Take-Two Interactive will open Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders on 25 June, and the number Rockstar Games attaches to its standard edition that morning could quietly fix the new ceiling for every blockbuster release that follows.
Wall Street has spent months arguing whether the most anticipated game in over a decade will arrive at $80 (£61) or $100 (£76). The answer matters far beyond Take-Two's bottom line. Whichever figure Rockstar picks is expected to set the template for the next round of releases from FIFA, Call of Duty, NBA 2K, and Madden, meaning your wallet will feel the ripple effects long after Vice City fades from the headlines.
Jefferies analyst James Heaney told investors this week in a research note that the firm's base case is $80, with $100 treated as 'unlikely'. Heaney reiterated a Buy rating and a $300 (£227) price target on Take-Two shares, arguing the GTA franchise has enough pull to support an industry-leading sticker without crushing pre-order momentum.
Bank of America has taken the more aggressive line. Its analysts have publicly argued that GTA 6 should land at $80 specifically to give cover to rival publishers, who have so far hesitated to break the long-standing $70 (£53) standard. Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick has opposed that view directly, telling investors they intend to charge far less than the full value the game delivers.
A flat $100 standard edition would be a first in console history, and it is the option that analysts keep walking back to. Heaney noted that a $70 base would make premium upsells easier for Rockstar, while $80 splits the difference and still nudges the industry forward. Even at $80, US buyers would absorb their second base-game price hike since 2020, when the standard climbed from $60 (£45) to $70.
The premium and collector editions are where Rockstar can quietly chase the triple-digit revenue analysts are modelling.Leaked retailer listings tracked by gaming insiders have pointed to deluxe tiersin the $120 to $147 (£95 to £116) range, though Rockstar has yet to confirm any pricing.
Take-Two shares opened at $239.22 (£181) on Thursday, up nearly 5% from Wednesday's $228.03 (£173) close, before settling around $235.93 (£179). The stock climbed as high as $241.74 (£183) intraday, a roughly 6% jump on the pre-order announcement.
Piper Sandler reiterated an Overweight rating on Take-Two with a $280 (£212) price target, projecting Grand Theft Auto VI will move more than 45 million copies at launch. Zelnick has guided fiscal-year 2027 net bookings of $8 billion (£6.1 billion) to $8.2 billion (£6.2 billion), a figure that effectively bakes a premium price into the model.
The previous entry shipped in 2013, cleared $1 billion (£758 million) in revenue within 72 hours, and has sold over 200 million copies. That track record gives Rockstar room to test buyer tolerance.
If $80 holds on 25 June, expect rival publishers to follow within their next launch windows. If $100 somehow surfaces on a premium tier marketed as the 'real' GTA 6 experience, the standard edition becomes the floor, not the ceiling.
Source: International Business Times UK
