Recent months have seen console gaming costs rise sharply. Sony increased PS5 hardware prices in April, setting the new base price at $600 while the PS5 Pro sits at $900. PlayStation Plus, mandatory for online play, also saw a price hike. Microsoft followed suit with higher Xbox Series X and S prices, though they reduced Xbox Game Pass costs.
GTA 6 stands as the most anticipated video game ever and is predicted to shatter sales records. It will launch exclusively on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S with no PC version available at release. Consequently, owning a current generation console is essential. Many people may purchase their first console specifically to play GTA 6 when it arrives this November.
However, will the steep entry cost in 2026 discourage new gamers? Could rising expenses hinder even GTA 6? I asked Strauss Zelnick, head of Rockstar parent Take-Two, before their latest financial results. He rejected the notion, citing a consumer mindset that ‘if you build it, they will come’, even during economic hardship. Yet, Zelnick acknowledged consumers feel financial strain.
Zelnick stated:
In real dollars, the cost of frontline video games has declined materially in the last 30 years. Frontline prices have not gone up very much even in the context of inflation. But from our point of view around here, what we can do to make a difference is always deliver an experience that is so much better than what people pay for, that they’re thrilled to buy our titles. Our job is to make the best entertainment on earth and that’s true across the board.
He continued:
If you give people what they want in the entertainment business, they will come out for it. But I am sensitive to the fact that so many people are facing economic challenges.
Public companies list assumptions in financial projections. Take-Two expects to break revenue records this year, largely due to GTA 6. A key assumption involves the console install base growing. This implies continued sales of PS5 and Xbox Series X and S units.
Is this growth guaranteed? Sony sold 1.5 million PS5 consoles last quarter, a 46% drop year-over-year. Microsoft does not report hardware sales but noted Xbox hardware revenues fell 33% year-over-year. Regarding the install base GTA 6 enters, PS5 sales exceeded 93 million units by the end of March 2026. Xbox Series X and S lag significantly behind, though Microsoft does not report exact figures. Zelnick mentioned the install base is not yet 150 million, despite being nearly six years into the generation.
With GTA 6 launching in six months, I asked Zelnick how he feels about the current install base and Take-Two’s assumption it will grow.
Zelnick replied:
We feel fine about the install base now. Obviously we believe that there’ll be growth in the install base between now and the launch of GTA 6, partially related to the holiday season and normal growth, and console sales occurs around that time of year. And also we do think that GTA 6 will drive some growth.
The GTA 6 release date is crucial: November 19, 2026. This falls one week before Black Friday on November 27. Will PS5 and Xbox Series X and S receive discounts? Will Sony and Microsoft stock enough consoles to meet interest? This is complicated by rising manufacturing and distribution costs plus memory shortages from the AI boom.
Various factors exist, but GTA 6 release feels like a defining moment for this generation. We have not discussed the game’s price. Zelnick emphasises value and notes console gaming costs haven’t risen much with inflation. Does this suggest GTA 6 exceeds $70? Some analysts predict $80 or more.
There is more from the Strauss Zelnick interview. It includes confirmation of the GTA 6 release date, dispelling delay fears, and his views on marketing expected to start with pre-orders this summer.
