Rockstar Games has set a new financial record in the gaming industry — developing GTA VI cost more than building the tallest building in the world.
Rockstar Games has set a new financial record in the gaming industry — developing GTA VI cost more than building the tallest building in the world.
According to insiders, over 7 years of production, about $2 billion was spent on the project, while the construction of the 828-meter Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai took only $1.5 billion over 6 years.
The huge costs are explained by the unprecedented scale of the project. GTA VI promises to be the most detailed game in history — with a giant map that includes a fictional analogue of Miami and the surrounding areas, revolutionary physics and artificial intelligence of characters. Special funds were spent on the creation of hyper-realistic graphics and licensing of hundreds of music tracks.
Analysts say that even such a budget will pay off quickly — the previous part of the series, GTA V, brought developers more than $7.7 billion in 10 years. The release of GTA VI in May 2026 is expected to become the biggest cultural event of the decade in the gaming industry.
Rockstar Games traditionally does not comment on financial matters, but it is clear that the company is setting new standards for budgeting for AAA projects.
Recall that the release of the sixth part of the game was postponed to May 2026.
Meanwhile, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick commented on the postponement of the release of GTA 6. According to Zelnick, the decision is related to the desire to maintain the high quality standard set by the company: «We fully support Rockstar in their desire to realize their creative vision. We always take the postponement of release dates seriously, but remain committed to excellence.»
He noted that Take-Two understands the scale of expectations from players around the world, but emphasizes that an artificially accelerated release is not in line with the company’s philosophy. As a result, the postponement allows us to preserve the integrity of the project and the reputation of the brand.
No one at Rockstar believed that Grand Theft Auto 6 would be released in the fall of 2025, according to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier. According to him, the team realized long ago that such an ambitious game needed more time.
In GTA 6, Schreier writes, there were two options: either postponement to 2026 or a long period of overtime. In the end, Rockstar management chose the first option.
«Too much work, too little time, and it seems like management really wants to avoid a hard crunch,» the journalist noted.
The previous installment, Grand Theft Auto V, broke sales records in the gaming industry and became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, earning $800 million in its first day and $1 billion in its first three days. Most game analysts expect the new GTA installment to break this record, and the product itself will become the first game with a price tag of $100 for the base version.
It should be noted that Grand Theft Auto VI will be Rockstar Games' first game in the series in the last 12 years.
