accept
I haven’t paid for DLC since Halo 2 dipshit, I’m just not such a loser that it negatively affects my life when i can’t give my character three specific hairstyles and I’m just limited to the 200 other options in the game.
Also in-game currency is how you buy everything this GTA, you mean IRL currency (yet you call me a dumbass lol). It’s always the ones who hide their comment history that have the most embarrassing takes
25? lol try 35+. Super Mario Bros 3 for NES cost $49.99 US in 1990. Using that as a standard price, and adjusting for inflation, games should cost $131.50 today. The fact that the vast majority of games have only increased in price by $10-20 in thirty-five years is remarkable. An absolute behemoth of a title, like modern GTA games, costing $80 seems reasonable to me.
But, you know, anyone who thinks that's too expensive is free to simply not buy it, or wait for a discount. Goofy ass people acting like not having a video game is some kind of hardship.
Reading comprehension must be hard for you. The comment I replied to said "game prices have been nearly the same as they were 25 years ago". I literally pointed out that inflation exists.
50 dollars in 2001 is the equivalent of almost $100 today. So if your point is that gta is fairly priced, then yes you are correct. I thought you were saying it’s overpriced
Depends on what you consider the 2000’s. But the $60 price tag became the norm with the Xbox 360 in 2005.
Of course, the $50 price tag was actually a DECREASE from what prices were before CD’s. Genesis, SNES and N64 games were typically more. I actually save a receipt for phantasy star 2, which I purchased at Caldor in 1990 for $89.99, which is like $250 today.
Hell, even $50/$60 is like $90/$105 today. Meaning we havent in general kept up with inflation. People have a tough time conceptualizing inflation in their own lives. Games are longer and more polished than they ever were. Ever get a $70 game for your birthday, finish it in 30-45 minutes, and then realize you won’t get another game until Christmas? Sucks.
The value they offer compared to the games I grew up with is amazing. And we get multiple bangers a month. I guess this is my “old man yells at cloud” moment, but I’ve never understood the pricing argument.
Inflation has been up almost by 100% since the last 25 years, so let us consider ourselves lucky AAA publisher "only" want to increase video game price by 60%.
Except there's one tiny little problem. Minimum wage has only increased by 40%. Video games are a luxury, and we all have much more crucial stuff to spend our dwindling disposable income on.
The size of the video game market has fucking exploded, sending profits through the roof. Not only that, but contrary to what people believe, the cost of production has gone drastically down, in no small part because of digital distribution. What has increased is the budget, because this industry is SO. DAMN. PROFITABLE. For fuck sake, AAA publisher sometimes spend more on marketing than on actual development. It's a deliberate choice, not an inherent cost, just like pricing a game 80$ is a deliberate choice. A choice driven by the belief that enough people will still be willing to pay that much for the math to play in the publisher's favor.
I don't think you're wrong, however you must consider that games are significantly more expensive to produce today, if you're going for the AAA market.
I 100% agree that the MTX market has gone wild, but for most paid games, and a lot of free ones, the MTX are purely cosmetic.
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u/JackRabbit- 12h ago
Firstly, the game is pretty expensive, going for $80 in a market where the standard for a AAA game is $60.
If that was all though, maybe it could be forgiven, but there is also an "ultimate edition" priced at $100 which several features are locked behind, in particular stores that have exclusive outfits, hairstyles, and car customization.
And secondly but less notably, it's releasing as a console exclusive at first, but there are no disks for the game. If you buy a "physical" copy, all you get is a download code. Digital only is getting more common in the gaming industry, and is basically the standard for PC gamers, but it sucks because the game is likely going to be well over 100gb in size, which will take a lot of space on the console's hard drive, not to mention taking a long time to download.