Grand Theft Auto VI starting at $80 might strike some as the latest sign that gaming is becoming increasingly unaffordable. For others, like tech analyst Ben Thompson, the price represents an absolute steal. The writer behind the popular Stratechery newsletter recently shared his reaction to Rockstar Games revealing the long-awaited price point for its next open-world blockbuster, and I think he was being somewhat serious when he said the studio should have actually charged $200.
“Rockstar, I think, is charging way too little for this game,” he said on an episode of the technology daily news show TBPN. “They’re charging what? $80. Like, this is a game…” The podcast hosts quickly interrupted to note that Thompson was likely to get “canceled” for his “nuclear take,” but the analyst did not back down. “No, they should be charging like $200 for this,” he said.
Thompson continued, “GTA VI is like the last great game. Like, you think about everything; it was mostly all made pre-AI, like it is the pinnacle of this AAA craftsmanship, years and years and years of blood and sweat and tears to the extent where you have, like, the Twitter analysts, like, counting cigarette butts outside of the [office] to see like how much crunch are [Rockstar] in right now.”
HOT TAKE from @benthompson: Rockstar is charging *way too little* for GTA 6, the $80 price tag is "ridiculous"
Ben: "They should be charging like $200 for this game! GTA 6 is like, the last great game."
"It was mostly all made pre-AI. It is the pinnacle of AAA craftsmanship.… pic.twitter.com/rkfc68pDVZ
— TBPN (@tbpn) July 8, 2026
While some fans were taken aback by GTA VI being priced $10 more than the current baseline for most AAA games, others outside of gaming were clearly shocked that parent company Take-Two didn’t take the opportunity of having the biggest entertainment release of the decade to push the price even higher. The initial reveal of the price actually sent the company’s stock tumbling downward for several days as the market tried to digest the news.
Venture capital analyst Matthew Ball, who now leads strategy at Xbox, suggested back at the start of 2025 that charging $100 for GTA VI could help break the taboo on raising the prices of games as many publishers struggle with budgets that have risen exponentially. Many at the time thought it was an absurd suggestion. Over a year later, that turns out to be pretty close to the actual price of GTA VI. Certain small pieces of content are locked behind the $100 Deluxe Edition, making that feel to many fans like the “true” cost of the “full” game.
Thompson, meanwhile, said he doesn’t plan to play the game but will be buying it anyway. TBPN’s hosts, who recently sold their livestream show to OpenAI in a deal potentially valued at the “low hundreds of millions,” laughed at anyone complaining about needing to pay $80 for GTA VI. “[In] 10 years you couldn’t save up 80 bucks?” co-host John Coogan asked, reciting a comment from a younger employee. “I know kids that do lemonade stands and they clear like a hundred bucks,” added co-host Jordi Hays.Â
“Gamers are insane,” Thompson said. “I always tread in this water like very, very carefully.”
