Bank of America is making an unusual pitch for a videogame giant: charge more for GTA VI, and let the rest of the industry benefit from the fallout. The bank’s analyst says Take-Two should set the standard edition at $80 instead of $70, arguing that a higher price on Rockstar Games’ next blockbuster could give publishers room to stop pretending premium games are somehow getting cheaper to make.
The argument surfaced after a business conference in Las Vegas, where industry chatter reportedly turned into a broader concern: if Take-Two keeps GTA VI at $70, other publishers may struggle to justify asking for $80 on less famous games. That is a neat bit of market logic, and also a very convenient one for everyone trying to normalise higher sticker prices without saying the quiet part too loudly.
Why Bank of America wants GTA VI at $80
The view comes from Omar Dessouky, who told Seeking Alpha that the videogame industry is in a rough patch and that Take-Two would be acting in its own interest by raising the price of GTA VI. His logic is simple: Rockstar can probably get away with it, and if anyone can reset the ceiling for console pricing, it is the company shipping one of the biggest releases in the medium.
This is not a one-off idea. Earlier in 2025, researcher Matthew Ball floated a similar suggestion, which tells you where the conversation is headed. Publishers have spent years nudging prices upward through deluxe editions, early-access bundles, and season passes; a straight move to $80 for a base game would just make the trend less shy.
- Proposed standard price for GTA VI: $80
- Current widely discussed benchmark: $70
- Release date: 19 November 2026
- Platforms confirmed so far: PS5, Xbox Series X and S
Take-Two is not confirming a price
Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick did not back the $80 idea at the same event. He refused to confirm any pricing for GTA VI, while also pushing back on the more extravagant speculation circulating online. That is the polite corporate version of ”don’t count your microtransactions before they hatch.”
One detail Zelnick did make clear: Rockstar is focused first on serving its core audience. That also helps explain why a PC version is still unconfirmed, even with the console release date already set for 19 November 2026. For Take-Two, the safest path is to sell the biggest possible game first, then worry about everything else after the marketing machine has done its work.
What happens if GTA VI stays at $70
If Take-Two holds the line at $70, the industry loses a handy pricing excuse. If it goes to $80, the rest of the market gets a new benchmark overnight, and players get another reminder that ”premium” often just means ”we think you’ll pay it.” Either way, GTA VI is already acting like more than a game release; it is shaping up as a referendum on how far publishers can push the standard edition before customers push back.