GTA 6 Is An "Incredible Bargain", Take-Two CEO Says

Even At $80, Take-Two CEO Believes GTA 6 Is "An Incredible Bargain" Published Aug 7, 2026, 8:57 AM EDT Sam Woods is TheGamer’s Senior Reporter. He’s been in games journalism since 2020 and has undertaken a variety of roles in that time. These have included roles such as SEO Editor, Managing Editor at DualShockers, and Global Head of Gaming, and he's also been seen on the BBC. He was promoted to the Senior Reporter position in 2025 following a series of high-quality reports and exclusives for TheGamer. Since 2020, Sam has written over 2,500 articles and specializes in telling the stories of the people behind the games. He’s interviewed the biggest game directors, some of the industry’s top talents, told the stories of how indie games came to be, and spoken to players about what really makes them tick. He’s also interviewed some of the world’s biggest musical artists to find out how the medium has inspired their work, and TV and Film actors about their roles in video game adaptations. He even hosted a PAX panel in 2021 and made a documentary in 2024 surrounding the creation of a Disney game. Alongside this, Sam focuses on breaking news. He got the scoop on Perfect Dark’s cancellation, got context around some AI drama, and revealed how Lady Dimitrescu’s actress would love to step back into the character’s giant shoes. These articles have been picked up by the biggest gaming sites, including IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer. He also loves to dive into the numbers behind the games. Sam’s journey in games journalism has taken him all over the world. He’s covered Gamescom in Germany, Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and Tokyo Game Show in Japan, each on more than one occasion. He’s been learning Japanese since 2024 with the intention of identifying and translating Japanese-language news and bringing it to English-language audiences first, something he’s done countless times. Sam’s first review was 2020’s Battletoads reboot, and he’s since reviewed games in The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokemon franchises. Sign in to your TheGamer account It's been three months since Take-Two's last financial investors' call. It was here that CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed that Grand Theft Auto 6 marketing would begin in earnest this summer and reaffirmed that the game would launch on November 19. The latest investors' call took place just hours before its usual time, and it was there that Zelnick revealed that, despite its $80 price tag, he thinks Grand Theft Auto 6 is an "incredible bargain". Grand Theft Auto 6 Is An "Incredible Bargain" Despite Its $80 Price Tag, Says Strauss Zelnick Grand Theft Auto 6's price was one of the game's most discussed topics prior to its announcement. Some projections had Rockstar pricing it at $100, and consumers made it clear they were happy to pay that. As it transpired, the price was a more palatable $80 (though it turned out to be higher elsewhere due to exchange rates). Strauss Zelnick calls this price an "incredible bargain" for players. "The truth is that the real cost of a AAA video game is a whole lot lower today than it was 20 years ago. Pricing has not kept pace with inflation," he told one investor during the Q&A. "Our goal is to continue to over-deliver for our consumers because how you feel about any experience is the intersection of the experience itself and what you pay for it. To say that we expect that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be an incredible bargain as experiences go is a gross understatement. "So to say that we expect that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be an incredible bargain as experiences go is a gross understatement because Rockstar Games is known for over-delivering." He was later asked about the decision behind two different SKUs: the $80 Standard Edition and the $100 Premium Edition. He said, " I think Rockstar feels that offering phenomenal value at $80 makes sense for some consumers, and then offering incremental value at a modestly increased price makes sense for consumers. "Given the hype around this title, I think we could have made any number of other pricing choices. But as I said earlier, our focus is on delivering way, way, way more value than what we charge for something. And with regard to pre-orders, our pre-orders are exceptional." The CEO refuses to get carried away with these impressive pre-order numbers, however, suggesting that the company hasn't sold a single copy yet, due to the fact that they can still be canceled. "To be clear, we haven't sold one unit yet. You can cancel a pre-order. So around here, we're sort of allergic to victory laps. But one thing we certainly don't do is take a victory lap before we run the event. So the news is great so far. We're incredibly excited. We couldn't be more excited than we are. And yet we are realistic and, at best, cautiously optimistic." Systems Released November 19, 2026 ESRB Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+ Developer(s) Rockstar Games Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Engine Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) Genre(s) Action, Adventure