Jefferies analyst James Heaney called a $100 Grand Theft Auto 6 base edition unlikely, pointing to a $70 to $80 price tag ahead of the pre-orders opening on June 25.
Take-Two Interactive shares rose roughly 5% after Rockstar confirmed Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders begin June 25. Jefferies analyst James Heaney reiterated a Buy rating and a $300 price target on the stock, higher than Piper Sandler's projections, and dropped one detail most Grand Theft Auto fans will care about the most: he thinks a rumored $100 base edition price is unlikely.
For months, the gaming industry has braced for the game to push the standard new-release price to $100. Bank of America argued for $80, and some analysts have floated $100 as a real possibility given the game's scale. The fear was that GTA 6, as the biggest release in history, would have the leverage to break the price ceiling and that every other publisher would follow.
Jefferies is pushing back on that. Heaney's view is that a $100 base edition is unlikely, which aligns with what Strauss Zelnick has said, that pricing is an act of value rather than a money grab.
Tired of GTA rumor recycling in your search results?
Make GTA BOOM your preferred source so Google prioritizes verified GTA coverage in Search, Top Stories, and AI Overviews.
The most likely price for GTA 6 remains the $70 to $80 range we have mapped repeatedly, with premium and collector's editions climbing above that. A $100 standard edition was always the pessimistic ceiling, not the expected price.
What the Jefferies Analyst Said
| Detail | What Jefferies Said |
|---|---|
Rating | Buy (reiterated) |
Price target | $300 |
Catalyst | The June 25 pre-order kickoff, cover art reveal, and updated digital storefronts |
Launch confidence | Pre-orders reinforce the November 19 window |
Pricing call | A $100 base edition is "highly unlikely" despite industry-wide pressure to raise software prices |
Stock reaction | Shares rose roughly 5% on the news |
The $300 target speaks to investors, and the "$100 is unlikely" call speaks to the millions of players trying to budget for this game.
However, Heaney does not set Rockstar's prices. He has, more or less, the same access ot information as the rest of us. His logic, while sound, is still just based on Zelnick's public comments, industry norms, and the risk that an aggressive price could dampen the record-breaking sales Take-Two is counting on. Charging $100 could suppress day-one volume, and Take-Two has said repeatedly that long-term engagement matters more than launch-day revenue. A lower entry price gets more people into the ecosystem, where Grand Theft Auto Online and microtransactions make the real money. But "unlikely" is a probability, not a fact. The actual price comes from Rockstar, and we will know it on or around June 25.
Ultimately, this means the people whose job is to analyze Take-Two's business for a living believe the game is launching on November 19, and it probably will not cost $100 at the standard tier. Both are good news for anyone who has been budgeting for the setup. Neither is a guarantee. Analysts have been wrong before, but it fits a familiar pattern.
A 5% stock jump and a Buy reiteration are the market's version of the same message the SEC filings already sent: this is happening, it is happening in November, and the money behind it is confident.
The only question now is how much GTA 6 will cost, and the smart money says $70 to $80, not $100.