Thirteen years have passed since the last Grand Theft Auto launched to critical acclaim. Now, at long last, GTA VI is almost here, but thanks to the AI boom, prices on current consoles are skyrocketing, and next-gen hardware is expected to be even worse. Here’s why you might have to pay more to play this November.
If you already own a compatible game console, you’re among the lucky ones who aren’t affected by the ever-increasing gadget prices that hit gamers particularly hard starting early this year. If you don’t have a console though, or if you own the wrong game console, it’s going to cost you a pretty penny for the privilege to play GTA VI on launch day.
Most of these consoles are six years old, and instead of dropping in price, they’ve gone up.
GTA VI is a new-generation game packed to the brim with the latest graphical technology powered by Rockstar Games' Rockstar Advanced Game Engine. A quick glance at the extended teaser from August shows stunningly realistic lighting and textures, extreme precision on fine details like strands of hair, and a dense world ready to be explored. In short, you will need a powerful console to play GTA VI, which is probably why your options are so limited.
The game will only be compatible with four consoles at launch — PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. Anything else is obsolete. That means GTA VI won’t run on the Nintendo Switch 2, nor is it playable on an old PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
You can’t even play GTA VI on PC or handhelds, like Steam Deck. This isn’t due to a technical limitation though. Rockstar intentionally made GTA VI a console exclusive for the first several months, leaving PC players out to dry until Q1 2027, when it is rumored to release more broadly.
Naturally, the PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X are the preferred consoles that deliver the best graphical experience. Unfortunately, both of these consoles, and their lower-powered siblings, are more expensive today than they were when they launched in 2020 and 2024.
Everything is more expensive
In August, Xbox raised the cost of Series X and Series S by $100 for the 512GB options and $150 for the 1TB versions. This is on top of the $20-$70 price hike from October of last year. If you want to buy one of these consoles today, you’ll pay:
- Xbox Series S (512GB) – $499.99
- Xbox Series S (1TB) – $599.99
- Xbox Series X (1TB Digital Edition) – $749.99
- Xbox Series X (1TB) – $799.99
- Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition – $899.99
PlayStation isn’t any better. Sony raised prices in August as well, adding another $100-$150 to its product lineup. If you want a new PlayStation today, you’ll pay:
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition (825GB) – $599
- PlayStation 5 (1TB) – $649
- PlayStation 5 Pro (2TB) – $899
The irony here is that most of these consoles — with the exception of PlayStation 5 Pro that came out in 2024 — are six years old. Instead of dropping in price — which is what usually happens to aging technology before the next big thing comes to replace it — they’ve gone up, thanks to supply chain shortages spurred on by AI.
Lastly, the game — GTA VI itself — is also more expensive. GTA V launched at $60 for the standard version. Yes, the last game came out in 2013, so you’d expect prices to shift over more than a decade. However, the $60 base price tag for games in general stuck around for a long time before jumping up to $70 in 2020. To play GTA VI though, that one will set you back $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition, which gives you special vehicles, weapons, and clothing items for the main characters.
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No hope for the next generation
For those who need a gaming console to play GTA VI, you might just write this generation off for what’s coming next. The next-gen consoles are rumored to roll out in several more years, but if you think you’ll get one for a decent price, think again. With supply chain shortages refusing to go away, the prices for the next consoles are expected to be even worse.
The new Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, could reportedly cost up to $1,800, making it Microsoft’s most expensive console ever. That’s a big ask for gamers who are used to paying a fraction of that on new hardware. That said, Project Helix is more than just a console. It will supposedly be closer to a hybrid console/PC with support for Xbox games and PC games. Whether the added capability is worth the higher price is up to you.
The next-generation PlayStation will also be more expensive. Rumors suggest it could cost up to $1,000 MSRP, largely due to RAM and NAND costs taking up $680 of that price tag. Unlike Xbox, the next PlayStation likely won’t have PC game support, and it may not have a disc drive since Sony is officially ending disc game releases in 2028.
Brace yourself for more
Gaming is just one industry affected by the supply chain shortages. Prices for all electronics, including phones, laptops, tablets, and more, have all gone up by 17%-42%, depending on the device. There’s real volatility in the market, and it’s impossible to predict how these prices will fluctuate throughout the holidays and into 2027.
At the same time, data shows that the AI bubble may be primed to burst. If that happens, the supply chains would get a much needed break from the AI onslaught, potentially freeing up resources to lower prices for consumers. Unfortunately, we would have bigger problems as AI investors would have billions of dollars in debt with no way to recoup, and AI would no longer be the economic engine that some said it would be.
But hey, until then, at least we have the hottest game of the year coming out soon. Grand Theft Auto VI is available now for preorder, and it will launch on PlayStation and Xbox on Thursday, November 19, 2026.
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[H/T Blaze Media]
