Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, days before Black Friday and right in the teeth of the biggest shopping stretch of the year, and it won't be available at a discounted price at all during this period or any other period for a long time. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed this himself on the CNBC Squawkbox.
When asked whether the holiday window might see Rockstar Games sell the next Grand Theft Auto for a discount, this is what he had to say:
We establish our pricing, and then storefronts can do what they wish. We don’t have any ability to control that. So if they reduce the price, they’re obviously reducing their margin on the sale.
Translation: Digital storefronts and retailers are free to knock a couple of dollars off GTA 6, but they have to eat the lost margin themselves because TTWO and Rockstar won't.
*Rockstar’s Track Record on Holding Full Price
Game | Launch Date | Launch Price (Standard) | First Notable Official Digital Discount | Discount Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Theft Auto V | Sept 17, 2013 (PS3/Xbox 360) | $59.99 | Late 2015 (≈2+ years later) | Holiday sales (e.g. £29.99 on PS Store in Dec 2015) | Rockstar held full price unusually long thanks to strong ongoing GTA Online sales. Physical retailers discounted earlier. |
Red Dead Redemption 2 | Oct 26, 2018 (PS4/Xbox One) Nov 5, 2019 (PC) | $59.99 | Late 2019 / early 2020 (≈14 months after console launch; weeks–months after PC) | 20% off ($47.99) on Steam/Rockstar digital stores during holiday sales | Physical retailers cut to ~$40 within 4–5 months. Official digital storefronts stayed firmer longer. |
How long GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 stayed at full price before meaningful official digital discounts. It's the same pattern Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick just referenced for GTA 6.
Games usually launch at full price and drift down over the following months, and by their first Christmas, plenty of them will sell for 30 or 40 percent off their original price. Zelnick is saying this won't happen to GTA 6 and its controversial $80 price tag, nor its much-debated $100 Ultimate Edition.
So if you spot retailers selling GTA 6 for a lower price on Black Friday or any other day of the month, it's them choosing to lose money to get you through the door, and stores rarely if at all torch their margin, especially when there's no incentive to do it for the most in-demand game on the planet. Already, GTA 6 is selling out all across the world, and it's a digital-only title. Can you imagine once it launches and delivers if not exceeds on all expectations?
Zelnick's confidence isn't unwarranted, too. The longtime TTWO executive pointed to Grand Theft Auto V pricing holding out far longer than most entertainment releases manage. GTA V held on to its launch price because it never stopped selling, and it continues to sell well across three console generations, often at or near full price every time it gets re-released, while Grand Theft Auto Online consistently pulls in the money for both Rockstar and Take-Two.
This is the kind of pricing power GTA enjoys because everyone but Nintendo is scared of it and it has no real competition. It also fits a company who has openly said that it wants to pull more money out of players.
Elsewhere in the same sitdown, Zelnick defended the $80 and $100 tiers as delivering more value, and Take-Two has said pre-orders are blowing past its own forecasts. When demand looks like that, this executive can pretty much do whatever and tell storefronts to "do what they wish" except the only thing they'll probably be wishing for is manpower as companies and businesses start taking days off just to head to Vice City and Leonida come November.
So, if you're looking to get GTA 6 on a discount, your best bet is to buy from other countries, follow our guide, or join our giveaway. Either way though, the next real GTA date on the calendar is Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look premiering on Netflix on August 27.