With GTA coming, consoles are going up in price at the worst possible time

Release of Grand Theft Auto VI it’s a moment, the kind of great culture that makes people want to go out and buy a console to play. It is a modern example of what is called a “system seller.” There is almost a huge group of people waiting to buy a console because all they play on it is GTAand haven’t had to upgrade since GTA V. But there’s one big problem: At the same time people are excited to finally be able to play GTA, the hardware that goes with it is becoming more and more expensive.

Fans have been waiting for the next one Grand Theft Auto for a long time. GTA V it was first launched in 2013, and after it was shown to several generations of consoles, it arrived on PC, and, with a little help from its permanent online channel, it became perhaps the most profitable game in history. That’s a lot to have, and hype all around GTA VI It’s unlike any game I’ve ever seen. The launch, on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X / S, is expected to be so big that other game publishers are leaving fear of getting lost in the confusion.

When developer Rockstar first confirmed that it was working on the game back in 2022the two consoles were available at very different prices. The PlayStation 5 was launched at $499.99 for the base model, but later two about rising pricesit is now at $649.99. If you want a more powerful PS5 Pro – that would be a good idea for more demanding games like GTA VI – you’re looking at $899.99. Microsoft, currently, has tripled the price of its modern consoles from 2025. The cheaper Xbox Series S now costs $499.99, while the more powerful Series X goes up to $799.99. Both are hundreds of dollars higher than their opening prices.

That’s too much, and he’s against it common wisdom that buying a console at launch is badbecause now things only increase in value over time. This is especially common in games like GTA VI. This week, Rockstar opened pre-orders for the gameindicating that there is no chance that it will be delayed again. So audiences who need to upgrade their console to play will still be facing a sticking point, even if they choose to go the Xbox or PlayStation route. That’s an increase that will make many reconsider whether they want to invest more than $600 — and often more — just to play a single video game. Many wait and hope that things will go down in price.

There are some problems with GTA VIto be started. At $79.99, it’s more expensive than most games, and there are arguments for that the physical form does not include the disc. But these are the minor hiccups that the game is on GTA VI they will undoubtedly conquer. The high cost of consoles, on the other hand, can greatly affect the success of games.

Let’s put it this way: GTA V has sold 230 million copies to date, spanning PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, and three generations of Xbox. Although GTA VI was bought by every single person who currently owns a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, it still won’t sell anywhere near that number. The PS5 has a built-in base more than 90 millionwhen it is estimated that Microsoft has sold about 30 million units of the current Xbox. This is not a small number of people, and it is not a number that is likely to grow significantly in the future due to this increase in prices. PS5 sales are high with the new price.

And it’s not like things will change anytime soon. In fact, in announcing his latest tour, Microsoft realized that “Console storage and memory costs have increased more than 2.5x and we expect to double by the fall of 2027.” And when it is almost certain that GTA VI eventually it will come to PC, although the price increase has made it a very expensive gift for anyone who wants a capable machine. Just look at Valve’s Steam Machine, which starts at $1,049. If you don’t already have the right hardware, play next Grand Theft Auto it can be very cheap.

Although it does not match the initial success of its predecessors, which earned one billion dollars in just three days, GTA VI it will definitely be a big hit. Few things are too big to fail, but GTA VI may be one of them. The game also has a long tail – people are on to buy GTA V ten years later – so there’s plenty of time to reach everyone. But the challenges of modern sports are comforting it still limits the number of people who can play the game when it launches. The wait didn’t last long. It will also be very expensive.