It's no secret that video game development is more expensive than ever before, and in a hit-driven industry, Grand Theft Auto VI is rumored to be the most expensive game ever made. Various numbers have been thrown around, with one report even claiming that $1.5 billion was spent--around the budget of Dubai's iconic Burj Khalifa skyscraper.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Rockstar shot down that claim, but it hasn't confirmed just how much investment it has taken to get the game over the finish line for its November release. With years of development behind it, multiple studios--including one Los Angeles-based division focused exclusively on NPCs--and scores of employees working on it, that final price tag is likely to be quite high, but it is expected that GTA 6 will quickly recoup its expenses and start generating some serious profits for Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
The game has reportedly already sold 5+ million copies through preorders, generating more than half a billion dollars, and that number is expected to climb to 25 million preorders by launch day, pushing the numbers up to $2 billion. It's worth noting that preorders aren't guaranteed sales--Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has commented on this--so these figures could always change.
Rockstar is already making bank without even selling the game, as the $400 GTA 6 collector's edition has also proven popular since it went up for preorder a few weeks ago--and it's a merchandise-only box of GTA 6 swag.
While Rockstar Games hasn't spoken about an online multiplayer component for GTA 6, it's rumored to be launching in 2027. Given how GTA 5's GTA Online mode reportedly brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year, GTA 6's version of this mode is also expected to be a license to print money for Rockstar and Take-Two. But can GTA 6 pull people away from GTA Online? Valve veteran Chet Faliszek recently commented that it might be a hard sell, as many GTA Online players are heavily invested in the game and might be reluctant to give up a third space they have built over years.
No matter what choice Rockstar makes, it won’t please everyone, and it'll have to find a middle ground to keep as many players happy as possible. In related GTA 6 news, you can read about how Rockstar debated how realistic it wanted the game to be, and why the studio doesn't think you'll need to wait almost a decade for its next game.