80% of gamers say they'd pay $100 for GTA VI — but the data tells a different story

Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI could open as early as this week, and the price still isn't official — but a new poll is adding fuel to the debate. Insider Gaming asked its live podcast audience whether they'd pay $100 for GTA VI's standard edition, and more than 80% said yes. That's a striking number, but it clashes with both Take-Two's own signals and hard consumer research.

The CEO's ceiling

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has been consistent on pricing. When asked directly about a $100 tag, he said the company's plans were "a lot more modest," pointing to a $70–$80 range. A UK retailer leak from May 12 — unverified but widely circulated — puts the standard edition at £69.99, with a single version available at launch. That aligns with Zelnick's upper bound and suggests the entry price will land closer to the lower end.

Industry analysts have argued that GTA VI is the perfect moment to push past the $70 standard — a price point that has held for years — and give the wider games industry cover to follow. Bank of America analysts made the case that a price above $80 would benefit the sector as a whole. Rockstar's sheer scale makes it the one studio that could probably get away with it.

What the numbers actually show

The Insider Gaming Weekly poll is a useful sentiment check, but it comes with caveats: it's a live podcast audience of around 500 viewers — not a representative sample. A more rigorous study by MIDiA Research, using a Gabor–Granger demand curve across 2,000 US and UK consumers, found that 59% would buy at $69.99. That share drops sharply above $70. The conclusion: a $69.99 base price actually generates more total revenue than a higher one, because it keeps more buyers in the funnel and makes premium editions — Deluxe, Ultimate — easier to sell on top.

What to expect

GTA VI launches November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Pre-orders are expected to open between May 18 and 21, with an official price announcement likely tied to Take-Two's earnings call on May 21. Up to six purchase tiers are reportedly planned. For most buyers, the standard edition looks set to land at £69.99 in the UK and around $69.99–$79.99 in the US — a premium over current-gen norms, but well short of the $100 ceiling some fans say they'd accept.